{"id":26008,"date":"2025-12-24T09:41:48","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T15:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?p=26008"},"modified":"2025-12-24T09:41:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T15:41:48","slug":"new-laws-illinois-grocery-tax-to-end-aquifer-protections-begin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/26008-new-laws-illinois-grocery-tax-to-end-aquifer-protections-begin\/","title":{"rendered":"New Laws: Illinois&#8217; Grocery Tax to End; Aquifer Protections Begin"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pdfprnt-buttons pdfprnt-buttons-post pdfprnt-top-right\"><a href=\"javascript: window.print()\" class=\"pdfprnt-button pdfprnt-button-print\" target=\"_self\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-print\/images\/print.png\" alt=\"image_print\" title=\"Print Content\" \/><span class=\"pdfprnt-button-title pdfprnt-button-print-title\">Print<\/span><\/a><\/div><p><em>(GOVERNOR J.B. PRITZKER ADDRESSES THE STATE GROCERY TAX DURING AN APPEARANCE AT A SCHNUCK&#8217;S GROCERY STORE IN SPRINGFIELD)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By BEN SZALINSKI<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&amp; BRENDEN MOORE<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Capitol News Illinois<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><a href=\"mailto:bszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">news@capitolnewsillinois.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Article Summary<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nearly 300 Illinois laws will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Illinois\u2019 1% statewide grocery tax will be eliminated, but more than half the state\u2019s cities and towns have passed an ordinance establishing their own grocery tax.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Small single-use plastic toiletry bottles will be phased out in hotels, police will be able to remove squatters from a person\u2019s residence even without a court order and carbon sequestration will be banned in the footprint of a sole-source aquifer, among other laws taking effect.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Illinois\u2019 statewide 1% grocery tax will go away on Jan. 1, though many people will continue to pay it at the local level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iml.org\/grocerytax\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data compiled<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by the Illinois Municipal League shows that 656 municipalities \u2014 a little more than half of the state\u2019s municipalities \u2014 have passed an ordinance establishing their own grocery tax. Those communities are home to 7.2 million people, or 56.5% of the state\u2019s population. Three counties \u2014 Washington, Wabash and Moultrie \u2014 have also approved countywide grocery taxes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Read more: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/news\/more-than-half-of-illinois-communities-have-enacted-a-local-grocery-tax\/\"><b>More than half of Illinois communities have enacted a local grocery tax<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill in 2024 eliminating the 1% statewide grocery tax, which he touted as a measure to ease residents\u2019 tax burden. But because the revenue from the state grocery tax went to municipal governments, rather than state coffers, the measure allowed local governments to levy their own 1% tax via ordinance, rather than a referendum to voters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some other laws that will take effect in the new year:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hotel soaps phased out<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The phase-out of small, single-use plastic bottles in Illinois hotel rooms continues.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ilga.gov\/Documents\/Legislation\/PublicActs\/103\/PDF\/103-0934.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Senate Bill 2960<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, passed and signed into law in 2024, bars hotels from providing toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner and bath soap in less than six-ounce plastic containers unless specifically requested by the hotel guest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ban took effect in hotels with 50 or more rooms on July 1 and takes effect for all hotels starting in 2026. Hotels in violation will receive a written warning for the first offense and be subject to fines of up to $1,500 for each subsequent violation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The legislation is intended to spur the state\u2019s hospitality industry to reduce its plastic footprint by shifting to either refillable toiletry containers or larger plastic bottles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similar laws have been enacted in states like California, New York and Washington.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Squatter removal<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilga.gov\/Legislation\/BillStatus?GAID=18&amp;DocNum=1563&amp;DocTypeID=SB&amp;LegId=160275&amp;SessionID=114\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Senate Bill 1563<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will make it easier for authorities to remove squatters who are illegally staying at someone else\u2019s residence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The law clarifies that a court-ordered eviction is not required for police to remove squatters from a person\u2019s home, and police can enforce criminal trespassing charges against a squatter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Read more: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/news\/pritzker-signs-bill-allowing-police-to-remove-squatters\/\"><b>Following state rep\u2019s encounter, Pritzker signs \u2018squatter bill\u2019 into law<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pritzker signed the bill in July after squatters moved into a home next door to Rep. Marcus Evans in Chicago. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/abc7chicago.com\/post\/alleged-squatters-move-door-illinois-state-rep-marcus-evans-avalon-park-chicago-going-calling-governor\/17186665\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to ABC-7<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Chicago Police told homeowners they couldn\u2019t remove the squatters from the home and the homeowners would have to go through the eviction process in Cook County court, which can take months.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drinking water protections<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilga.gov\/Legislation\/BillStatus?DocTypeID=SB&amp;DocNum=1723&amp;GAID=18&amp;SessionID=114&amp;LegID=160743\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Senate Bill 1723<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> bans carbon sequestration \u2014 the process of capturing and storing carbon by injecting it underground \u2014 within an area that &#8220;overlies, underlies, or passes through&#8221; a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-designated sole-source aquifer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The new law applies to the footprint of the Mahomet Aquifer, which is the main source of drinking water for more than 500,000 people across a 15-county area in central Illinois.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It comes as Illinois, especially downstate, is targeted for carbon sequestration projects due to the state\u2019s favorable geology and the availability of federal tax credits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Studies, including those conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois, have found minimal risk to water sources from sequestration activity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the legislation was a priority for central Illinois community activists, environmental advocates and a bipartisan cadre of local lawmakers with zero risk tolerance due to the lack of a clear alternative water source if the aquifer were tainted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Safer gear for firefighters<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Illinois will take first steps towards requiring safer gear for firefighters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilga.gov\/documents\/legislation\/104\/HB\/PDF\/10400HB2409enr.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">House Bill 2409<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, manufacturers of firefighter turnout gear starting in 2026 must provide written notice if their products contain PFAS, also known as \u201cforever chemicals.