EDUCATION
Supporting quality public education and making sure students have the resources they need remain one of Senator Ellman’s top priorities. She believes every student should have the opportunity to learn, grow and succeed, whether they are preparing for college, entering the workforce or pursuing another path after high school.
Expanding Opportunities for Students
Students should have opportunities to challenge themselves and explore their interests early on in their education. Senator Ellman sponsored legislation allowing 7th and 8th grade students who take high school-level courses to receive high school credit, giving students more flexibility to pursue advanced coursework when they are ready.
Senator Ellman also believes students should be prepared for the workplace and have opportunities to explore career paths while they are still in school. She passed legislation that requires schools that offer employment, career pathway or internship experiences to provide students with workplace preparation education, including information about legal protections and protections against sexual harassment and discrimination.
Supporting Students and Families
Ensuring students have access to nutritious meals during the school day is an important part of supporting their success in the classroom. The Healthy School Meals for All program expands access to free school meals, with $67 million provided to the Illinois State Board of Education to help schools make those meals available to more students in need. Legislation passed by Senator Ellman also allows schools to establish share tables, giving students a way to leave unopened food for their peers while making sure good food does not go to waste.
Investing in Our Communities
Our schools and libraries are important parts of strong communities. Senator Ellman sponsored legislation expanding access to public libraries for non-residents and supported $100,000 in Safe Routes to School funding for Glen Ellyn school districts to improve safe biking and walking routes for students.
She also supported more than $1.2 million in Open Space Land Acquisition and Development funding for improvements to parks in Naperville and Glen Ellyn, helping invest in the communities where families live, work and raise their children.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
Senator Ellman is extremely passionate about protecting the environment and believes we must do everything we can to keep our rivers, lakes and waterways clean and protect our natural resources for future generations. As Chairperson of the Environment and Conservation Committee, Senator Ellman prioritizes practical solutions to protect Illinois’ environment and make communities healthier places to live.
Protecting Our Waterways
Wetlands, rivers and lakes are important resources for all communities. Senator Ellman passed legislation to strengthen protections for Illinois’ wetlands by requiring permits for activities that could harm them and supported legislation expanding funding for shoreline restoration.
She also championed legislation directing certain permit fees and penalties toward the Water Resources Fund, helping ensure that resources are available to protect and restore Illinois’ waterways.
Reducing Environmental Threats
For years, Senator Ellman has worked to prevent harmful chemicals from entering our environment. She spearheaded legislation addressing PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” by prohibiting the release of firefighting testing foam containing PFAS into Illinois waterways.
Senator Ellman is continuing that work by sponsoring legislation to prohibit the sale, distribution and use of herbicides containing paraquat, a chemical that has been linked to Parkinson’s disease. Through these efforts, she is working to reduce exposure to harmful chemicals and protect the health of Illinois communities and the environment.
Protecting Illinois’ Environment for the Future
Protecting our environment also means thinking about how energy and resources are used. This past session, she sponsored the Dark Sky Act, which establishes lighting standards for new or renovated outdoor lighting purchased with state funds or installed on state-managed properties. These standards will help reduce light pollution, protect wildlife and reduce unnecessary energy use.
She also served as lead Senate sponsor of legislation creating an environmental backstop to ensure Illinois’ environmental standards are not weakened in response to changes in federal regulations.
Affordability and Consumer Protection
Creating a fiscally responsible state and protecting families from skyrocketing costs remains Senator Ellman’s top priority. She believes state government should look for practical ways to make life more affordable, protect consumers from fraud and make sure families have access to the savings and benefits they deserve.
With everyday costs continuing to rise, families deserve to know they aren’t being taken advantage of. Senator Ellman has made consumer protection an important conversation, working to strengthen safeguards for Illinoisans and hold financial institutions accountable for unfair practices. As Vice Chairperson of the Financial Institutions Committee, she continues to advocate for policies that protect consumers and help families keep more of what they earn.
Protecting Consumers
Consumers should be able to know exactly who they are doing business with and what protections come with their money. Senator Ellman sponsored legislation that increases penalties for any financial institutions that mislead people by falsely presenting themselves as banks, helping protect people from deceptive financial practices that target hardworking families.
