A new law makes Illinois the national leader in reducing contractor redlining

CHICAGO – Illinois formally implemented the nation's biggest reform to contractor redlining in public works law. The General Assembly passed, and Governor JB Pritzker certified on Dec. 8, House Bill 2878. Part of the new law is a larger exception from the requirement that contractors purchase wealth-based surety bonds on public contracts. The law tripled the exception for local governments (from $50K to $150K) and increased it by ten times for IDOT and the Tollway (from $50K to $500K). As of Jan. 1, 2024, contracts under that amount no longer will require surety bonds.

 “I am grateful to all the stakeholders for their work on this vital legislation which will remove barriers for small businesses, many of which are women, veteran, and minority owned," said Senator Villivalam. "This legislation will help make our state more equitable and assist agencies in completing projects more efficiently."

“We are over-insuring public contracts, leading to higher costs and locking out minority- and women-owned businesses from participating and growing, because insurance is priced on the wealth of the owner, not on his or her capabilities. Right-sizing insurance requirements like surety bonds will lead to more projects and more generational wealth for communities that need it the most.” said Representative Kam Buckner, who filed HB2482 that would have raised the contract exemption to $5,000,000. 

Read more: A new law makes Illinois the national leader in reducing contractor redlining

Ellman law requires Fentanyl education in all Illinois high schools starting this year

SPRINGFIELD – At the start of the 2024-2025 school year, every state-required health course will provide mandatory fentanyl education to high school students, thanks to a new law supported by State Senator Laura Ellman that took effect Jan. 1.

“In order to combat the ongoing opioid epidemic on all fronts, we need to educate our most vulnerable populations, which includes young people,” said Ellman (D-Naperville). “The age of fentanyl exposure is younger than we think, and I am pleased this law implements such indispensable education for students.”

Read more: Ellman law requires Fentanyl education in all Illinois high schools starting this year

Food labels to become more clear starting Jan. 1 thanks to Ventura

SPRINGFIELD – A new law from State Senator Rachel Ventura will promote standardization on food labels and reduce food waste across the state.

“We are working to reduce food waste and help our neighbors stretch their dollar by providing clearer information on food labels,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “As we see buying power decrease due to inflation and grocery bills increasing, we need to think of alternatives to save people from guessing whether their food is safe to consume.”

House Bill 3849 defines "quality date," "safety date" and "sell by date" and requires the Illinois Departments of Agriculture and Public Health to publish information to encourage food manufacturers, processors and retailers to voluntarily use uniform terms on food product labels to communicate quality and safety dates.

Read more: Food labels to become more clear starting Jan. 1 thanks to Ventura

Villa law aids grieving families after child loss

SPRINGFIELD – Effective Jan. 1, individuals that lose a child to suicide or homicide have the right to extended bereavement leave thanks to a new law championed by State Senator Karina Villa establishing the Zachary’s Parent Protection Act.

After Laura Kane lost her son, Zachary, to suicide, she was expected to return to work just three days later. Her story inspired the law to protect grieving families from being put in the same situation.

“Losing a child is one of the most difficult experiences an individual can face especially when the child’s life was lost too soon to suicide or homicide,” said Villa (D-West Chicago). “It is necessary to provide individuals suffering such an immense loss with a suitable amount of time to cope.”

Read more: Villa law aids grieving families after child loss