Illinois Enacts New Laws on Rideshare, Drug Pricing, and Environmental Protection

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Illinois Enacts New Laws on Rideshare, Drug Pricing, and Environmental Protection

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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has signed 75 new bills into law, addressing a range of issues from labor rights to environmental protection and consumer safeguards. These additions contribute to over 350 new laws enacted in Illinois during 2026.

One significant new law, House Bill 5090, grants rideshare drivers the right to unionize and collectively bargain. This legislation, which took effect upon the Governor’s signature on August 7, 2026, makes Illinois the third state, following Massachusetts (2024) and California (2025), to establish a path for rideshare drivers to organize. The new law outlines how drivers can form a union, elect representatives, and engage in union activities. To cover implementation costs and support workers, rideshare companies will be charged 4 cents per ride.

In the area of drug pricing, two related bills aim to increase state oversight of the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program, established in 1992 to provide discounted prescription drugs to healthcare providers serving uninsured or Medicaid patients. House Bill 2371, known as the “Patient Access to Pharmacy Protection Act,” prohibits drug manufacturers from restricting how 340B providers or their contract pharmacies acquire discounted drugs. Additionally, House Bill 4327 mandates that the Illinois Department of Insurance conduct a study on the 340B program’s impact on healthcare in Illinois.

Environmental protection measures were also signed into law. House Bill 4418 officially designates plastic pellets as a pollutant in Illinois state law, making Illinois the first Great Lakes state to hold producers accountable for spills into waterways. This law directs the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to develop and implement stormwater pollution controls specifically targeting plastic pellets. Another environmental law, Senate Bill 3037, aims to reduce light pollution by updating the Illinois Energy Efficient Building Act. This bill, which goes into effect on January 1, 2027, expands responsible outdoor lighting requirements to all state agencies, building on a previous law that applied similar standards to the Department of Natural Resources.

Furthermore, legislation was enacted to limit the placement of immigrant detention centers. House Bill 5024 prohibits the federal government from operating new immigration detention centers within 1,500 feet of homes, schools, day care centers, parks, forest preserves, cemeteries, or places of worship. This law is a response to community concerns that arose from operations at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Broadview in 2025.

Finally, new laws also grant the Illinois Department of Insurance increased regulatory authority over homeowners and automobile insurance rates, effective July 1, 2027. These laws empower the department to review and approve rate changes, prohibiting “excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory” rates.

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