Senator Dale Risinger welcomes Max Spencer, a student at St. Thomas Grade School, to the Senate Chambers. Max served as a legislative page for Senator Risinger on March 22. He came to Springfield with his mother, Deb Spencer of Peoria, and his grandfather Robert Spencer of Peoria Heights.

Senator Dale Risinger says he is disappointed that the Senate Insurance Committee would not advance legislation he is sponsoring to help people with diabetes pay for costly medical equipment they need.

"Senate Bill 1211 would mandate that health insurance carriers cover continuous glucose-monitoring systems that are FDA-approved and deemed medically necessary by a physician," Risinger said. "This is important for people with diabetes. They need to keep tight control on their blood sugar levels."

Peoria resident Jennifer Vandewiele and her 3-year-old son Mark, who has Type 1 diabetes, testified on behalf of the legislation March 14. The Senate Insurance Committee listened to Mrs. Vandewiele’s testimony, then the Chairman told her the bill would be placed in a sub-committee for further review.

According to the American Diabetes Association Web site, there are 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population, who have diabetes.

State Senators Dale Risinger, John O. Jones of Mt. Vernon, Bill Brady of Bloomington and dozens of citizens from across Illinois were turned away March 7 when they asked to meet with the Governor about skyrocketing utility rates.

The three downstate legislators presented the Governor’s staff, outside his office in the Capitol, with stacks of power bills from all over the state. This was the latest attempt by downstate legislators to call on the Governor to take a lead on this issue.