Change of Guard command announced
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has announced that Major General Rich Neely, the Adjutant General for Illinois, Commander of the Illinois National Guard, and director of the Illinois Department of Military Affairs will retire from the military after 40 years of service.
Pritzker has selected Major General Rodney Boyd, the Assistant Adjutant General, as his replacement. The National Guard will hold its official Change of Command ceremony in May.
Election monitors set for Tuesday
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that more than 190 teams of assistant attorneys general and investigators from his office will be monitoring the primary election throughout the state to ensure that voters’ rights are protected and polling places are accessible.
Raoul urged voters to call his office if they encounter suspected improper or illegal activity.
Treating sickle cell disease
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed an Executive Order to create a framework for financing and expanding access to new therapies and drugs, like the recently approved gene therapies for sickle cell disease.
The executive order tasks the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services with leading the state’s effort to establish payment models and financial structures that support access to new sickle cell disease treatments and other new high cost drugs. Sickle cell disease is a group of lifelong, inherited blood disorders that affect more than 5,000 Illinois residents.
