I met with Senator McCann this morning and it was a wonderful meeting.  We sat and talked for 45 minutes about the issues and needs of children in Illinois.  I came prepared with a lot of paperwork and research, I think I may have shocked him a little, but he was pleased.  I gave him information about other states that have insurance mandates, information about mandates that our state has already put into place for other treatment and disorders, a copy of all of the signature petitions, stories of children in central Illinois with hearing loss and a copy of the actuarial study from Massachusetts.  There were other supporting documents, but those were my key pieces to talk about.  He seems very much on board and explained how the process of beginning to make a law goes, which I honestly did not know and it was interesting.  As for what my next steps are, I have a few.  First, I am going to contact a few more members of the House and Senate and try to gain more support from both the House and Senate, as well as Republicans and Democrats.  I am also waiting to hear back from the Senator regarding which committees he is assigned to, most importantly if he is assigned to the Insurance Committee, and if not who do we need to talk to on the Insurance Committee.  I am also going to be creating a letter for everyone to send out to their local Representative and Senator when the bill has an official Senate Bill number to show your support.  But for now, that is not necessary.  I am very excited about this meeting and thankful for the support of Senator McCann.  I hope that having a new fresh perspective on the issue, he will be able to help our children and make Illinois the next state to cover hearing aids.