July 30, 2010
To the Honorable Members of the
Illinois House of Representatives,
96th General Assembly
I hereby return House Bill 6065 with a
specific recommendation for change.
House Bill 6065 makes significant
changes in the way students with diabetes are cared for in schools. Diabetes
care plans outline the proper treatment for students, delegated care aides are
given the ability to execute these plans, and students are given the ability to
self-administer medication. All of these changes are positives ones that make
significant strides towards ensuring the safety and wellbeing of students with
diabetes.
Although I commend the sponsors for
their hard work in advancing this important legislation, I believe that it is
unwise to take a piecemeal approach to the care of students with chronic
illness. Students with diseases like asthma and epilepsy deserve to have the
same protection under the law as students with diabetes. By delaying the
effective date of this bill, families, advocates, and legislators will have the
opportunity to work together to craft a comprehensive solution for students
with all types of chronic illnesses. By doing so, we can finally eliminate the
patchwork of regulations that confuse families across Illinois and make sure
that students with all types of chronic illness are able to learn in a safe,
health environment.
Therefore, pursuant to Article IV,
Section 9(e) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill
6065, entitled “AN ACT concerning education.”, with the following specific
recommendation for change:
On page 9, by replacing
lines 21 and 22 with:
“Section 99.
Effective Date. This Act takes effect on June 1, 2011.”.
With
this change, House Bill 6065 will have my approval. I respectfully request your
concurrence.
Sincerely,
PAT
QUINN
Governor