Tag: AI

2026 End of Session Mailer

Posted on by Office of Maura Hirschauer
2026 End of Session Mailer

Para leer en español, haga clic aquí.


“As a working mom, I’m at the grocery store every other day. I know that affordability is top of mind for all Illinoisans because I feel it too. Washington is failing to meet this moment. That’s why I’m working diligently in Springfield to pass legislation that creates a better path for Illinois, because we deserve better than what Washington is offering.”

A Better Path for Illinois

This session I made affordability, community safety, and protecting the common good a priority. Everyone in our community—whatever their political opinions—deserves more from Washington than we are getting. Our budgets are getting tighter, our expenses are getting higher, and our rights are getting chipped away.

We don’t have to accept Washington’s fevered vision where everything gets more expensive and every day feels like a struggle. I am fighting for a better path for Illinois, and I am proud to share the legislation that I passed this session bills with you: 

House Bill 4248

  • Stopping AI-powered schemes that raise prices of groceries and everyday purchases. The Algorithmic Price Prohibition Act which will ensure fairness and transparency for Illinois consumers. Your browsing history and digital footprint should not become a tool to charge you more. This nation-leading bill bans the practice of surveillance pricing in Illinois. 

Senate Bill 3926

  • Supporting veterans’ mental health by continuing the Breakthrough Therapies for Veterans Suicide Prevention Program Advisory Council within the Department of Public Health. It is our duty to protect the mental health of those who dedicated their lives to our safety and security. 

House Bill 4791

  • Investing in our critical early childhood workforce by allowing Head Start and Early Head Start programs to participate in the Smart Child Care Workforce Compensation Program. We must support the workforce behind the workforce for our communities to thrive. 

House Bill 5209

  • Addressing the intersection of mental health and gun violence by mandating training on mental health reporting and FOID for mental health practitioners. 

Senate Bill 3329

  • Strengthening orders of protection so abusers can’t access confiscated firearms from third-party services to provoke or harm others. 

Additional Bills:

House Bill 4309 – Establishes an annual proclamation by the Governor for POW/MIA Recognition Day, the 3rd Friday in September each year. Passed the House – Read More Here

House Bill 5313 – Removes several provisions requiring HFS to establish benchmarks to reduce hospital readmissions, inpatient complications, and unnecessary emergency room visits to bring HFS into statutory consistency with the modern Medicaid managed care environment. Passed the House

House Bill 4566 – Establishes the Natural Resource Restoration Trust Grant Program which will provide grants to communities for the purpose of restoring natural resources. Passed the House – Read More Here

Upcoming Events

End Of Session Town Hall

Veterans Roundtable

Free Community Document Shredding

Noticias del fin de la sesión legislativa de 2026

“Como madre trabajadora, voy al supermercado cada, otro día. Sé que la asequibilidad es una de las principales preocupaciones de todos los habitantes de Illinois, porque yo también me siento así. Washington está fallando en afrontar este momento. Por eso, estoy trabajando con diligencia en Springfield para aprobar leyes que abran un camino mejor para Illinois, porque nos merecemos algo mejor de lo que nos ofrece Washington.”

Un Mejor Camino para Illinois

En esta sesión, he priorizado la asequibilidad, la seguridad de la comunidad y la protección del bien común. Todos los miembros de nuestra comunidad – independientemente de sus opiniones políticas – merecen más de Washington de lo que estamos recibiendo. Nuestros presupuestos son cada vez más ajustados, nuestros gastos no dejan de aumentar y nuestros derechos están siendo socavados. 

No tenemos que aceptar la visión fanática de Washington en la que todo se vuelve más caro y cada día se siente más difícil. Estoy luchando por un futuro mejor para Illinois, y me enorgullece compartir con ustedes los proyectos de ley que he aprobado en esta sesión:

House Bill 4248

  • Poniendo fin a las prácticas basadas en la inteligencia artificial que elevan los precios de los alimentos y los productos de uso diario. La Ley de Prohibición de los Precios Algorítmicos garantizará la equidad y la transparencia para los consumidores de Illinois. Tu historial de búsqueda y tu huella digital no deben convertirse en una herramienta para cobrarte más. Este proyecto de ley, líder a nivel nacional, prohíbe la práctica de los precios de vigilancia en Illinois. 

