Bill > HB4596

This bill, titled the Combating Health Misinformation Act, establishes a new Health Misinformation Response Unit within the Department of Public Health (IDPH) to actively monitor and counter health misinformation found online and in communities by issuing public health advisories with factual information and researching its impacts. The IDPH will also offer grants to community organizations, schools, and libraries to run programs that teach people how to evaluate health claims and identify misinformation, and will recruit and train local health professionals and community leaders to act as "trusted messengers" who will share accurate health information with their communities. Furthermore, any organization distributing health-related information in Illinois will be required to disclose their funding sources and provide citations for any facts presented, and the IDPH can request this information; knowingly violating these transparency requirements will be considered an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Finally, the bill amends the School Code to mandate that health literacy, including how to fact-check health information online, be taught as part of a comprehensive health education program in schools, in collaboration with the IDPH.

Health and Social Services

https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/BillStatus?DocNum=4596&GAID=18&DocTypeID=HB&SessionID=114&GA=104