SB 2697

Select Language
  ×
The Illinois General Assembly offers the Google Translate™ service for visitor convenience. In no way should it be considered accurate as to the translation of any content herein.
Visitors of the Illinois General Assembly website are encouraged to use other translation services available on the internet.
The English language version is always the official and authoritative version of this website.
NOTE: To return to the original English language version, select the "Show Original" button on the Google Translate™ menu bar at the top of the window.
  Choose Language
  English
  Afrikaans
  Albanian
  Arabic
  Armenian
  Azerbaijani
  Basque
  Bengali
  Bosnian
  Catalan
  Croatian
  Czech
  Danish
  Dutch
  Esperanto
  Estonian
  Filipino
  Finnish
  French
  Galician
  Georgian
  German
  Greek
  Gujarati
  Haitian Creole
  Hausa
  Hawaiian
  Hebrew
  Hindi
  Hungarian
  Icelandic
  Indonesian
  Interlingua
  Interlingue
  Inuktitut
  Irish
  Italian
  Japanese
  Javanese
  Kannada
  Khmer
  Korean
  Latin
  Latvian
  Lithuanian
  Luxembourgish
  Macedonian
  Malagasy
  Malayalam
  Maltese
  Maori
  Marathi
  Myanmar
  Nepali
  Norwegian
  Odia
  Pashto
  Punjabi
  Romanian
  Russian
  Samoan
  Sango
  Sanskrit
  Sardinian
  Sindhi
  Sinhala
  Slovak
  Slovenian
  Somali
  Southern Sotho
  Spanish
  Sundanese
  Swahili
  Swedish
  Tamil
  Telugu
  Thai
  Tigrinya
  Tonga
  Turkish
  Ukrainian
  Urdu
  Vietnamese
  Welsh
  Xhosa
  Yiddish
  Yoruba
  Zulu
  Powered by Translate
  Close
Illinois General Assembly
Top Navigation Bar
  Translate
  Learn
  Select General Assembly
  Search the 104th General Assembly
  Enter search terms for legislation, members, committees, or schedules.
  ILGA.GOV
Mobile Top Bar
  Search the 104th General Assembly
  Enter keywords to search the Illinois General Assembly website.
Full Text of SB2697
Home
Legislation
Full Text
	SB2697 - 104th General Assembly
		Bill Status
		Full Text
		Votes
		Witness Slips
	Select Menu
	Bill Status
	Full Text
	Votes
	Witness Slips
	Printer Friendly Version
			Introduced
		Printer Friendly Version
		Introduced
			 Open PDF
104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB2697
Introduced 10/14/2025, by Sen. Adriane Johnson
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act
30 ILCS 105/5.1038 new
505 ILCS 90/22	  from Ch. 5, par. 82
505 ILCS 90/22.01	  from Ch. 5, par. 82a
Creates the Emerald City Task Force Act. Establishes the Emerald City Task Force in the Department of Natural Resources. Provides that the Task Force may consult with the Environmental Protection Agency. Lists the responsibilities of the Task Force. Requires the Task Force to submit an annual report to the Governor and the General Assembly. Lists the membership of the Task Force. Provides that fines collected under certain provisions of the Insect Pest and Plant Disease Act shall be paid into the Emerald City Fund, a special fund that is created in the State treasury, and, subject to appropriation, may be expended by and for the Emerald City Task Force in the fulfillment of its purposes, the carrying out of its responsibilities, and any other requirements as determined by the Task Force. Allows the Fund to accept donations from individuals, corporations, or other entities, including by means of corporate sponsorship related to the Emerald City Task Force. Provides that Task Force members shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and necessary expenses from funds appropriated for that purpose. Grants the Department of Natural Resources rulemaking authority. Declares the purpose of the Act and purposes of the Task Force. Defines terms. Makes conforming changes to the State Finance Act and the Insect Pest and Plant Disease Act.
LRB104 15269 BDA 28659 b
A BILL FOR
		SB2697		LRB104 15269 BDA 28659 b
1    AN ACT concerning State government.
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Emerald City Task Force Act.
6    Section 5. Purpose. The purposes of this Act are (1) to
7improve Illinois' ability to mitigate the damage that emerald
8ash borers are causing throughout the State by increasing
9public awareness of the topic; (2) to expand local government
10access to grants and low-cost loans for the replacement of ash
11trees with trees that are better suited to life in cities and
12villages; (3) to address issues caused by the rules adopted to
13alleviate emerald ash borer infestations in the State; and (4)
14to unite persons with diverse perspectives and to encourage
15them to collaborate with one another to tackle the obstacles
16that emerald ash borers pose and will continue to pose if
17nothing effective is done to address the issue.
