SPRINGFIELD – For years in Illinois, dental insurance companies were allowed to only reimburse patients for dental visits, requiring working Illinoisans to pay the cost of a visit in the office and wait for a check reimbursing them for weeks or months. Thanks to a law led by State Senator Javier Loera Cervantes, patients will no longer have to worry about footing the bill, and insurers will be required to pay for these visits to providers directly.

“Illinoisans shouldn’t have to be the middle man between insurance companies and dental providers,”
 said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “With this new legislation, patients will no longer have to play this role, and can go to the dentist without fear that they will have to foot the bill and wait for a check to cover the costs weeks from then.”   

Without this law, dental insurance carriers are only required to cover the cost of the visit — but it is unspecified if they need to pay the providers directly, or just reimburse the patient for their visit. This means many insurance plans do not immediately pay for a patient’s treatment, leaving them to cover the bill after the visit, only to reimburse them months later.

SPRINGFIELD – Thanks to legislation led by State Senator Javier Loera Cervantes, youth offenders will have more clarity about when they may petition for parole as of Jan. 1.

“This law clears up confusion around the timeline young people are eligible for parole so they can begin a fresh start as soon as they are able to,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “After doing their time and working to better themselves, young people deserve to re-enter their communities to get started on their future.”  

Currently, young people who were under 21 at the time of committing a criminal offense can file a petition for a parole hearing up to three years before they are eligible for parole. If appropriately filed, the Prisoner Review Board sets a parole hearing date three years from the date it received the petition. However, sometimes a person is already eligible for a youthful parole hearing when they file a petition because they have already served the required number of years. This has caused some confusion when they file a petition over if the parole hearing can take place within a year, or if they have to wait three years for a hearing.

SPRINGFIELD – Thanks to a new law championed by State Senator Javier Loera Cervantes, employees will be protected from the discriminatory use of artificial intelligence in hiring decisions as of Jan. 1.

“Although AI is a relatively new technology, we are already seeing reports of how some systems discriminate against people of color,” Cervantes (D-Chicago). “This is extremely concerning as many organizations utilize these tools to make decisions regarding workers’ employment. This law makes sure people are protected against discrimination by AI, ensuring equal treatment in the workplace.”

Under the new law, House Bill 3773, employers will not be allowed to use artificial intelligence to consider demographic information such as race or ZIP code in employment decisions related to recruitment, hiring, promotion, renewal of employment, selection for training or apprenticeship, discharge, discipline, tenure or terms, privileges, or conditions of employment.

SPRINGFIELD – To protect employees from unfair retaliation from their workplace, State Senator Javier Loera Cervantes led new legislation to shield immigrant workers from surveillance and discrimination based on their perceived immigration status.

“With the increase in ICE raids and anti-immigrant sentiment at an all-time high, our immigrant workers do not feel safe in the workplace,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “This law will help ease their minds by establishing protections against discrimination, regardless of their status.”

Federal immigration law requires employers to verify the legal work status of their employees through an online system that compares information from an employee’s I-9 Form to records available to the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to confirm eligibility. If discrepancies are found, immigrant workers have the possibility of receiving a “no match” letter for a variety of reasons, including instances where the individual changed their name due to marriage. Many employers terminate employees upon receiving this notice, even though they could be legally working in the United States.