That’s a wrap on the 2025 legislative session! At publishing, this update was hot off the press. Our team has been on the ground at the Capitol for the last five months, all the way up until the final moments this evening.
Thanks to IEC’s strong coalition of affiliate member organizations, partners, and grassroots supporters, legislators across the state heard from their constituents on environmental issues 5,452 times. Together, we held FOUR lobby days, bringing over 600 people to the Illinois State Capitol! Legislators frequently asked our staff and partners to offer expert testimony during committee hearings. We worked together to achieve winning roll calls on important issues.
Climate Progress Delayed
Every session is a rollercoaster, and this one was especially so. Legislators failed to reach an agreement on key legislative provisions within our two priority climate bills–the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act and transit funding and reform–before adjournment, meaning we will bring these bills back for consideration by the end of the year. It’s the tale as old as time, but it became more clear than ever before that fossil fuel interests are lining up to block climate progress. From squashing legislation that would keep utility bill costs low while accelerating clean energy, to attacking a bill that would have reduced plastic waste because the Koch brothers want more oil money, it’s clear that we have more work ahead to ensure Illinois prioritizes people and our communities over polluters.
Successfully Building Power
We did see success among our other priorities. We passed the next phase of our campaign to curb the use of toxic forever chemicals (PFAS) in frequently used products, including dental floss, cosmetics, and certain children’s products. We also came closer to passing single-use plastic reduction legislation than ever before, a sign that we’re succeeding in building the power we need at the Capitol.
State Budget Review
IEC released our analysis of Gov. Pritzker’s proposed budget in February. Click here to see IEC’s analysis of what he set out to accomplish in FY26. In the intervening months, new revenue projections have been issued, painting a bleaker picture of our state’s anticipated income. Additionally, Illinois’ budget decisions are deeply intertwined with shifts in federal funding, shaping the state’s ability to fund priorities in areas such as clean energy, climate resilience, agriculture, and transportation.
President Trump is urging the Republican-led Congress to advance an anti-science budget that strips federal funding for climate programs, guts clean energy manufacturing, kills good jobs, and drives energy prices up. They’re also making deep cuts across all areas of the federal government, leaving state budgets to cover the rest or lose key programs, all to give huge tax breaks to the extremely wealthy. The uncertainty has made an already difficult state budget process even more challenging, potentially necessitating a special legislative session in the fall to address shortfalls resulting from federal budget cuts spearheaded by the Republican-controlled Congress.
Despite our tireless advocacy and growing bipartisan support, our state lawmakers chose to maintain the reduced $4.5 million in operational funding for our Soil and Water Conservation districts (SWCDs). While we are pleased to see that $3 million was appropriated for landowner cost-share programs, this outcome falls short of what’s needed to support the critical work of our conservation districts. This fight is not over— we will continue to advocate for a more secure funding model for SWCDs that reflects the essential role they play in protecting Illinois’ soil, water, and communities.
The budget allocates $960,000 for the Fall Covers for Spring Savings (FCSS) program, an Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) initiative that encourages farmers to adopt cover crop practices. Eligible participants receive a $5-per-acre discount on their crop insurance premiums for each acre of cover crops planted in the fall and verified in the program. This incentive is designed to promote soil health, reduce erosion, and minimize nutrient runoff, aligning with the state’s Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy. While the governor’s budget proposed a 31% budget reduction for FCSS, even as demand for the program rises, we were able to successfully defend against this cut and maintain level funding from 2024.
In addition to broader fiscal shifts outlined in the budget, we also saw a series of funding sweeps authorized through the Budget Implementation Bill (BIMP). These sweeps direct the transfer of funds from various state accounts into the Budget Reserve for Immediate Disbursements and Governmental Emergencies (BRIDGE) Fund to support urgent and unforeseen needs. Specifically, the bill required the transfer of $10 million from the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) Fund and $2 million each from the Natural Areas Acquisition Fund and the Energy Efficiency Fund. While they helped shore up emergency reserves, they redirected resources away from key environmental, conservation, and energy efficiency programs, which have the potential to delay long-term investments in natural resource protection and sustainable development.
