Take Action Now: Contact Your Senator to Support HB 1085 SA3 This Veto Session
- NASW-IL Staff
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
NASW-Illinois Chapter membership helps us to push for legislation that benefit Illinois social workers and the clients they serve. As the largest membership association in Illinois advocating on behalf of social workers, consider adding your voice to our efforts and join/renew your NASW membership today.
SPRINGFIELD, IL—As Illinois faces a worsening mental health and substance use crisis, House Bill 1085 Senate Amendment No. 3 (HB1085 SA3) stands as a critical opportunity to protect access to care and support providers. During this month’s veto session, we urge all NASW-Illinois Chapter members and allies to contact your state senators and ask them to vote YES on HB 1085 SA3.
Why HB 1085 SA3 Matters to Social Workers and Clients
HB 1085 SA3 would establish minimum reimbursement rates for in-network behavioral health services, ensuring that mental health and substance use disorder treatment is covered by health insurance under fair terms.
Without reform, many clinical social workers and behavioral health professionals are leaving insurance networks—forcing clients to pay out-of-pocket or face long waitlists.
Earlier this spring, we warned that without action, mental health access will become a luxury few can afford.
What You Can Do: Speak Up for Change
Now is the time to make your voice heard. Here’s how you can help:
Use our advocacy tool to send an aligned message: Take Action via VoterVoice for HB 1085
Find your state senator’s contact info and send a short, clear message: “I am a constituent and a social work professional. I urge you to vote YES on HB 1085 SA3 in the upcoming veto session. This bill helps make mental health services sustainable and ensures clients can access the care they need.”
Share the call with your network—encourage colleagues, clients, and community organizations to voice their support too.
What Happens Next
HB 1085 SA3 now needs to pass in the Illinois Senate before returning to the House for concurrence. If approved, the bill would take effect January 1, 2027, and give oversight authority to enforce compliance and rate floors.
If this bill fails, we risk entrenching a two-tiered mental health system—where only those with wealth or deep pockets can find consistent, quality care.
Why Your Voice Matters
HB 1085 SA 3 is about more than policy—it’s about the lives we serve. Social workers understand that parity on paper isn’t enough; equitable reimbursement ensures that providers can stay in network, clients can access help, and communities are supported.
When you contact your senator, you amplify a chorus of frontline professionals demanding change. We’ve seen in other states how legislation can tip the balance back toward fairness. Illinois must not fall behind.
Why Your Membership Matters
The progress we’ve made on HB 1085 SA3—and every piece of legislation that protects our clients and our profession—exists because NASW members make it possible.
When you join or renew your NASW membership, you’re not just signing up for professional benefits—you’re investing in the collective advocacy power that makes bills like HB 1085 SA3 a reality. Membership dollars fuel our ability to meet with legislators, draft policy, organize advocacy campaigns, and make sure social workers’ voices are heard where decisions are made.
This is what it means to be part of a 5,000-member-strong collective committed to advancing a more equitable, sustainable social work profession in Illinois.
If you’re not yet a member, join today. If you are, thank you—your support keeps this work moving forward.
For more advocacy-related news from the NASW-Illinois Chapter, visit the "Advocacy" sub-tab on our "News" page. Or check out our Bill Tracker which shows all of the bills the NASW-Illinois Chapter is tracking for the current Illinois legislative session.
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with over 120,000 members. The NASW-Illinois Chapter is one of the association's largest chapters representing over 20,000 licensed Illinois social workers and school social workers, with over 5,000 active members. NASW strives to advance social work careers, grow social work businesses, and protect the profession.