SPRINGFIELD – In a landmark effort to tackle food waste and reduce methane emissions, State Senator Adriane Johnson outlined two measures at a press conference Wednesday that are part of Illinois first statewide framework for food scrap management and sustainable composting.

“By diverting edible food to feed people and food waste from landfills and into composting, we help build Illinois’ circular economy,” said Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove). “Creating an infrastructure for enhanced food recovery and food waste diversion, and opening markets for compost makes sense for everyone.”

Senate Bill 1398 would create a food scrap diversion hierarchy, ensuring food is first directed toward human consumption, followed by animal feed, industrial use, composting and anaerobic digestion —all to minimize landfill waste. The bill would set a gradual implementation process and outlines compliance requirements for entities managing food scraps.

SPRNGFIELD – State Senator Adriane Johnson advanced a measure out of the Senate Education Committee ensuring students’ have access to counseling services regardless of citizenship status.

“Access to counseling ensures all students can succeed and are supported, regardless of their backgrounds,” said Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove). “By providing access to student counseling without barriers, schools affirm their role as inclusive and supportive environments where all students can grow and prevail.”

Senate Bill 469 would make clarifying changes to ensure all students would be served by school counselors regardless of their citizenship status. Research shows that students with access to effective school counselors tend to have better academic outcomes, including higher graduation rates, increased college attendance, and improved academic performance.

SPRINGFIELD – To safeguard students statewide and ensure they are treated with respect in schools, State Senator Adriane Johnson spearheaded a law tackling corporal punishment in private and non-public schools.

“Every child deserves a safe and nurturing learning environment,” said Johnson (D- Buffalo Grove). “Extending the ban on corporal punishment to all schools ensures no student in Illinois is subjected to physical punishment – which has been shown to have damaging effects on their well-being and development.”

The new law extends prohibitions on corporal and physical punishment in all schools in Illinois, rather than just public schools, except the use of certain restraints in specific circumstances to prevent a student from imminently harming themselves or others. Johnson’s law makes Illinois the fifth state in the nation to extend the ban on corporal punishment to non-public schools. 

SPRINGFIELD – After realizing the dire need for a new building, State Senator Adriane Johnson led a new law to expedite the process of constructing a new elementary school for North Chicago.

“It’s easy to see the construction of a new school is a more efficient solution than continuing to pour funds into rehabilitating the current building,” said Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove).  “We need to create safe and well-equipped schools, and this law will allow that to happen sooner rather than later.”

The new law allows North Chicago District 187 to move forward with a new building on the most efficient timeline possible by bypassing public referendum requirements — saving the district critical resources and time.

SPRINGFIELD – A new law from State Senator Adriane Johnson will ensure students have the housing and resources they need to succeed.

“Everyone deserves adequate shelter and transportation. Here, we are able to ensure students basic needs are met,” said Johnson (D- Buffalo Grove). “Helping students and parents in this way promotes mental and emotional well-being, and in turn, academic success.”

The law expands the uses for funds received by school districts from the Education of Homeless Children and Youth State Grant Program. School districts will be permitted to use grant funding for rental assistance, transportation, emergency shelter assistance, case management services, and other housing strategies. The Illinois State Board of Education reported 58,498 students experienced homelessness during the 2022-2023 school year.

SPRINGFIELD – In an effort to further protect residents from persistent and toxic pollutants, State Senator Adriane Johnson has advanced a measure to regulate the sale of certain fluorescent lamps.

“These types of fluorescent lamps contain mercury and pose a threat to not only the health of people but also the environment,” said Johnson (D- Buffalo Grove). “In order to effectively reduce mercury pollution, we must remove products that contain traces of it from our disposal sites.”

House Bill 2363 would ban selling newly manufactured screw-base, bayonet-base and pin-base compact fluorescent lamps and linear fluorescent lamps. Exemptions would apply for certain fluorescent lamps used for medical diagnostics, academic research, photocopying and printing, and in vehicle headlights.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Celina Villanueva advanced a measure to allow driver’s license holders more notice for court appearances prior to suspension.

“By eliminating license suspensions for a failure to appear in court, we are able to more effectively use law enforcement resources,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “A lot of the time, these initial court notices are not reaching people at their correct addresses. It is simply unfair to revoke driving privileges when people are not even getting proper notice.”

Under House Bill 277, if a person fails to appear in court, the court may text, call or email the person's last known contact information with notice regarding the continued court dates. The notice will include a statement that a future failure to appear could result in a warrant or consequences affecting their driving privileges. The current penalty for failure to appear in court is immediate license suspension by the Secretary of State.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Adriane Johnson championed a measure to ensure students learn about the impacts of climate change in school.

“The integration of environmental literacy is crucial to youth development,” said Johnson (D- Buffalo Grove). “By learning about climate change, students are empowered to take action and make informed decisions.”

House Bill 4895 would task public schools in Illinois with providing learning opportunities on the environmental and ecological impacts of climate change and solutions for addressing the crisis. Schools would be granted the flexibility to decide whether to create a separate class or implement these lessons into existing relevant classes.