As always, we will publish our annual Legislative Report detailing the outcomes of Illinois’ Environmental Agenda this session. In the meantime, you can find a list of successful bills we tracked and supported throughout the legislative process, all of which are headed to Governor Pritzker’s desk for his signature, unless otherwise noted:
Clean Energy
CCS Compensation – SB1697 (Fine): PASSED This bill prohibits the construction of CO2 pipelines when surface conditions would damage farming operations and ensures landowners can pursue financial or land restoration compensation for any damages incurred.
Local Siting Review – HB2419 / SB2267 (Hirschauer/Villa): PASSED This bill requires local governments to ensure hearings for major trash facilities are accessible to non-native English speakers and individuals with disabilities and allows local governments to ask for a vehicle emission study.
Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act – SB2473/HB3779 (Cunningham/A. Williams): To be continued… Illinois faces significant challenges in meeting its clean energy goals due to the outdated power grid and a lack of strategic planning to modernize transmission infrastructure. The CRGA Act would build more clean resources, upgrade the grid to increase capacity, give consumers tools to reduce their energy bills, and improve state planning.
- Muni Co-Op Transparency – HB2902 (Yang Rohr): To be continued… Municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives (“munis and coops”) are not required to utilize industry best practices to plan for future electricity needs. This bill would require munis and coops to complete three-year Integrated Resource Plans and ensure ratepayers have access to ethical lobbying disclosures.
- Solar Bill of Rights – HB3322 (Didech): To be continued… The Solar Bill of Rights will ensure everyone in the state can benefit from solar energy and address the myriad issues with munis and coops, including governance transparency, ratepayer rights, and residents’ ability to invest in home solar.
- Whole Building Data Access – HB3312 (Canty): To be continued… This bill increases building owners’ ability to take advantage of clean energy initiatives by requiring all utilities to release whole-building energy use information.
- Thermal Energy Networks – SB2258/HB3609 (Peters/A. Williams): To be continued… This bill requires each investor-owned gas and gas/electric utility company to pilot a Thermal Energy Network project as an alternative to traditional gas pipe replacements, including at least one pilot in an environmental justice community per gas utility company territory.
The Residential Automated Solar Permitting Platform Act SB2395/HB3265 (Cunningham/Evans): To be continued… This bill establishes a statewide instant permitting standard, which would expand access to the benefits of solar energy and support increased solar adoption in our communities.
Clean and Healthy Buildings Act – SB2269/HB3525 (Villanueva/A. Williams): To be continued… Illinois buildings are the third-largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. This policy modernizes new buildings first and then existing ones to run on clean electricity, replacing gas burners and stoves with safer, more efficient heat pumps and electric appliances.
- State Navigator Program – HB3650 (Lilly): To be continued… This bill requires the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to implement an online statewide resource to assist building owners and renters with accessing electrification and energy efficiency upgrades, maintain a contractor list, and to provide other assistance to help electrify homes.
Equitable Transportation
Transit Funding and Reform (HB3438): To be continued… This bill takes long-overdue steps to reform and provide $1.5 billion in critical funding for public transit across Chicagoland and for the 50 municipal and rural transit agencies that serve Illinoisans across the state. These reforms and investments will improve rider safety and experience, better integrate service across Metra, Pace, and the CTA, including one fare to ride the whole Chicagoland system, and increase the frequency and speed of service across Northeast Illinois and beyond.
Environmental Justice and Equity
Climate Displacement Act – SB1859 (Guzman/Guzzardi): PASSED In a bold commitment to proactive, people-centered climate policy, this bill establishes Illinois’ first Climate Displacement Task Force. A landmark step toward preparing our state for the human impacts of climate change, we are especially proud that environmental justice (EJ) and community voices were prioritized, with representation from immigrant rights groups, labor, housing advocates, and EJ organizations built into the Task Force.
Environmental Justice Permitting – SB1307 (Villanueva): To be continued… Defining environmental justice communities and cumulative impact is more important than ever. While strides were made on this legislation this year, it ultimately did not move forward.
Zero Waste
Skip the Plastic Day – SR22/HR63 (Halpin/Johnson) ADOPTED Celebrates April 1, 2025, as Skip the Plastic Day to bring awareness to plastic waste.
Compost Awareness Week – SR100 (Fine) ADOPTED Declares May 4-10, 2025, as Compost Awareness Week in the state of Illinois to reflect International Compost Awareness Week, or “ICAW”.