18    Section 10. Definitions. In this Act, unless the context
19requires otherwise:
20    "Agency" means the Environmental Protection Agency.
21    "Department" means the Department of Natural Resources.
22    "Fund" means the Emerald City Fund established under this
		SB2697	- 2 -	LRB104 15269 BDA 28659 b
1Act.
2    "Task Force" means the Emerald City Task Force established
3under this Act.
4    Section 15. Emerald City Task Force.
5    (a) The Emerald City Task Force is established in the
6Department of Natural Resources for the purposes described in
7Section 5 of this Act. The Task Force may consult with the
8Environmental Protection Agency, and the Agency may consult
9with the Task Force, at the discretion of the Task Force or the
10Agency.
11    (b) The Task Force has the following responsibilities:
12        (1) launching public awareness campaigns throughout
13    Illinois to educate residents about the many detrimental
14    effects of emerald ash borers and to describe actions
15    residents can take to decrease the spread of these
16    invasive insects;
17        (2) supporting and coordinating increased funding,
18    grants, and low-cost loans to municipalities and units of
19    local government to replace dead ash trees;
20        (3) organizing community engagement activities for
21    children, such as poster, bumper-sticker, and slogan
22    contests;
23        (4) investigating the reasons why the statewide
24    quarantine is not as effective as hoped by, among other
25    things, determining whether there is or was a lack of
		SB2697	- 3 -	LRB104 15269 BDA 28659 b
1    people willing to serve as enforcement officers, a lack of
2    funding to isolate quarantine zones, a lack of
3    equipment-based resources, or other causes or factors
4    contributing to the lack of program effectiveness;
5        (5) investigating the reasons why the low-cost loans
6    being given to local governments for tree replacement are
7    not as effective as hoped by, among other things,
8    determining whether or not the loans themselves are
9    effective, whether the loans simply need to be expanded
10    across greater areas, or whether the relevant program has
11    other defects that deter local governments from making use
12    of the loans; and
13        (6) researching methods to mitigate the spread of
14    emerald ash borers in a sustainable manner.
15    (c) Public awareness campaigns under this Section and
16support and coordination for municipalities and units of local
17government under this Section shall use a mixture of the
18objective findings of researchers, as well as
19emotionally-touching and heartfelt first-hand accounts and
20stories from people who have been hit the hardest by emerald
21ash borers. The Task Force shall launch public awareness
22campaigns through (1) partnerships with public schools, (2)
23social media platforms, (3) community-wide awareness events,
24(4) posters and QR codes for residents to learn more about
25emerald ash borers, and (5) explaining how residents can (i)
26play their part in mitigating the spread of emerald ash borers
		SB2697	- 4 -	LRB104 15269 BDA 28659 b
1or (ii) directly get involved with the Emerald City Task Force
2by donating money or by becoming a volunteer.
3    (d) By January 1, 2027, and by January 1 of each year
4thereafter, the Task Force shall submit a report to the
5General Assembly, as provided in Section 3.1 of the General
6Assembly Organization Act, and to the Governor on the actions
7it has taken and the progress it has made toward addressing its
8responsibilities in the immediately preceding year.
9    Section 20. Task Force membership; meetings; support;
10funding.
