Illinois Lawmaker Proposes Bill to Combat Medical Misinformation

Illinois Lawmaker Proposes Health Misinformation Unit Amid Rising Public Health Concerns

Democratic State Representative Dave Vella has introduced legislation that would establish a dedicated unit within the Illinois Department of Public Health to combat health misinformation. The proposed Combating Health Misinformation Act comes as officials observe concerning trends in preventable diseases across the state.

“What it does is, it really is creating a rubric to combat medical misinformation as it comes up,” Vella explained. “We’re creating a unit within the state of Illinois that really focuses on making sure that when people get misinformation, either from the internet or from other sources in government, that we are there to make sure they know the true facts.”

Vella cited the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent public health challenges as driving factors behind the legislation. The state has recently experienced outbreaks of diseases that had previously been well-controlled through vaccination programs.

“I think before COVID, during COVID and after COVID, we’ve gone through a lot of misinformation about medical stuff, and I think people have gotten hurt,” said Vella. “Whooping cough is up. We’ve had measles outbreaks. People are not getting the medications they deserve or need because they’re either being lied to or misinformed.”

The proposed Health Misinformation Response Unit would have several key functions. Beyond monitoring and countering misinformation, it would offer public health literacy grants and develop networks of trusted local messengers to communicate accurate health information within communities.

The legislation also contains accountability measures. Organizations that distribute health-related information in Illinois would be required to disclose their funding sources and provide citations for factual claims. Those knowingly violating these provisions could face penalties under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.

In addition, the bill would update the School Code to incorporate health literacy as part of comprehensive health education curriculum across Illinois.

“We are going to be going into schools and teaching kids, not what’s true and what’s not true, but how they can figure out what’s true and what’s not true,” Vella said. “It’s just a commonsense way of educating people across the state.”

Vella emphasized that the legislation focuses on community empowerment rather than government dictates. “It’s a lot easier to trust your neighbor, right? You trust your local health department,” he said. “All this bill really does is empower the people to understand what’s true and what’s not true on their own.”

The proposal has already sparked partisan debate. Republican State Representative John Cabello expressed strong opposition, characterizing the bill as government overreach and unnecessary spending.

“It’s more tax and spend, and Democrats trying to spend more of the taxpayer’s dollars for something that’s not needed,” Cabello said. “This is not the state government’s job. We need to start reducing the size of government. We don’t need to be increasing it.”

Cabello also rejected the premise that medical misinformation represents a significant public health concern. “I do not in any way, shape or form [believe that],” he stated. “People are pretty smart and they have the internet, so they can look at it themselves.”

The disagreement highlights broader tensions about the role of government in addressing public health challenges, especially in an era where information—both accurate and inaccurate—is widely available online.

The bill now moves to the rules committee in the Illinois House before being assigned to a subject matter committee for further consideration.

Vella says he’s already received encouraging feedback from healthcare stakeholders. “I’ve talked to some health providers across the state, county health departments, and there’s a lot of interest in this,” he noted. “A lot of people feel, I think, the same way I do, which is, we want people to be able to have the power to decide for themselves in the right way.”