Strengthening environmental protections for Illinoisans

The following letter to the editor by ITLA President Timothy J. Cavanagh was published in the Chicago Sun-Times on July 6, 2025.

Strengthening environmental protections for Illinoisans

While the Trump administration rolls back environmental protections, weakens worker rights, restricts access to healthcare, and attacks individual freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, Illinois is fighting back.

Gov. JB Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul have led a vigorous defense of Illinoisans — challenging unconstitutional federal funding cuts, defending veterans, protecting immigrants, preserving access to gender-affirming care, and standing up for diversity, equity and inclusion.

The governor and the General Assembly also have recruited companies to the state and pursued an economic growth agenda that proves it’s possible to be pro-business, pro-labor, pro-environment and pro-public health.

Senate Bill 328, recently approved by the General Assembly and awaiting Gov. Pritzker’s consideration, is part of the ongoing effort to level the playing field for everyday Illinoisans and stands in sharp contrast to the political dysfunction of Washington, D.C., where the prerogatives of the powerful and privileged are all that matters. This targeted legislative measure empowers Illinois residents harmed by toxic substances to pursue full accountability — including from out-of-state companies that do business in Illinois.

The bill offers an additional measure of protection for people exposed to toxic substances like asbestos, benzyne or vinyl chloride and suffer serious illness or death. They deserve the opportunity to seek justice in our courts from the businesses responsible, no matter where those companies are located. Under current state law, businesses that aren’t headquartered here can evade responsibility for their negligence.

Support for SB 328 is broad and credible. It includes labor unions represented by the Illinois AFL-CIO, Citizen Action Illinois, the state’s largest public interest organization, and environmental advocates coordinated through the Illinois Environmental Council. These groups may not always agree, but they stand united here because protecting people from toxic harm is a shared top priority for those advocating on behalf of workers, consumers and the environment.

The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association urges Gov. Pritzker to sign SB 328 into law and send the clear message that while Washington tips the scales of justice towards the wealthy and powerful, Illinois will do what’s within its power to tip them back.

Timothy J. Cavanagh
President, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association