Senate Bill 3926

  • Apoyando la salud mental de los veteranos mediante la continuación del Consejo Asesor del Programa de Terapias Innovadoras para la Prevención del Suicidio entre los Veteranos, dentro del Departamento de Salud Pública. Es nuestro deber proteger la salud mental de quienes dedicaron sus vidas por nuestra seguridad y protección. 

House Bill 4791

  • Invirtiendo en nuestro personal de primera línea dedicado a la primera infancia al permitir que los programas Head Start y Early Head Start participen en el Programa de Compensación para el Personal de Cuidado Infantil – Smart Child Care. Debemos apoyar al personal que está detrás de todo el personal para que nuestras comunidades puedan prosperar. 

House Bill 5209

  • Atendiendo la intersección entre la salud mental y la violencia armada mediante el entrenamiento sobre la salud mental y la licencia FOID para los profesionales de la salud mental. 

Senate Bill 3329

  • Reforzando las órdenes de protección para que los abusadores no puedan acceder a las armas confiscadas a través de servicios terceros con el fin de intimidar o dañar a otros. 

Más sobre los proyectos de ley en que estoy trabajando:

House Bill 4309 – Establece una proclamación anual por parte del Gobernador para el Día de Reconocimiento de los Prisioneros de Guerra y Desaparecidos en Acción (POW/MIA), que se celebrará el tercer viernes de septiembre de cada año. Aprobado en la Cámara de Representantes – Lea más aquí

House Bill 5313 – Elimina varias disposiciones que exigen que el Departamento de Servicios de Salud y Familia (HFS) establezca parámetros de referencia para reducir los reingresos hospitalarios, las complicaciones durante la hospitalización y las visitas innecesarias a las salas de emergencia, con el fin de armonizar la ley con el entorno moderno de atención administrada de Medicaid. Aprobado por la Cámara de Representantes.

House Bill 4566 – Establece el Programa de Subvenciones del Fondo Fiduciario para la Restauración de los Recursos Naturales, que otorgará subvenciones a las comunidades con el propósito de restaurar los recursos naturales. Aprobado por la Cámara de Representantes. – Lea más aquí

Próximos Eventos

Asamblea Comunitaria sobre el Fin de la Sesión Legislativa

Mesa Redonda de Veteranos

Evento Gratuito de Trituración de Documentos para la Comunidad

Maura Hirschauer headshot 2022

Rep. Maura Hirschauer

(D-Batavia)
49th District

Springfield Office:
270-S Stratton Office Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-1653

District Office:
946 Neltnor Blvd #104
West Chicago IL 60185

Hirschauer Champions Affordability Bill that Protects Consumers from Online Price Increases

Posted on by Office of Maura Hirschauer
Hirschauer Champions Affordability Bill that Protects Consumers from Online Price Increases

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A plan championed by state Rep. Maura Hirschauer , D-West Chicago, cracks down on online retailers discreetly using “surveillance pricing”—an AI-powered price gouging scheme that uses a shopper’s personal data to set higher individual prices.

“Technology should work for the people, not exploit them,” said Hirschauer. “Online retailers should not be using your private information to charge you more on everyday purchases. That is outrageous and clearly an invasion of privacy.”

Many apps and online stores are using personal data, browsing history, and financial and demographic profile, to set the highest price a consumer is willing to pay—a major factor driving the affordability crisis.

Hirschauer championed House Bill 4248, which creates the Algorithmic Pricing Transparency Act that bans online retailers from using a shopper’s personal data and demographic profile to set online prices to the highest amount merchants believe a given consumer will pay. Traditional, non-AI pricing models like voluntary rewards programs, manufacturing cost adjustments, and special discounts may continue.