Polystyrene Foam Ban – SB1531 (Fine) To be continued… Polystyrene foam foodware, which breaks up into small pieces but never fully breaks down, pollutes land, water, and air. This compromise bill would phase out the distribution of all foam foodware beginning in 2030.
Plastic Reduction Bills – HB1600/SB1194 (“Skip the Stuff” by Gong-Gershowitz/Edly-Allen) and HB 1146 (“Plastic Bag Ban” by Ness): To be continued… These bills would reduce unnecessary single-use plastics by requiring third-party delivery apps to only delivery takeout utensils upon request of the customer.
Reducing Landfill Methane Emissions – HB1707/HB3802 (Mason) SB1397/SB1398 (Johnson): To be continued… Illinois ranks eighth in total greenhouse gas emissions from landfills. These bills reduce the amount of organic material in landfills, incentivize and require the use of finished compost, and improve methane leak detection and gas capture methods from existing landfills.
Conservation and Sustainable Agriculture
Indigenous Peoples’ Conservation Rights Act – HB1605 (Gordon-Booth/Walker) PASSED Adds federally recognized native american tribes to the list of entities that can hold a conservation easement.
Township Open Spaces – HB1367 (Ortiz/Edly-Allen) PASSED Gives townships new tools to utilize and protect open space in their communities by requiring open space townships to hold a voter referendum when trying to sell off open space land that was previously acquired for that purpose.
Expanding Processing for Farmers – HB2196 (Meier/S. Turner) PASSED Brings Illinois’ on-farm poultry processing rules closer in line with federal and neighboring states by increasing the number of poultry from 5,000 to 7,500 birds annually that farmers are allowed to safely process. This is an important step in expanding options for small, new, and beginning farmers, while also boosting local economies.
Rewilding – HB2726 (Moeller/Ventura) PASSED Adds “Rewilding” in state statute for IDNR to use as a strategy for ecological restoration.
Protecting Our Wetlands – HB3596/SB2401 (Moeller/Ellman) To be continued… In Sackett v. EPA, the US Supreme Court dramatically weakened the Clean Water Act, putting Illinois’ few remaining wetlands at risk. This legislation protects Illinois’ wetlands to safeguard aquatic environments from pollution and provide clean drinking water, recreation, and wildlife habitat.
Right to Recreate on Illinois Rivers – HB1873 (Yang Rohr) To be continued… Illinois boasts some of the most beautiful and accessible rivers and streams in the Midwest. Yet, our right to responsibly recreate on Illinois’ shared rivers and streams is in jeopardy. To preserve access to our natural waterways, we must pass a new law clarifying that right for generations to come.
Pesticide Notice for Schools & Parks – HB1596 (Faver Dias) To be continued… Requires notification when spraying pesticides at large scales around schools, parks, playgrounds, and forest preserves to prevent undue exposure of children to potentially harmful chemicals.
Clean Water
Mahomet CCS Ban – SB1723/HB3514 (Faraci/Ammons): PASSED In 2023, Illinois passed nation-leading legislation to regulate Carbon Capture and Sequestration, but the Mahomet Aquifer, which supplies clean water to nearly one million people throughout Central Illinois, was originally left unprotected. This bill extended that legislation to protect the sole-source aquifer and public drinking water from proposed carbon injection well projects.
PFAS Phase-Out – HB2516 (Rashid/Morrison): PASSED Phases out the use of PFAS (per and polyfluoroalkyl substances) aka “forever chemicals,” in the manufacturing of children’s products, cosmetics, intimate apparel such as sleepwear or underwear, menstrual products, and dental floss by 2032.
EPA Wastewater Industry Use – HB2391 (Simmons/Muhl): PASSED Changes the Environmental Protection Act to allow treated municipal wastewater to be used for both irrigation and industrial purposes, as long as it’s done under a permit in order to reduce pressure on freshwater resources.
Increasing Wastewater Management Jobs – HB1699 (Avelar/Ellman): PASSED Ensures we have safe water by increasing job training opportunities for individuals to become certified wastewater operators.
If you were one of the hundreds of Illinoisans who took action with us this session to contact your legislators, THANK YOU! Our team at the Capitol is so much stronger when you have our backs. We could not build power for people and the environment without you doing your part too, and we encourage you to write to your lawmakers again to thank them for their support of proposals that are important to you.
Look for our 2025 Legislative Report and Scorecard coming soon!
