Illinois lawmakers have sent public health legislation to Governor JB Pritzker’s desk that would establish state-level vaccine guidelines independent of federal recommendations and provide millions in financial support to independent pharmacies across the state.

House Bill 767, passed during the fall veto session, is a response to uncertainty at the federal level following recent changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine guidance structure.

The legislation significantly expands the authority of the Illinois Department of Public Health to issue its own communicable disease prevention guidelines. Under the bill, IDPH Director Sameer Vohra would have statutory authority to publish state-specific vaccine recommendations after consulting with medical and scientific experts, including the department’s Immunization Advisory Committee.

​The legislation also establishes new statutory requirements for the Department of Public Health’s Medical Director position. If the IDPH Director is not a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches, a Medical Director who holds such a license must be appointed and report directly to the Director.

The Immunization Advisory Committee, composed of doctors, nurses, public health professionals, and other healthcare experts, would gain expanded responsibilities for advising on immunizations and medical countermeasures licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The committee’s membership would be restructured to include the IDPH Medical Director, local health department representatives, certified school nurses, pediatricians, family physicians, pharmacists, and other licensed healthcare professionals in good standing.​

In a notable check on executive authority, the legislation allows the advisory committee to override the IDPH director’s published guidelines with a two-thirds vote if committee members believe their recommendations have not been adequately considered. Any overridden recommendations would serve as the official State Guidelines for Communicable Disease Prevention for at least six months.

The legislation builds on Executive Order 2025-04, which Governor Pritzker issued in September directing IDPH to develop state vaccine guidelines amid federal policy changes initiated by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. That executive order established the Statewide Vaccine Access Initiative and directed IDPH to issue standing orders allowing eligible providers in pharmacies and other clinical settings to administer vaccines based on science-based guidance.

HB 767 amends the Illinois Insurance Code to require state-regulated health insurance plans to cover immunizations and medical countermeasures recommended in the State Guidelines for Communicable Disease Prevention without imposing cost-sharing requirements on patients. This provision ensures that coverage continues regardless of changes to federal guidance.

The bill specifically requires coverage for COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus vaccinations, including administration fees by pharmacists or other authorized healthcare providers, when vaccines are administered according to state guidelines or the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices immunization schedule. 

The legislation establishes a pharmacy support program funded through fees assessed on pharmacy benefit managers operating in Illinois. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity would administer grants totaling $25 million annually to support eligible pharmacies.​​

Qualifying pharmacies include critical access care pharmacies, retail pharmacies with fewer than 10 locations under common ownership, pharmacies in counties with fewer than 50,000 residents, pharmacies in medically underserved areas, pharmacies where 65% or more of claims are for Medicaid services, and pharmacies located in census tracts meeting specific poverty and pharmacy accessibility standards.​

Grant funds would be distributed in equal amounts to each eligible pharmacy that applies, with each beneficiary limited to one award per fiscal year regardless of how many qualification categories they meet. The Department would be required to file annual reports with the Governor and General Assembly detailing the number of applicants, recipients, pharmacy locations, funding amounts, and qualification categories.

The bill awaits Governor Pritzker’s signature. Most provisions would take effect January 1, 2026, with insurance coverage requirements for vaccines recommended under state guidelines becoming effective within specified timeframes after guideline publication.