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Numerous scientific studies have linked exposure to PFAS to an increased risk of developing various forms of cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Manufacturers will be banned from selling turnout gear and personal protective equipment containing PFAS altogether starting on Jan. 1, 2027.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Lift-assist fees\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilga.gov\/Legislation\/BillStatus?DocNum=2336&amp;GAID=18&amp;DocTypeID=HB&amp;LegId=159987&amp;SessionID=114\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">House Bill 2336<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allows municipalities or fire districts to charge assisted living facilities or nursing homes for calls to fire departments requesting help lifting a resident when it is not an emergency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bill was an initiative of the Illinois Municipal League, which argued the calls to fire departments for the nonemergency service are a burden on local governments and shift liabilities for injuries that happen during the process to fire departments rather than the facility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Stadium funding<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilga.gov\/Legislation\/BillStatus?DocNum=2772&amp;GAID=18&amp;GA=104&amp;DocTypeID=HB&amp;LegID=160811&amp;SessionID=114\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Senate Bill 2772<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> adds women\u2019s professional sports to the types of facilities the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority can oversee. Current law only allows the ISFA to oversee sports facilities for baseball, football and auto racing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bill is not designed to move any team\u2019s stadium proposals forward, though the Chicago Stars women\u2019s soccer team has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagobusiness.com\/commercial-real-estate\/chicago-red-stars-want-white-sox-bears-stadium-talks\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">previously been reported<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to be interested in building a new stadium with help from state funding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bill was the only one related to sports stadium funding that advanced in Springfield in 2025. The Chicago Bears committed earlier this year to building a stadium in Arlington Heights but are still waiting for approval from the village and struggling to find support in Springfield for funding.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Public official privacy<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ilga.gov\/Legislation\/BillStatus?DocNum=576&amp;GAID=18&amp;DocTypeID=HB&amp;LegId=156254&amp;SessionID=114\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">House Bill 576<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allows state lawmakers, constitutional officers and state\u2019s attorneys, among others, to request that their personal information be redacted on public websites.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Public officials would be able to use their campaign funds to pay for personal security services and security upgrades to their home, including security systems, cameras, walls, fences and other physical improvements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Rewilding\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ilga.gov\/Legislation\/BillStatus?DocNum=2726&amp;GAID=18&amp;DocTypeID=HB&amp;LegId=160722&amp;SessionID=114\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">House Bill 2726<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allows the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to implement rewilding as a conservation strategy for the state.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This could entail the restoration of land to its natural state and the reintroduction of native species, especially apex predators and keystone species like bison and beavers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Illinois is believed to be the first state to codify the strategy into law.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Reservation app regulations<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">State lawmakers voted this year to crackdown on third-party restaurant reservation apps.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilga.gov\/Legislation\/BillStatus?DocNum=2456&amp;GAID=18&amp;DocTypeID=HB&amp;LegId=160222&amp;SessionID=114\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">House Bill 2456<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> prohibits third-party reservation services from selling reservations without a restaurant\u2019s permission. Restaurants are still allowed to partner with the services.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Paid time off to pump breast milk<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilga.gov\/legislation\/billstatus.asp?DocNum=212&amp;GAID=18&amp;GA=104&amp;DocTypeID=SB&amp;LegID=157499&amp;SessionID=114\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Senate Bill 212<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0mandates employers to compensate mothers who take breaks at work to pump breast milk for up to a year after their child is born. The bill prohibits employers from requiring employees to use paid leave time for pumping.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Naloxone in libraries\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilga.gov\/Legislation\/BillStatus?DocNum=1910&amp;GAID=18&amp;DocTypeID=HB\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">House Bill 1910<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> requires that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/news\/senate-passes-bill-requiring-illinois-libraries-to-supply-opioid-overdose-medication\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">libraries maintain<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a supply of opioid overdose medication, like naloxone. This drug is often administered through a nasal spray like Narcan. The law also requires that at least one staff member be trained to identify overdoses and administer the drug.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Police training on sexual assault\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilga.gov\/legislation\/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=1195&amp;GAID=18&amp;DocTypeID=SB&amp;LegId=159009&amp;SessionID=114&amp;GA=104\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Senate Bill 1195<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, also known as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/news\/bill-would-require-police-training-for-sexual-assault-conflicts-of-interest\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anna\u2019s Law<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, requires police officers in training to participate in trauma-informed programs, procedures and practices that are designed to reduce trauma for victims. The bill is named after Anna Williams, a suburban resident who brought the initiative to lawmakers following her own experience with a sexual assault investigation. The bill takes effect in January.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Predatory towing<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilga.gov\/Legislation\/BillStatus?DocNum=2040&amp;GAID=18&amp;DocTypeID=SB\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Senate Bill 2040<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> gives the Illinois Commerce Commission new powers to punish predatory towing companies which sometimes tow cars under false pretenses only to charge drivers afterwards. The ICC-backed law allows the agency to revoke towing licenses, impound tow trucks and more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jerry Nowicki contributed to this story.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Capitol News Illinois<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(GOVERNOR J.B. PRITZKER ADDRESSES THE STATE GROCERY TAX DURING AN APPEARANCE AT A SCHNUCK&#8217;S GROCERY STORE IN SPRINGFIELD) By BEN SZALINSKI &amp; BRENDEN MOORE Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com\u00a0 Article Summary [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":26009,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>New Laws: Illinois&#039; Grocery Tax to End; Aquifer Protections Begin - Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/26008-new-laws-illinois-grocery-tax-to-end-aquifer-protections-begin\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Laws: Illinois&#039; 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