“Now it’s time to stand up against harmful AI practices, because Illinois consumers are entitled to fairness and transparency,” said Hirschauer. “There’s innovation, and then there’s being unethical. Surveillance pricing might be cutting edge, but it’s not ethical.”

The measure passed the House on Friday, and now awaits consideration in the Senate.

Maura Hirschauer headshot 2022

Rep. Maura Hirschauer

(D-Batavia)
49th District

Springfield Office:
270-S Stratton Office Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-1653

District Office:
946 Neltnor Blvd #104
West Chicago IL 60185

Gong-Gershowitz-Led AI Working Group Discusses Consumer Protection, Responsible Innovation

Posted on by Office of Maura Hirschauer
Gong-Gershowitz-Led AI Working Group Discusses Consumer Protection, Responsible Innovation

CHICAGO – The House Democratic AI Working Group, chaired by state Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, held a subject matter hearing on Monday, May 4, to discuss efforts to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) in order to protect consumers and safeguard elections in Illinois.

“These discussions are about protecting consumers and ensuring fairness in our state’s liability statutes,” Gong-Gershowitz said. “AI-powered technologies are no longer simply an emerging technology, they’re impacting almost every aspect of our lives right now.”

Four bills were discussed during the hearing, all pertaining to AI regulation and consumer protection.

Gong-Gershowitz’s House Bill 4557 would create the Digital Forgeries in Politics Act, which places new disclosure requirements on the use of digital manipulation in images, video and audio in political advertising. 

“When voters can no longer trust what they see and hear, democracy itself is at risk,” Gong-Gershowitz said. “AI-generated deepfakes of political candidates and elected officials are not a distant threat — they are already being weaponized to deceive the public, suppress participation and undermine elections. HB4557 draws a clear line: if you use artificial intelligence to fabricate the words or likeness of a political figure to deceive voters, there will be consequences. Illinoisans deserve to make their voices heard based on facts.”

House Bill 5044, also by Gong-Gershowitz, would create the Chatbot Provider Liability Act, defining chatbots as products and establishing that providers have a duty to ensure that the use of a chatbot does not cause injury to a user.

“We have always held manufacturers accountable when their products cause serious harm — and an AI chatbot is a product,” Gong-Gershowitz said. “When companies deploy these systems knowing they have the potential to deceive, manipulate or injure the people who interact with them, they should be held to exactly the same standard we apply to any other dangerous product under Illinois law,” Gong-Gershowitz said. “This legislation closes a loophole that Big Tech has been counting on. If your chatbot causes real harm, you bear real responsibility — full stop.”

State Rep. Daniel Didech’s House Bill 4705 would create the Artificial Intelligence Public Safety and Child Protection Transparency Act, requiring frontier AI developers and large chatbot providers to create a public safety and child protection plan.

“The pace of AI development and the capabilities of frontier models are accelerating, and the General Assembly has an obligation to ensure that Illinois residents are protected from catastrophic outcomes,” Didech said. “This legislation puts enforceable guardrails in place so Big Tech companies must prioritize safety, be transparent about the risks tied to their systems and take responsibility for preventing serious harm, especially when it comes to protecting children.”

State Rep. Maura Hirschauer’s House Bill 5756, would create the Algorithmic Pricing Transparency Act, requiring online retailers to disclose their use of “surveillance pricing”—a growing phenomena that uses artificial intelligence-powered tools to charge higher prices for certain customers based on a user’s personal data.

“House Bill 5756 prioritizes transparency and fairness,” Hirschauer said. “This legislation makes clear that pricing powered by personal data cannot happen in the shadows. By requiring disclosure, banning the use of sensitive information, and guaranteeing an opt-out, we are putting fairness and accountability back into the marketplace.”

The House Democratic AI Working Group was established by Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch earlier this year in order to launch a multifaceted approach to AI policy in Illinois.

Maura Hirschauer headshot 2022

Rep. Maura Hirschauer

(D-Batavia)
49th District

Springfield Office:
270-S Stratton Office Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-1653

District Office:
946 Neltnor Blvd #104
West Chicago IL 60185