Illinois lawmakers recently passed 186 bills out of committee. Here are 5 to know

Patrick M. Keck and Hope Gadson, Springfield State Journal- Register
·4 min read

The Illinois General Assembly advanced a whopping 186 bills out of committee over a three-day stretch last week before a Friday deadline.

From a bill dropping pet adoption fees for veterans to one creating the Student-Athlete Bill of Rights, the pieces of legislation will now advance to full chamber votes in either the House or Senate.

Here are five bills to know.

Food accessibility

In rural and urban communities alike, access to locally produced food is a challenge. Legislation advancing out of the Senate Agriculture Committee looks to alleviate some of those issues.

Senate Bill 3219, led by Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, would allow the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to provide grant funding to farmer-owned grocery stores.

Turner's bill is an expansion of the Illinois Grocery Initiative signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker last summer. The governor is calling for $10 million in new funding for the initiative in the upcoming fiscal year.

Protecting artists from AI

With rising concerns of artificial intelligence and artist protection, a bill led by Sen. Mary Edly-Allen, D-Libertyville, would protect Illinois artists from AI.

Senate Bill 3225 would protect artists and their labels from third party users who create music using AI to replicate voices without permission for commercial purposes. With this bill, labels would be able to have a case in state court on behalf of an Illinois artist if their voice was used.

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After a TikTok user created a song titled, “Heart on My Sleeve” using AI-generated voices intending to be Drake and The Weekend, conversations on AI implications on copyright law have been ongoing nationwide. The song became viral sensation with more than 15 million views on Tik Tok before being pulled from Spotify and YouTube because of claims from the artists’ record label.

The bill moved through the Senate Judiciary Committee and will now go to the full Senate for consideration.

Battery recycling

To ensure that batteries are getting disposed of properly, Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, is leading legislation that would help create an easier recycling process.

Batteries contain materials like mercury, lead, cadmium and nickel which can be harmful to the environment if they are not disposed of properly. Senate Bill 3686 would require all businesses that make or sell batteries to develop a recycling stewardship program. Sellers and distributors would be required to have a program for small and medium sized batteries by 2026, and by 2029 businesses must include proper labeling for batteries for collection and recycling.

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The bill advanced through the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee and will now go to the full Senate for consideration.

Fentanyl test strips

In Illinois, non-medical persons are permitted to administer naloxone, medication used to reverse an overdose, but not fentanyl test strips.

Senate Bill 3350 would change that by allowing the Illinois Department of Human Services to create programs to distribute test strips. The legislation, now heading to a full chamber vote in the Senate, follows up with previous legislation permitting the over-the-counter sale by pharmacists and retailers. County health departments are also able to distribute test strips to the public for no fee.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 3,261 opioid overdose deaths in 2022, more than an 8% increase from the previous year.

Single-use plastics at hotels

As a way to reduce plastic waste hotels might soon get rid of the small single-use plastic bottles in hotel rooms.

Senate Bill 2960 introduced by Sen. Laura Fine, D-Glenview would require hotels to stop giving out small plastic bottles of personal products. This includes small bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash that are found in hotel bathrooms. Hotels that violate this would be faced with fines up to $500.

Last year, Fine introduced a bill that would have prohibited retail establishments from selling and distributing food containers made of single-use plastics.

This bill, receiving backing from the Illinois Housing and Lodging Association, passed in the Senate Environment and Conservation Committee and will now go to the full Senate for Consideration.

Contact Hope Gadson: hgadson@gannett.com; Contact Patrick M. Keck: 312-549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Here are 5 bills to keep an eye on in Illinois