Bill Text: IL HR0803 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Declares July 28, 2026 as Hepatitis B Awareness Day in the State of Illinois. Urges promotion of hepatitis B vaccination as a highly effective and safe public health measure and supports removal of barriers to vaccination. Encourages development of an effective and actionable state hepatitis B strategic plan, as well as establishment of a hepatitis B working group to develop measurable goals.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Passed) 2026-05-27 - Resolution Adopted [HR0803 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HR0803-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the
hepatitis B virus, and current incidence estimates indicate
that approximately 1.8 million Americans are infected with
hepatitis B virus; and
WHEREAS, Hepatitis B spreads from person to person via
contact with infected blood and/or body fluids; and
WHEREAS, Hepatitis B infection can range from an acute,
mild, short-term illness to a chronic, serious, long-term
infection that can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer; and
WHEREAS, Approximately one in two people who have
hepatitis B are unaware of their infection, and 85% of infants
and 50% of older children and adults with hepatitis B are
asymptomatic; and
WHEREAS, Infants face an increased hepatitis B exposure
risk through everyday contact and infected family members, and
they are susceptible to developing acute and serious health
issues if they are infected at birth or in early childhood; and
WHEREAS, Infants exposed to hepatitis B have a 90% risk of
developing chronic hepatitis B, greatly increasing their risk

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of developing serious liver conditions such as liver cancer or
cirrhosis in their lifetimes; and
WHEREAS, Treatment reduces the risk of serious conditions
such as liver cancer or cirrhosis, but an estimated up to 75%
of people who have hepatitis B in the U.S. and are eligible for
treatment are not prescribed treatment, including 40% of those
with advanced liver disease; and
WHEREAS, To safeguard infant health, in 1991, the Advisory
Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) issued its first
universal hepatitis B birth dose recommendation, which led to
the implementation of the universal hepatitis B vaccination
program in 1992 in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Before the universal hepatitis B birth dose
recommendation, approximately 18,000 children in the United
States were infected each year by hepatitis B virus before
their tenth birthdays; and
WHEREAS, From 1990 to 2019, the universal hepatitis B
birth dose recommendation led to a 99% decline in reported
cases of acute hepatitis B in children and young adults and
averted an estimated 90,100 deaths in the United States; and
WHEREAS, The ACIP ended this universal hepatitis B birth

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dose recommendation in 2025 and now recommends it for infants
born to women who tested positive for the hepatitis B virus or
whose status is unknown, limiting other infants to a
recommendation for shared clinical decision-making; and
WHEREAS, Public health analyses suggest that skipping or
delaying the hepatitis B birth dose could result in thousands
of preventable hepatitis B infections and hundreds of millions
in avoidable healthcare costs in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Amidst these changes, several states have
reaffirmed their support for a universal hepatitis B birth
dose; and
WHEREAS, These state-level changes are beneficial to the
public health landscape and prosperity of those states; and
WHEREAS, Given existing shortfalls in annual hepatitis B
screening practices, despite a universal hepatitis B screening
recommendation for pregnant women, vaccination remains the
safest and most effective way to proactively safeguard public
health and prevent the devastating effects of hepatitis B
infection; and
WHEREAS, Given existing gaps related to linkage to care
for people who have hepatitis B, greater awareness of and

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access to hepatitis B screening and treatment options is
needed to protect the health and well-being of individuals
across Illinois; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we declare July 28, 2026 as Hepatitis B Awareness Day in the
State of Illinois to continue educating the public on the
importance of hepatitis B vaccination, screening, and linkage
to care, to initiate meaningful dialogue around vaccination,
and to encourage the uptake of hepatitis B vaccines,
screening, and treatment; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we urge the Department of Health to direct
healthcare providers and public health officials to continue
to promote hepatitis B vaccination as a highly effective and
safe public health measure, increase public awareness about
the importance of all Illinois residents receiving a hepatitis
B vaccination, and promote outreach and education efforts
concerning hepatitis B vaccination; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Department of Health
to collaborate with the Illinois Department of Insurance and
other applicable state agencies to expand access to and
awareness of hepatitis B testing and treatment options, ensure
coverage for the hepatitis B vaccine remains in place, and

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identify, review, and remove any barriers to hepatitis B
vaccine, screening, and treatment access; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage the Illinois Department of
Health to work with any relevant state and local health
agencies, healthcare providers, and patients/community
representatives to develop an effective and actionable state
hepatitis B strategic plan focused on areas such as
immunization, screening, and linkage to care, which will align
stakeholders on shared objectives and efforts to facilitate
broad screening, vaccine, and treatment availability and
access; comparable initiatives in other states, such as the
New York Viral Hepatitis Strategic Plan, may be used as
guiding models for Illinois plan development; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That we encourage the Illinois Department of
Health to establish a hepatitis B working group to develop
measurable goals on which to center the hepatitis B strategic
plan, which may include but are not limited to strengthening
immunization infrastructure, improving coverage policies,
assessing vaccine administration fees, increasing community
demand, improving vaccine confidence, and promoting health
equity initiatives to improve vaccine, screening and treatment
uptake; the proposed hepatitis B working group is encouraged
to provide regular updates to the Illinois Department of

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Health on its activities, progress toward established goals,
and any recommendations; and be it further
RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
delivered to the Illinois Department of Health and the
Illinois Department of Insurance.