SPRINGFIELD – A new law from State Senator Rachel Ventura will promote standardization on food labels and reduce food waste across the state.

“We are working to reduce food waste and help our neighbors stretch their dollar by providing clearer information on food labels,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “As we see buying power decrease due to inflation and grocery bills increasing, we need to think of alternatives to save people from guessing whether their food is safe to consume.”

House Bill 3849 defines "quality date," "safety date" and "sell by date" and requires the Illinois Departments of Agriculture and Public Health to publish information to encourage food manufacturers, processors and retailers to voluntarily use uniform terms on food product labels to communicate quality and safety dates.

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois is now leading the way toward a cleaner, greener future thanks to a new law championed by State Senator Rachel Ventura that will require state-owned vehicles to be zero emission.

“To tackle the ongoing climate crisis, Illinois needs to be a frontrunner in clean energy investments,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “One such way to help is by investing in zero emission vehicles to deliver big gains for both our environment and our economy.”

Senate Bill 1769 will require passenger vehicles purchased or leased by the state to either be a manufactured zero-emission vehicle or converted into a zero-emission vehicle by 2030. Exceptions will be made for law enforcement and IDOT vehicles.

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois is leading the way toward a cleaner, greener future thanks to a measure from State Senator Rachel Ventura to require state-owned vehicles to be zero emission.

“Zero emission vehicles deliver big gains for both our environment and our economy,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “Taking bold steps to cut pollution puts us closer to our nation-leading goal to become a 100% clean energy state.”

Highway vehicles release about 1.4 billion tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year — mostly in the form of carbon dioxide — which contribute to the global climate crisis. The continuous adoption of zero-emission vehicles has the ability to move the nation close to an 80% decrease in transportation greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Senate Bill 1769 will require passenger vehicles purchased or leased by the state to either be a manufactured zero-emission vehicle or converted into a zero-emission vehicle by 2030. Exceptions will be made for law enforcement and IDOT vehicles. Currently 13 other states have adopted similar zero-emission vehicle requirements, Minnesota being the only other Midwestern state to do so.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Rachel Ventura spearheaded a new law that will expand greater access to broadband at all public schools and libraries in the state.

“High-speed internet is at the forefront of all parts of our lives – from work to school, and everything in between,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “This bill takes the first step towards improving high quality, fiberoptic broadband throughout all of Illinois by developing the ‘middle mile’ and making sure there is public sector option.”

Instead of handing the nearly $1.2 Billion in federal funding over to internet giants, Ventura wants to create competition in the market place and use those taxpayer dollars to reduce costs for Illinois families.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Rachel Ventura spearheaded a new law that will incentivize the use of renewable hydropower electricity across the state.

“Lifting the limits on these essential hydropower plants will increase jobs, support the green energy economy and make Illinois self-sustainable,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “This will clearly address the ongoing energy problem across the state with real solutions and move Illinois closer to reaching our renewable energy goals.”

Illinois is currently ranked 46^th in the nation when it comes to hydropower. With Senate Bill 1474 becoming law, Ventura hopes to advance Illinois’ renewable energy sector.

JOLIET – State Senator Rachel Ventura, who has had a long history of standing with health care workers to ensure that their voices are heard, will speak at a picketing event and press conference Thursday, in support of St. Joseph Medical Center nurses.

“Health care workers should have a viable and transparent relationship with their employers. I encourage residents to show their support with those who take care of us when we are in need of medical care,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “My office has corresponded with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) on investigating reports of repeated violations of Illinois staffing laws, and I am pushing for answers.”

In addition to working with IDPH, Ventura attended a rally to support nurses last week, and she previously sat in on negotiations with hospital officials. Ventura will be a featured speaker at an informational picket and press conference held Thursday, July 20 at the St. Joseph Medical Center.  The picket will take place at the Madison entrance of Ascension Saint Joseph starting at 3 p.m., followed by a press conference at 5:30 p.m. 

St. Joe’s Nurses Association has been in negotiations with Ascension representatives since May and many of the union’s proposals have remained virtually untouched in the intervening months. Nurses say the future of the only hospital in Joliet depends on this contract. The current union contract expires on July 19, 2023.

“St. Joe’s nurses deserve to work in an environment with safe staffing levels and they shouldn’t be made to feel taken advantage of,” said Ventura. “Our health care workers are a critical part of our communities and I will continue to be a voice for them in-district, and in Springfield.”

For additional questions about this event, contact Sarah Hurd with the Illinois Nurses Association (INA) at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

SPRINGFIELD – To promote standardization on food labels and reduce food waste across the state, State Senator Rachel Ventura sponsored House Bill 3849 which was signed into law today.

“By providing more guidance on food labels, we can reduce the amount of food ending up in the garbage and help feed more community members struggling to get by,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “As inflation continues to impact the rising cost of grocery bills, some families might extend the shelf life of their food purchases.”

According to ReFED, a national nonprofit working in conjunction with Harvard Law School's Food Law and Policy Clinic, a national food labeling standard could divert 582,000 tons of food waste per year and provide $2.41 billion in annual economic value. Illinois does not currently have any food labeling laws; however, if labeled, eggs cannot be sold past the label date.

House Bill 3849 defines "quality date," "safety date" and "sell by date" and requires the Illinois Departments of Agriculture and Public Health to publish information to encourage food manufacturers, processors and retailers to voluntarily use uniform terms on food product labels to communicate quality and safety dates.

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Corrections will be required to digitize all master record files thanks to State Senator Rachel Ventura’s measure that was signed into law today.

“We cannot rely on the old paper filing system that is still in place. Papers can go missing, making the outdated release process unnecessarily long,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “In the long run, having digital access to these records will not only save the state money, but also ensure that those who have been waiting to be released and go back into their communities are not idly waiting for months on end simply because Illinois didn’t have an updated records system.”