South Cook News

Abdelnasser Rashid introduced HB2955 in the Illinois House on Feb. 5, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Creates the PFAS Wastewater Citizen Protection Act. Creates the PFAS Wastewater Citizen Protection Committee for specific purposes. Provides that the Committee shall submit a PFAS Action Plan to the Governor's Office, the General Assembly, and the Environmental Protection Agency no later than one year after the effective date of the Act. Provides that the Committee shall continue to periodically meet and shall annually update the PFAS Action Plan and submit annual reports with certain requirements. Provides for membership of the Committee. Provides that the Prairie Research Institute's Illinois Sustainable Technology Center shall provide technical assistance to the Committee. Makes findings and declares policy. Defines terms. Provides that the Act is repealed on December 31, 2044. Effective immediately."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill, titled the PFAS Wastewater Citizen Protection Act, seeks to address the presence and impact of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in wastewater treatment systems in Illinois. It mandates the establishment of the PFAS Wastewater Citizen Protection Committee within the state's Environmental Protection Agency to monitor developments and review data on PFAS, assess elimination and mitigation technology costs, and propose policy changes. The bill emphasizes that manufacturers of PFAS should bear the responsibility for costs and liabilities related to PFAS mitigation. The committee is tasked with submitting a PFAS Action Plan within one year of the bill's enactment and providing yearly updates. The bill is effective immediately upon becoming law and is set to be repealed on Dec. 31, 2044.

Abdelnasser Rashid has proposed another 10 bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Rashid graduated from Harvard University in 2011 with a BS and again in 2022 from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Abdelnasser Rashid is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 21st House District. He replaced previous state representative Edgar Gonzalez Jr. in 2023.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
HB2955	02/05/2025	Creates the PFAS Wastewater Citizen Protection Act. Creates the PFAS Wastewater Citizen Protection Committee for specific purposes. Provides that the Committee shall submit a PFAS Action Plan to the Governor's Office, the General Assembly, and the Environmental Protection Agency no later than one year after the effective date of the Act. Provides that the Committee shall continue to periodically meet and shall annually update the PFAS Action Plan and submit annual reports with certain requirements. Provides for membership of the Committee. Provides that the Prairie Research Institute's Illinois Sustainable Technology Center shall provide technical assistance to the Committee. Makes findings and declares policy. Defines terms. Provides that the Act is repealed on December 31, 2044. Effective immediately.
HB2723	02/05/2025	Amends the General Provisions Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Removes provisions requiring the Illinois Investment Policy Board to include companies that boycott Israel in its list of restricted companies. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.
HB2954	02/05/2025	Creates the Taxpayer Relief from Ubiquitous Synthetic Toxics (TRUST) Act. Creates the PFAS Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Provides that the Fund shall include settlements from enforcement actions brought by the Attorney General, as well as other moneys. Provides for a PFAS Grant Program funded by the PFAS Fund to cover PFAS-related costs of eligible entities as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency. Provides for a PFAS Reimbursement Program funded by the PFAS Fund to cover PFAS-related costs of eligible entities as determined by the Agency. Provides rules for payments of reimbursements or grant awards. Provides that the Agency shall administer the Act and adopt rules. Provides for enforcement of the Act. Creates a tax on manufacturing PFAS. Provides that the Agency shall propose to the Pollution Control Board, and no later than one year after receipt of the Agency's proposal, the Board shall adopt, rules specifying which PFAS chemicals are subject to the tax and the applicable rate for each PFAS chemical determined to be subject to the tax. Provides for a manufacturer to file a return with the Department of Revenue, with certain requirements. Provides that the Department shall administer the tax and adopt rules. Provides that moneys collected under the tax shall be deposited into the PFAS Fund. Provides that final Agency decisions made under the PFAS Reimbursement Program shall be subject to review in the same manner as appeals of permit denial under provisions in the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that all other final administrative decisions made under the Act are subject to review in accordance with the Administrative Review Law. States the purpose of the Act. Defines terms. Makes conforming changes to the State Finance Act. Effective immediately.
