Heather Steans

Despite Senator Steans concern over mercury in the environment in 2020 she introduced a bill making it harder for Illinois children to avoid injections with nearly 70 mercury containing vaccines that drug industry representatives recommend. Critics have said this places drug industry profit over common sense, parental rights, medical advice and religious views.

In 2012, Heather Steans sponsored the “Save Medicaid Access and Resources Together Act” (SMART Act), which saved Illinois $1.6 billion in Medicaid costs by increasing the efficiency of the program. Steans also passed a law that allowed Illinois to enact Medicaid expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Steans sponsored Illinois’ Equal Pay Act of 2012, which holds individuals liable for wage discrimination on the basis of gender. Steans has led the fight to have Illinois ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, which passed the Illinois State Senate. On the subject, Steans said, “From equal pay to equal health care access to fair treatment on college campuses, women’s rights are at risk as long as they are not protected in the Constitution.”

In 2010, Steans divested her stake in the Evergreen Health Care Center and a related management company following reports of patient neglect.

In 2009, Steans introduced a gay marriage bill (SB 2468) which introduces civil marriages in Illinois and allows religious institutions the right to decline marrying same sex couples. SB 2468 states, “nothing in the Act should be construed to interfere or regulate any religious practice concerning marriage and no religion is required to solemnize a marriage to which it objects”. In 2013, Steans sponsored the gay marriage bill that was signed into law. Equality Illinois CEO Bernard Cherkasov called Steans “one of the General Assembly’s most vocal and passionate supporters of full equality for LGBT people, including being the chief Senate sponsor of the marriage bill.”

Steans has served in the Illinois Senate for the 7th district since 2008. In 2018, Democrat J.B. Pritzker appointed Steans the Co-chair of the gubernatorial transition’s Healthy Children and Families Committee.

In 2008, Steans won re-election when she received 55,457 votes, ahead of her opponent’s 13,190 votes. In 2010, Steans received 83.69% of the voter in her re-election. Steans was unopposed in her 2012 re-election and was unopposed for her 2016 reelection campaign.

Steans’ predecessor, Carol Ronen, announced her resignation on October 22, 2007. Ronen said the timing of her announcement was chosen “so that anyone who wishes to run for the office will be able to file petitions for the February 5th, 2008, primary election by the November 5th deadline.” Only two individuals, Heather Steans and Suzanne Elder, were able to collect enough signatures to run in the special primary. Steans won the election with 63.26% of the vote.

Heather Steans (born May 8, 1963) is a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 7th district. She was appointed after winning a special primary election that followed the mid-term resignation of her predecessor, Senator Carol Ronen.