Koehler secures $670,000 for local restaurants

• Back to Business

PEORIA – With strong support from State Senator Dave Koehler, a total of $670,000 was awarded to 17 businesses in the Peoria and Bloomington areas in an effort to uplift and support the restaurant industry. 

“Small businesses are the backbone of our communities,” said Koehler (D-Peoria). “Throughout the pandemic, restaurants struggled to keep their doors open. We made a commitment to invest and uplift the small businesses that provide essential jobs and boost our local economies.”

The Back to Business grant program provides recovery grants for small businesses throughout the state, with an emphasis on businesses in the hardest hit industries. Through the Back to Business and Business Interruption Grant programs, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has provided over $535 million to more than 15,000 businesses since the start of the pandemic.

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Koehler law provides all Illinoisans hearing aid coverage

• Hearing Aids

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Dave Koehler passed a law that requires insurance providers to cover hearing aids and related services for people of all ages.

“Illinoisans shouldn’t have to pay ridiculous fees for something that is necessary for their health and well-being,” said Koehler (D-Peoria). “These devices make daily routines attainable and allow a high quality of life for those who are hard of hearing.”

House Bill 2443 builds upon the 2018 Koehler-supported measure that required insurance to cover hearing aids for children under the age of 18. Koehler’s measure expands on that by requiring insurers to provide coverage for everyone if their doctor prescribes a hearing instrument, which can cost up to $4,000.

“Prescription medication is covered by your insurance, so why aren’t hearing devices that our hearing professional prescribes?” said Koehler. “This law makes these devices accessible for everyone and eliminates the chance that someone would not be able to afford them.” 

House Bill 2443 was signed into law Friday and will take effect Jan. 1, 2025.

Koehler law ensures child vloggers are accurately compensated

• SB 1782

SPRINGFIELD – With the rise of social media influencing, all someone needs to reach fame now is a cell phone. While traditional child actors are protected by the Child Labor Law, there has been nothing on the books for young social media influencers until now, thanks to State Senator Dave Koehler.

“The rise of social media has given children new opportunities to earn a profit,” said Koehler (D-Peoria). “Many parents have taken this opportunity to pocket the money, while making their children continue to work in these digital environments.”

Under Senate Bill 1782, minors under the age of 16 featured in vlogs or other online content are covered under the Child Labor Law. The measure calls for the child – also known as a “kidfluencer”— to be accurately compensated.

The idea for the legislation came from Shreya Nallamothu, a 15-year-old high school student in Koehler’s district. Shreya brought her proposal to Koehler with concerns that money made by child influencers is not protected and that too many young people will fall victim to a parent or guardian taking the assets for their own use.

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Koehler law punishes those who commit fertility fraud

• Fertility Fraud

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Dave Koehler championed a new law that will outlaw fertility fraud in Illinois.

When Bloomington resident Curt Richardson got his DNA test results back from Ancestry.com in June 2021, his life – and those of his parents – changed forever when they learned they had been victims of fertility fraud.

Richardson’s story is similar to hundreds of others across the state and nation who have lived most of their lives thinking the very people who raised them were their biological parents. State Senator Dave Koehler is working to bring awareness to fertility fraud and provide justice to the families who fall victim to the heinous act.

“Fertility fraud is a horrific crime, and the health care professionals who commit such acts deserve to face dire consequences,” said Koehler (D – Peoria). “These acts have gone unpunished for too long.”

Fertility fraud occurs when a health care provider knowingly or intentionally uses their own human reproductive cells during an assisted reproductive treatment without the patient’s informed written consent.

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