* Crain’s…

Business groups are worried that legislation to allow striking workers to collect unemployment benefits could prolong labor disputes.

The bill now under consideration in the Illinois House of Representatives would allow workers to begin receiving unemployment benefits after two weeks on the picket line. Currently, striking workers are ineligible to receive unemployment benefits. […]

“This is top of mind at the executive level at companies,” says Mark Denzler, CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers Association. “This will incentivize further strikes and lengthen the time workers are on strike. If the law passes, companies with large unionized workforces will factor it into whether they expand here or not.”

The National Federation of Independent Business told legislators that nine out of 10 of its Illinois members said in a recent survey they opposed giving unemployment to striking workers.

The House bill passed out of committee 18-7 but has not been called for a floor vote, nor has it been taken up in the Illinois Senate.

* WAND…

The Illinois Senate Criminal Law Committee unanimously passed a bill Tuesday to ensure people in the Department of Corrections are not charged unreasonable fees for sending mail. […]

“Basically, we’re just codifying into law the current practice of IDOC, which is just to charge the market rate of a stamp,” said Rep. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan). “So if a stamp is 25 cents on the outside, it’s 25 cents on the inside.” […]

The Department of Corrections would be banned from generating revenue from communication between families and loved ones. This plan could also require annual reporting on rates paid for mail and how the department spends the money.

House Bill 4235 now heads to the Senate floor for further consideration. The measure passed unanimously out of the House earlier this month.

* Press release…

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Sue Rezin (R-Morris) and State Senator Erica Harriss (R-Glen Carbon) recently unveiled a legislative package aimed at strengthening protections for children online by addressing social media harms, sexual exploitation, and minors’ access to adult content.

The legislative package is designed to put stronger safeguards in place for children in the digital space by restricting harmful online access, increasing accountability for tech companies, and improving social media algorithms. […]

Among the proposals included in the package is Senate Bill 4046, sponsored by Sen. Rezin, to restrict social media access for children under the age of 16 by requiring platforms to implement age assurance measures. The proposal is intended to address growing concerns about the harmful effects social media can have on children’s mental health, development, and overall well-being.

Sen. Rezin is also sponsoring legislation focused on improving how social media platforms operate. Senate Bill 3454, the Better Social Media Feeds Act, would require companies to disclose how their algorithms recommend content, including the data inputs used to shape what users see. The bill also directs platforms to prioritize long-term user well-being over engagement-driven design and gives users more control over their content preferences. The measure is intended to increase transparency and reduce exposure to harmful content.

The legislative package also includes the Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, Senate Bill 3241, which is sponsored by Sen. Rezin, requiring companies that collect children’s personal data in Illinois to prioritize the best interests of minors over commercial gain. The bill would establish stronger privacy protections by default, limit data collection, and restrict profiling and targeted advertising aimed at children. It would also require businesses to conduct data protection impact assessments and provide them to the Attorney General upon request. Violations could result in civil penalties of up to $7,500 per affected child. […]

As part of the package, Harriss is sponsoring the Adult Content Age Verification Act, Senate Bill 3945, to require websites containing adult content to verify that users are at least 18 years old through government-issued identification or other approved methods. Companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to $5,000 per day, with penalties directed to support child cybercrime investigations.

* SB3161, which would ban the use and sale of the pesticide paraquat dichloride, has a subject matter hearing scheduled for tomorrow. The Michael J. Fox Foundation…

We’re seeking a statewide ban on paraquat (SB 3161), a herbicide that multiple peer-reviewed studies link to increased Parkinson’s disease risk, particularly with repeated occupational exposure in agricultural settings (here and here). One study showed that paraquat users were 2.5 times more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, with the association still holding after adjustment for other pesticides (here). The scientific evidence is so compelling that paraquat is routinely used to induce Parkinson’s-like pathology in laboratory animals for the express purpose of studying new drugs and therapies for this devastating disease (here).

Paraquat is already banned in 70+ countries, including the EU, China, Brazil, and Canada. It’s also a troubling dynamic that China prohibits paraquat domestically due to health concerns, yet a Chinese-owned company (Syngenta) manufactured and sold it to American farmers for years. Syngenta halted production in early 2026 amid growing lawsuits from Parkinson’s patients (here), but paraquat manufacturing continues in China for other distributors

Addressing Common Objections: Opposition to banning paraquat typically centers on four arguments: cost, effectiveness, lack of research, and claims that personal protective equipment (PPE) provides adequate safety. Each argument fails under scrutiny.

1. Cost Concerns Are Overstated. Burndown herbicide costs represent a small fraction of total production expenses. Total soybean production costs in Illinois averaged $863-$931 per acre in 2024, with herbicides comprising only a portion of total chemical expenditure (here). A comprehensive weed control program runs at least $50 per acre in product costs alone, making a few dollars difference in burndown applications unlikely to materially impact farm economics, especially when weighed against potential market access risks (see below).
Personally, I’ll also just add: if they think using alternatives will hurt their financial position, they should try having Parkinson’s. It’s no picnic physically or financially.

2. Agricultural Productivity Remains Unaffected A rigorous 2023 peer-reviewed study analyzed mean annual yields for paraquat-dependent crops across five countries, examining the six to seven years before and after their respective bans (here). The research found no negative impact on agricultural productivity for any crops studied. Brazil, which banned paraquat, actually outproduces the United States in soybeans—the very crop for which American farmers claim paraquat is essential.

