Johnson supports breastfeeding mothers with new law

• HB 4819
• Lactation room
• Breastfeeding

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Adriane Johnson spearheaded a new law requiring the Illinois Department of Corrections to provide lactation rooms for employees.

“All women should have the peace of mind that they will have a safe, secure and private place to pump when they return to work,” said Johnson (D- Buffalo Grove). “In requiring this space, we further establish workplaces as supportive and inclusive for nursing mothers.”

This law requires the Illinois Department of Corrections to provide lactation rooms for employees to use. The rooms must be in each department facility that employs nursing mothers and each individual lactation room must meet certain requirements, such as containing electrical outlets for plugging in breast pumps and having a minimum of one refrigerator for storage of the breast milk.

“This law is necessary as it further ensures employees are comfortable and secure in the workplace throughout every stage in their lives,” said Johnson. “Mothers deserve to feel seen and supported.”

House Bill 4819 was signed into law Friday and goes into effect Jan. 1, 2025.

Johnson law regulates the sale of products containing mercury

• HB 2363
• Regulation of product containing mercury

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Adriane Johnson’s measure to regulate the sale of certain fluorescent lamps has been signed into law, further protecting residents from persistent and toxic pollutants.

“This law is essential in the effort to effectively reduce mercury pollution,” said Johnson (D- Buffalo Grove). “By eliminating a root cause of mercury pollution, we reduce product waste containing traces of it from our disposal sites.”

This law bans the sale of newly manufactured screw-base, bayonet-base and pin-base compact fluorescent lamps and linear fluorescent lamps. Exemptions apply for certain fluorescent lamps used for medical diagnostics, academic research, photocopying and printing, and in vehicle headlights.

“The proper disposal of products containing mercury is a long-standing issue in preventing environmental contamination and protecting human health, because recycling programs are not always accessible,” said Johnson. “Ultimately, this law further protects the environment and residents throughout the state.”

House Bill 2363 was signed into law Friday and goes into effect Jan. 1, 2025.

Johnson law brings new elementary school to North Chicago

• Education
• North Chicago
• SB 464

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.

The current school building does not have drinkable water due to high levels of lead in the pipes, in addition to needing asbestos installation repair.

Twenty-five percent of North Chicago District 187 sits on federal land and has been awarded a number of federal grants to aid in the construction of a new school. The federal grant will cover 80% of all eligible costs for the construction of a new school with the remaining 20% of costs coming from a blend of state assistance, philanthropic dollars and approved bond revenues.

“Students spend so much of their time here, and we cannot continue to risk their health and well-being,” said Johnson. “Bypassing the referendum to begin this process sooner is simply the right thing to do. We owe students a safe learning environment.”

Senate Bill 464 was signed into law Friday and is effective immediately.

Lake Michigan to have improved water quality, thanks to new Johnson law

• Lake Michigan
• SB 3716
• H2O

SPRINGFIELD – Better water quality is in the future for Lake Michigan, thanks to a new law spearheaded by State Senator Adriane Johnson.

“We need to be doing all we can to protect our water quality, and this new law will continue to ensure our efforts in having a clean water supply,” said Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove). “Lake Michigan provides drinking water to millions of people in the state, so we will never stop our work in having safe, potable water.”

The law updates an existing provision to task the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) with regularly monitoring water quality from nearshores, harbors and public water supply intakes in Lake Michigan. The IEPA will also be required to provide an executive summary every two years on conditions of the lake’s water quality to the governor and General Assembly.

This update further aligns the state with the federal Clean Water Act and was included in a package initiative this spring session aimed at enhancing water quality.

“Ensuring the sustainability of Lake Michigan is critical for long-term planning and development in the state,” said Johnson. “Updating these protections supports sustainable growth in Illinois while also balancing economic, human and environmental needs.”

Senate Bill 3716 was signed into law Friday and is effective immediately.