Gov. Pritzker Signs Rashid Bill Confronting Cancer-Causing “Forever Chemicals” in Illinois Wastewater

CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker signed into law on Friday legislation from Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid (D-Bridgeview) that would create the PFAS Wastewater Citizen Protection Committee to protect Illinois’ water from dangerous long-lasting chemicals.

HB 2955 tasks the committee with developing a PFAS Action Plan to address the monitoring, mitigation, and elimination of PFAS in the state’s wastewater systems, and with identifying how to pay for that work so the costs also fall on the manufacturers that produce PFAS rather than on just wastewater agencies, taxpayers, and ratepayers. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are widely used, break down slowly, and contaminate water and soil, making them an ongoing risk to Illinois communities.

Rep. Rashid released the following statement on the Governor signing this critical bill into law:

“I’m proud Governor Pritzker signed this vital legislation into law. Access to safe, clean water is a basic human right that we have a duty to protect.

“For decades, corporations have used our water systems as a dumping ground –  poisoning the water our families depend on with cancer-causing chemicals and leaving local communities to foot the bill for the cleanup.

“That ends today. This law creates a science-based, coordinated plan to protect our communities’ access to safe, clean water and hold polluters accountable.” – Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid

The signing of HB 2955 comes one year after the landmark passage of HB 2516, which made Illinois one of the first states to ban the sale of a broad range of consumer products containing PFAS. HB 2516, also sponsored by Rep. Rashid, was signed into law by Governor Pritzker in 2025.