3. The Research Isn’t There: This claim is so thoroughly disproven, it’s almost not worth addressing, but here we are! When opponents say ‘the research isn’t there,’ they are essentially asking for studies that show direct causation. To prove direct causation we would have to intentionally expose human beings to paraquat via randomized controlled studies. This would be wildly unethical, not to mention that research already shows a strong correlation (see above, but there are many, many more). In fact, one of the nation’s top scientists called it “overwhelming” (see ABC video above).

4. PPE Provides False Security The notion that protective equipment adequately safeguards against paraquat exposure is thoroughly debunked by scientific evidence. The UCLA-led Parkinson Environment Gene (PEG) study found that agricultural workers who reported using PPE, particularly gloves, actually faced higher rates of Parkinson’s disease (here). This suggests that standard protective equipment fails to prevent exposure to this uniquely toxic chemical. Moreover, paraquat’s propensity for drift makes PPE irrelevant for broadering communities. Multiple studies demonstrate that people living within 500 meters of paraquat application sites face significantly elevated Parkinson’s disease risk (here).

The University of Illinois Farm Policy News reported that the EU is exploring tighter restrictions on imports produced with pesticides banned in the EU, specifically citing paraquat as an example (see here). If the EU follows through, market access could matter more than modest per-acre cost differences. For background, the EU is one of the top U.S. soybean export markets (often among the top three), and Illinois is one of the country’s biggest soybean producers (see here). Further, 60 percent of the soybeans grown in Illinois are exported to international markets (see here). And, this is just soybeans! Corn is another major export to the EU, where Illinois plays an important role.

* Chalkbeat Chicago…

A bill limiting cell phone use floundered last year despite winning unanimous approval in the state Senate. But an amended version this spring passed the House and appears headed for Senate backing.

The bill would ban cell phone use in elementary and middle schools throughout the school day but give districts the option of restricting high school use only during instruction time. It also aims to address concerns about overly punitive or uneven discipline for students and about the access some students — such as those with certain disabilities or medical conditions — need to their phones throughout the day. […]

The Illinois Senate will likely take up the bill later in May — and Michelle Mussman, its sponsor in the House, feels good about its odds of passage. So does the Senate sponsor, Cristina Castro, who notes that similar proposals have drawn bipartisan backing across the country.

“I feel we are in a good place to finally send this bill to the governor,” she said. […]

The Illinois Federation of Teachers has said the cell phone bill imposes another “unfunded mandate,” noting that the Peoria school district spent almost $250,000 on pouches to store cell phones during the school day. The union says that only adds to other obligations the state places on districts without providing full funding for them, such as providing transportation for students with disabilities. Leaving cell phones at home is not an option for some students, including those from immigrant families terrified of stepped-up immigration enforcement near schools, a union spokesman said.

* WAND…

The Illinois Senate could pass a bill in the final month of session to help homeless students find housing.

This plan would allow school districts to provide an extended an extended motel stay for students and their parent, guardian or person who enrolled them in school. […]

“Right now, our schools can help with rent, mortgage payments and help cover some utility bills,” said Sen. Karina Villa (D-West Chicago). “But they can’t step in with short-term help like paying for motel rooms when the family is in crisis and they need a safe place to stay.”

House Bill 4137 passed out of the Senate Education Committee Tuesday on an 11-2 vote. The proposal now moves to the Senate floor for further consideration.

* Sen. Paul Faraci…

A measure backed by State Senator Paul Faraci that aims to provide ongoing, accessible railroad safety education to students in Illinois’ public schools passed the Senate Education Committee. […]

House Bill 3743 would require all K-12 public schools to include railroad safety information in their student handbooks. A school would be able to opt out of this requirement if the school board determines that railroad safety is covered in the school’s curriculum.

According to the Illinois Commerce Commission, highway-rail crash statistics for 2025 indicate that Illinois had 134 collisions between trains and motor vehicles or pedestrians at highway-rail crossings. Thirty-four people were killed and 27 seriously injured. Illinois has 7,300 miles of track with 7,482 public highway-rail crossings and 3,280 private highway-rail crossings. Nationally this puts Illinois second in both categories, with only Texas having more rail crossings than Illinois.

House Bill 3743 passed the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday.

* More…

* WCIA | Illinois bill aims to protect homeowners from ‘storm chaser’ contractors: State Senator Michael E. Hastings (D-Frankfort) said Senate Bill 3029 would prevent contractors from offering home repair or remodeling services while severe weather or natural disasters are actively occurring, while emergency crews are responding, or between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. Hastings also said that for at least 72 hours after a disaster proclamation is issued, contractors would not be allowed to solicit a contract with a consumer in person for home repair or remodeling services.

* Press release | Glowiak Hilton prioritizes railroad safety for students: “Student safety has to be at the forefront of our priorities,” said Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs). “Our residents have expressed concern about schools near railroads and ensuring students understand the protocols in place to keep them safe.” House Bill 3743 would require all K-12 public schools to include railroad safety information in its student handbook. A school may opt out of this requirement if the school board determines that railroad safety is covered in the school’s curriculum.

* WGLT | Statewide housing legislation could have a big effect in Bloomington-Normal: It’s worse than that in Bloomington-Normal, close to 80%, according to realtors. There’s a cost to that too. Brandon Shaffer, deputy managing director of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services in Bloomington, said he understands the concerns of people who do not want multifamily housing in their backyard but noted they do want income for the community. “Economically, the community has lost as a whole concerning this. …Bloomington, in the last five years, has lost $66 million in real estate development with the inability to do it,” said Shaffer.