HB2650	02/04/2025	Amends the Unemployment Insurance Act. Provides that an individual shall be eligible for benefits (rather than ineligible for benefits) for any week with respect to which it is found that the individual's total or partial unemployment is due to a stoppage of work which exists because of a labor dispute at the factory, establishment, or other premises at which he is or was last employed. Makes conforming changes.
HB2655	02/04/2025	Amends the Board of Higher Education Act. Requires the Board of Higher Education to prepare and submit to the General Assembly a report on the state of artificial intelligence education and development in public and private institutions of higher education. Sets forth what information the report must contain. Repeals the provisions 2 years after the effective date of the amendatory Act.
HB2516	02/03/2025	Amends the PFAS Reduction Act. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2026, a person may not sell, offer for sale, or distribute for sale in this State the following products if the product contains intentionally added PFAS: (1) cookware, (2) cosmetics, (3) dental floss, (4) juvenile products, (5) menstrual products, (6) intimate apparel, or (7) food packaging or food contact products. Defines terms.
HB1859	01/29/2025	Amends the Public Community College Act. Provides that the board of trustees of a community college district shall require the primary instructor of a course to meet specified qualifications set forth in the Illinois Administrative Code and any other applicable rules adopted by the Illinois Community College Board. Provides that a course may not, in lieu of a primary instructor, use artificial intelligence or a generative artificial intelligence program.
HB1860	01/29/2025	Amends the Election Code. Provides that a person shall not distribute, or enter into an agreement with another person to distribute, materially deceptive media if: (1) the person knows the media falsely represents a depicted individual; (2) the distribution occurs within 90 days before an election; (3) the person intends the distribution to harm the reputation or electoral prospects of a candidate in an election or otherwise deceive voters; and (4) the person intends the distribution to change the voting behavior of electors in an election by deceiving the electors into incorrectly believing that the depicted individual in fact engaged in the speech or conduct depicted, and the distribution is reasonably likely to cause that result. Sets forth exceptions to the provision and penalties for violations of the provision. Effective immediately.
HB1621	01/23/2025	Amends the Election Code. Provides that it is unlawful for any public utility to make a campaign contribution to any candidate for State office or political committee organized to support any candidate for State office. Provides that it is unlawful for any water or sewer utility to make a campaign contribution to any candidate for municipal or State office or a political committee organized to support any candidate for municipal or State office. Defines terms.
HB1631	01/23/2025	Amends the Department of Innovation and Technology Act. Repeals the definition of "client agency" and makes changes in the definitions of "dedicated unit", "State agency", and "transferring agency". Replaces references to "transferring agency" with references to "transferred agency". Makes changes in provisions concerning the powers and duties of the Department of Innovation and Technology, including changes in the scope of services provided by the Department and in the classes of persons to whom those services are to be provided. Authorizes the Department to charge fees for service to all State agencies under the jurisdiction of the Governor (rather than only client agencies). Repeals from the Department of Innovation and Technology Act and adds to the Illinois Information Security Improvement Act a provision requiring the principal executive officer of specified units of local government to designate a local official or employee as the primary point of contact for local cybersecurity issues. Requires the name and contact information for the specified individual to be provided to the Statewide Chief Information Security Officer. Further amends the Illinois Information Security Improvement Act. Makes changes concerning the duties of the Office of the Statewide Chief Information Security Officer and the Secretary of Innovation and Technology. Changes the definition of "State agency".
HB1632	01/23/2025	Amends the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. In provisions regarding the acceptance and distribution of electronic records and electronic signatures by governmental agencies, provides that, to the extent that a governmental agency uses electronic records and electronic signatures, the governmental agency (rather than the Department of Innovation and Technology and the Secretary of State) may specify (rather than shall adopt rules specifying) the required format and attributes of the electronic records and electronic signatures and the specific processes and procedures governing their use. Authorizes the Secretary of State and the Department of Innovation and Technology to adopt rules setting forth minimum requirements concerning the required format and attributes of electronic records and electronic signatures and the processes and procedures governing their use. Provides that the rules adopted by the Secretary of State shall apply only with respect to the Secretary of State. Further provides that the rules adopted by the Department of Innovation and Technology shall apply only with respect to client agencies, as that term is defined in the Department of Innovation and Technology Act.