11    (a) The Emerald City Task Force shall consist of the
12following members:
13        (1) the Director of Natural Resources or the
14    Director's designee, who shall serve as a co-chairperson;
15        (2) the Director of the Environmental Protection
16    Agency or the Director's designee, who shall serve as a
17    co-chairperson;
18        (3) one member of the Senate who is appointed by the
19    President of the Senate and who is willing (i) to help
20    organize educational campaigns throughout Illinois in
21    order to inform residents about the detrimental effects of
22    emerald ash borers from a variety of perspectives and (ii)
23    to speak with local government officials to ascertain the
24    reason for the lower-than-hoped use of low-cost loans;
25        (4) one member of the Senate who is appointed by the
		SB2697	- 5 -	LRB104 15269 BDA 28659 b
1    Senate Minority Leader and who is willing (i) to help
2    organize educational campaigns throughout Illinois in
3    order to inform residents about the detrimental effects of
4    emerald ash borers from a variety of perspectives and (ii)
5    to speak with local government officials to ascertain the
6    reason for the lower-than-hoped use of low-cost loans;
7        (5) one member of the House of Representatives who is
8    appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives
9    and who is willing (i) to help organize educational
10    campaigns throughout Illinois in order to inform residents
11    about the detrimental effects of emerald ash borers from a
12    variety of perspectives and (ii) to speak with local
13    government officials to ascertain the reason for the
14    lower-than-hoped use of low-cost loans;
15        (6) one member of the House of Representatives who is
16    appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of
17    Representatives and who is willing (i) to help organize
18    educational campaigns throughout Illinois in order to
19    inform residents about the detrimental effects of emerald
20    ash borers from a variety of perspectives and (ii) to
21    speak with local government officials to ascertain the
22    reason for the lower-than-hoped use of low-cost loans;
23        (7) 3 residents of the State who are appointed by the
24    Governor and who are willing to share the impact that
25    emerald ash borers have had on them from a personal
26    perspective, including at least one person who has worked
		SB2697	- 6 -	LRB104 15269 BDA 28659 b
1    in the ash tree industry and at least one person whose
2    household falls under the definition of "low-income
3    household" or "very low-income household" under Section 3
4    of the Illinois Affordable Housing Act;
5        (8) 3 residents of the State who are appointed by the
6    Governor and who either reside in environmental justice
7    communities, as defined by the Illinois Power Agency, or
8    in municipalities without the funding to replace ash
9    trees;
10        (9) 3 residents of the State who are appointed by the
11    Governor and who are willing to help organize educational
12    campaigns throughout Illinois in order to inform residents
13    about the detrimental effects of emerald ash borers from a
14    variety of perspectives;
15        (10) 3 experts or other professionals who are
16    appointed by the Governor and who are able to investigate
17    the reasons that the statewide quarantine regarding
18    emerald ash borers is or was not as effective as hoped; and
19        (11) 3 experts or other researchers, such as
20    researchers from the University of Illinois' College of
21    Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, who are
22    appointed by the Governor and are able to investigate
23    methods to decrease the spread of emerald ash borers in a
24    sustainable manner.
25    (b) The Task Force shall convene and meet at the call of a
26co-chairperson and shall meet as frequently as necessary to
		SB2697	- 7 -	LRB104 15269 BDA 28659 b
1carry out its duties as required by this Act.
2    (c) The Department of Natural Resources shall provide
3administrative and other support to the Task Force. Upon
4reasonable request by the Task Force, the Environmental
5Protection Agency shall also provide administrative and other
6support to the Task Force.
7    (d) Fines collected for violations of rules adopted under
8Section 35 of the Insect Pest and Plant Disease Act shall be
9paid into the Emerald City Fund, a special fund that is created
10in the State treasury, and, subject to appropriation, may be
11expended by and for the Emerald City Task Force in the
12fulfillment of its purposes, the carrying out of its
13responsibilities, and any other requirements as determined by
14the Task Force. The Fund may also accept donations from
15individuals, corporations, or other entities, including by
16means of corporate sponsorship related to the Emerald City
17Task Force. Task Force members shall serve without
18compensation but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and
19necessary expenses from funds appropriated for that purpose.
20    Section 25. Rulemaking. The Department may adopt rules
21necessary to implement recommendations of the Task Force.
22    Section 70. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
23Section 5.1038 as follows:
		SB2697	- 8 -	LRB104 15269 BDA 28659 b
1    (30 ILCS 105/5.1038 new)
2    Sec. 5.1038. The Emerald City Fund.
3    Section 75. The Insect Pest and Plant Disease Act is
4amended by changing Sections 22 and 22.01 as follows:
5    (505 ILCS 90/22)  (from Ch. 5, par. 82)
6    Sec. 22. Any person who shall violate any of the
7provisions of this Act with reference to the sale, shipment,
8transportation, receipt or delivery of nursery stock without
9inspection or certificate, or with reference to treatment of
10nursery stock, plants, plant products or other property; or
11who shall forge, counterfeit, deface, alter, destroy or
12wrongfully use a certificate belonging to another person or
13fail to obtain a certificate of inspection or nursery dealer's
14certificate; or who shall use a certificate after it has been
15suspended or revoked or has expired; or who shall transport,
16receive or convey any article into the State of Illinois in
17violation of any proclamation of the Governor or regulation of
18the Department or any Federal quarantine, or who, having
19received the same directly or indirectly shall refuse to
20dispose of the same as the Department may direct; or who shall
21violate any proclamation of the Governor or quarantine or
22rule, regulation or order of the Department as provided for in
23this Act; or who shall maintain a nuisance after receiving
24notice from the Department to abate the same shall be adjudged
		SB2697	- 9 -	LRB104 15269 BDA 28659 b
1guilty of a business offense and shall be subject to a fine of
2not less than $1,000 nor more than $10,000. Except for fines 
3collected for violations of rules adopted under Section 35 of 
4this Act, the [The] fines collected under this Act shall be paid
5to the Department and by it paid into the Pesticide Control
6Fund, Director as Trustee, to be used for the administration
7of this Act. Fines collected for violations of rules adopted 
8under Section 35 of this Act shall be paid into the Emerald 
9City Fund established under Section 20 of the Emerald City 
10Task Force Act to be used according to Section 20 of the 
11Emerald City Task Force Act.
