Congresswoman Melissa Bean (D-8th) and Deborah Halvorson (D-11th) announced they would support the health care reform bill Saturday, bringing the total number of undecided Illinois Democrats to two.
In a statement released to media, Bean said she was supporting the bill because it provides "the most significant deficit reduction in more than a decade" and is expected to reduce costs for both the government and private sector.
Bean, a conservative Democrat in a swing district, has lately been the target of protests both for and against the bill's passage.
Halvorson said she was making her decision because it would help reduce costs.
"After reading the legislation and listening to my constituents, I've decided to stand with my constituents to be on the side of health insurance reform," Halvorson said in a statement.
Bean and Halvorson were two of six undecided Illinois congressmen going into the final week before the vote.
Earlier this week, Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-4th) said he would vote for the bill because he received a renewed commitment to immigration reform from Barack Obama.
Politics
Reps. Jerry Costello and Bill Foster remain uncommitted, while Rep. Dan Lipinski has pledged to vote no if the bill includes federal dollars for abortion. Mike Quigley of Chicago also has not made his intention known.
That bill's language around abortion is a matter of significant debate this weeked.