She also sponsored legislation to give people more protections when using cryptocurrency kiosks. The measure requires clearer information about fees and transactions, better customer service and safeguards to help prevent fraud.
Making Everyday Savings More Accessible
Families shouldn’t have to use a smartphone or teach themselves how to navigate an app just to save money on their everyday purchases. Senator Ellman passed legislation requiring grocery stores that offer digital coupons to also provide paper coupons of equal value available in easy-to-find locations in the store, making sure everyone has a fair shot at saving money.
Supporting Illinois Families
Financial protections should make life easier, not create more paperwork. Senator Ellman passed legislation this session to mandate that the homestead exemption automatically renews each year for homeowners with disabilities who qualify. This way, they won’t have to go through the same process year after year. It’s a simple change that can save people time and make sure they don’t lose a benefit they qualify for.
Senator Ellman will continue working to protect consumers and find practical solutions to make life more manageable for hardworking families.
ENERGY POLICY
Transitioning to clean energy presents an opportunity for job growth and economic development in the 21st District and across Illinois. Senator Ellman believes Illinois can pursue a cleaner energy future while supporting workers, strengthening the economy and creating new opportunities for families throughout the state.
Building Illinois’ Hydrogen Economy
Hydrogen has the potential to reduce our carbon footprint while creating good-paying jobs and new economic opportunities. Senator Ellman sponsored legislation creating the Illinois Hydrogen Economy Task Force to explore how Illinois can take advantage of this emerging industry and ensure workers, families and communities across the state can benefit from its growth.
Modernizing Our Energy Infrastructure
As Illinois transitions to cleaner sources of energy, Senator Ellman believes the state must also maintain a reliable and modern electric grid. She has supported legislation to expand energy storage in Illinois, helping strengthen the state’s energy infrastructure while preparing for a cleaner energy future.
HEALTHCARE
As a breast cancer survivor, Senator Ellman knows how important it is to have access to quality healthcare. That is why she’s worked to expand access to care, protect patients and families and ensure that every Illinoisian can get the healthcare they need when they need it..
Protecting Healthcare Coverage
Senator Ellman has worked to make healthcare more accessible and easier to navigate for families, including championing legislation to expand access to more affordable insurance coverage. She also sponsored a new law that makes it easier for healthcare providers to have prescription medications available at multiple locations, helping them provide care to more patients in need.
Protecting Health and Safety
Keeping Illinoisians healthy means addressing health and safety threats before they become bigger problems. Senator Ellman spearheaded legislation this session requiring radon testing in all Illinois public schools beginning in 2029, helping identify a serious environmental health risk where children spend much of their day.
She’s also worked to address emerging health and safety concerns related to AI. She’s currently working on policy to establish safeguards for AI companion models, including protections against encouraging self-harm and requirements to direct users experiencing suicidal ideation toward crisis resources.
Women’s Health
Senator Ellman believes decisions about pregnancy and reproductive healthcare belong with a woman and her doctor – not with politicians. She’s been a fierce advocate for a person’s right to choose and has advocated for access to reproductive healthcare in Illinois. She’ll continue working to protect both patients and the dedicated providers who care for them.
PANDEMIC RESPONSE
To be a good legislator requires listening to your community and having an unwavering dedication to constituent services. That’s exactly what I have been doing and will continue doing in my role as State Senator for the 21st district. Our office has helped hundreds of people –– before, during, and after the pandemic –– access unemployment benefits as well as additional state and federal aid. I pride our office on being responsible, accessible, and accountable to my constituents, and I will always listen and adapt to what our community needs and fight for the resources we deserve.
CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY
During her time in office, Senator Ellman has worked to keep neighborhoods safe by supporting common-sense policies, working with law enforcement and community leaders and making sure our communities have the resources they need to protect people.
She believes public safety starts with prevention, accountability and collaboration. That means supporting policies that help prevent violence before it happens, tackling the root causes of violence and giving law enforcement the tools they need to do their jobs.
Protecting Families and Communities
Everyone deserves to feel safe in their home and community. Senator Ellman was the chief sponsor of the Safe Gun Storage Act, which requires firearms to be stored securely where minors, at-risk individuals and prohibited persons can’t access them. This common-sense measure helps prevent accidental shootings, suicide and unauthorized access to lethal firearms while also protecting responsible gun owners.