12    Any person who impedes, obstructs, hinders or otherwise
13prevents or attempts to prevent the Director in the
14performance of official duties shall be guilty of a Class B
15misdemeanor for the first violation and guilty of a Class A
16misdemeanor for subsequent violations. Any person using
17physical force against the Director in the performance of
18official duties shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
19(Source: P.A. 85-324.)
20    (505 ILCS 90/22.01)  (from Ch. 5, par. 82a)
21    Sec. 22.01. When an administrative hearing is held, the
22hearing officer shall upon determination of a violation, on a
23per-occurrence basis, assess an appropriate administrative
24monetary penalty. The Department shall collect the
25administrative monetary penalty which will be paid as 
		SB2697	- 10 -	LRB104 15269 BDA 28659 b
1described under Section 22 of this Act [to the Pesticide ]
2[Control Fund to be used for the administration of this Act] for
3the following violations:
4    I. A fine of $150 shall be imposed for each of the
5following violations:
6        A. Thwarting or hindering an inspection authorized or
7    required by this Act by misrepresenting or concealing
8    facts or conditions.
9        B. Selling, offering or exposing for sale, or
10    distributing nursery stock which is not accompanied by a
11    shipping tag or label bearing a copy of the certificate of
12    inspection or nursery dealer's certificate.
13        C. Failing to comply with any of the provisions of
14    this Act, or the rules and regulations promulgated
15    hereunder for which a fine for a specific violation is not
16    specified.
17        D. Making a false declaration of acreage or causing
18    any concealment of nursery stock from inspection by the
19    Department.
20        E. Selling, offering for sale, or distributing nursery
21    stock or other article infested with injurious insect
22    pests or infected with injurious plant diseases.
23    II. A fine of $300 shall be imposed for each of the
24following violations:
25        A. Failing to carry out the treatment or destruction
26    of any plant pest or regulated article in accordance with
		SB2697	- 11 -	LRB104 15269 BDA 28659 b
1    official notification from the Director.
2        B. Selling, transporting, or offering for sale nursery
3    stock which has not been inspected and which is not
4    covered by a valid certificate of inspection.
5        C. Selling, offering or exposing for sale or
6    delivering any nursery stock without having a current
7    certificate of inspection or nursery dealer's certificate.
8    III. A fine of $500 shall be imposed for each of the
9following violations:
10        A. Using an invalid, suspended, or revoked nursery
11    certificate or nursery dealer's certificate in the sale or
12    distribution of nursery stock.
13        B. Neglecting or refusing to comply with provisions of
14    this Act or any lawful order of the Director.
15        C. Moving any regulated article into or out of a
16    quarantined area unless such regulated article has been
17    treated or handled as provided by the requirements of said
18    quarantine.
19        D. Selling, installing or otherwise distributing
20    nursery stock or other article which has been placed on
21    stop-sale.
22    IV. A fine of not less than $500 but not greater than
23$5,000 shall be imposed for each of the following violations
24related to a devastating insect or plant disease:
25        A. Thwarting or hindering an inspection by
26    misrepresenting or concealing facts or conditions related
		SB2697	- 12 -	LRB104 15269 BDA 28659 b
1    to compliance with the terms of the quarantine.
2        B. Selling, offering for sale, or distributing nursery
3    stock or other articles infested with devastating insects
4    or plant diseases in violation of the quarantine.
5        C. Failing to carry out the treatment or destruction
6    of any devastating insect or plant disease or regulated
7    article as required under the terms of the quarantine and
8    in accordance with official notification from the
9    Director.
10        D. Moving any regulated article into or out of the
11    quarantined area unless the regulated article has been
12    treated or handled as provided by the requirements of the
13    quarantine.
14        E. Falsifying a compliance agreement under the
15    quarantine.
16    Any penalty not paid within 60 days of notice from the
17Department shall be submitted to the Attorney General's office
18for collection. Failure to pay a penalty shall also be grounds
19for suspension or revocation of certificates and permits.
20(Source: P.A. 91-713, eff. 6-2-00.)