Civics for Illinois Environmentalists

At the end of the 2024 Illinois legislative session, over 30 pro-environment bills were passed by Illinois’ General Assembly. How did we get there? Our environmental movement showed up! At IEC, it’s not only our job to secure legislative wins on key environmental issues, but to give you the power to advocate for the issues you care about, too! That’s why we created our Civics for Environmentalists training and one is coming up soon on January 24, 2025. Our audience grows every year, and we love that Illinoisans are enthusiastic about helping us and their communities build power for people and the environment. 

The 2025 Illinois legislative session kicks off this January! To prepare, I’ve put together a list of the top 6 things you need to know to get your civics journey started.

The Legislative Process and Calendar
The Illinois General Assembly is scheduled to be in session January through May 31 of 2025.  During that time, bills are introduced in either the Senate or House chamber, followed by committee, and then to the floor for a vote.  Then it goes to the next chamber and repeats the process.  Each chamber has internal deadlines for each step of the process.  These deadlines can help you as an advocate determine whether your lawmaker is in their district or in Springfield and whether a bill is moving forward or not.  At IEC, these deadlines inform how we notify you to keep the pressure on to move environmental bills forward. We’ll get into all the nitty-gritty details of the process during our upcoming Civics for Environmentalists!

Grassroots Lobbying
You don’t need to be an expert on a bill. As constituents, you just need to share your story with your legislator. This is one of the most powerful ways to make your voice heard. Some good examples of grassroots efforts include social media, calling their office, setting up meetings with legislators, postal letters, and more. One great way to do this is by joining IEC Lobby Days! We’ve made it easy and have multiple opportunities to get involved during the legislative session. 

Action Alerts
A meaningful and effective way to help move bills through the legislative process is through digital action! IEC regularly creates customizable action alerts that make it easy for your legislators to hear directly from you via email. We send them out through email, social media and can be found on our website. As more folks take this action, our efforts during the legislative session grow more effective.

You Can Watch Committee Hearings Live
Committee hearings are broadcast live at ilga.gov. Our team often watches these hearings to learn more about the status of bills or to support our staff or partners who are testifying. Tune in to see if you spot us!

Witness Slips 
Every once in a while, we ask our community to submit witness slips. At IEC, we utilize witness slips sparingly for critical bills where we want to show organizational support or opposition and to demonstrate broad support or opposition to a bill. Witness slips can be helpful to our movement, but it’s more impactful to make sure your legislators hear from you directly! 

Tip: If you file a witness slip, make sure to follow up with your legislator on issues that are important to you.

Civics for Environmentalists
Register to attend this year’s event where you’ll learn even more about civics in Illinois! It’s on January 24 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. This event is hybrid. You can join us in person at the Environmental Law and Policy Center office in downtown Chicago or via Zoom. We hope to see you there!