As we enter the fall and soon head into veto session, I’ve been reflecting on some of the initiatives we passed in the General Assembly this spring, and were signed into law this summer. This year, we made major progress in education at all levels, protecting women’s health, solutions for the current affordability crisis, and more. Lost in the shuffle of all of this important legislation was our efforts to ensure public safety, from the workplace to online AI usage.

Last year, I passed legislation to make warehouses safer after the Amazon warehouse tragedy in Edwardsville, resulting in six deaths and four injuries. This original legislation required weather emergency plans to be created and enforced, and for more frequent building inspections to take place. This spring, we passed House Bill 4654 to clarify the certification requirements for building inspectors so that warehouses can be inspected by the right professional with the right certification.

A new but crucial safety issue across Illinois is electronic, gas-powered, and motor-driven bikes — typically called “e-bikes.” Until now, there have not been statewide standards and regulations of e-bike use, resulting in loss of life and injury to bikers around the state. Senate Bill 3484 was developed with the Secretary of State’s office to require high-speed e-bike registration and guidelines to prevent more tragedies due to e-bike accidents.

I was proud to collaborate with representatives across the aisle to pass House Bill 4654, which expands existing legislation requiring human trafficking resources to be posted. In many cases of human trafficking, victims are often closely watched and may only find themselves alone in a bathroom in or around a roadside stop for a few short minutes. This law will ensure human trafficking notices and resources are available in private settings to possible victims by requiring human trafficking resources to explicitly be posted in bathrooms.

Artificial intelligence has quickly become a top concern for all Illinoisans. While AI can be useful for some purposes, taking and summarizing notes at a doctor’s appointment for example, it can also be harmful to the planet and to people, causing many young people to take their own lives. Under Senate Bill 315, the AI Safety Measures Act, large AI companies would be required to implement comprehensive frameworks for transparency and harm reduction based on independent third-party reports.

We accomplished several initiatives supporting our military, including my Senate Bill 2727 ensuring active duty military members can continue pursuing a higher education after returning from their service. Additionally, we passed Senate Bill 3926 to strengthen suicide prevention resources. The Breakthrough Therapies for Veteran Suicide Prevention Program Advisory Council will be moved to the Illinois Department of Public Health to ensure there is more funding and support available to the council.

We also passed legislation protecting mental healthcare access for first responders. House Bill 4842 expands existing protections under the First Responders Suicide Prevention Act to apply to group or individual counseling and peer advisors. By strengthening confidentiality protections to different avenues of mental health support, first responders will feel more confident their mental health services will remain private, so long as they are not posing a threat to themselves or anyone else.

As I reflect on a largely successful spring session, I look forward to continuing to make our community’s voices heard in Springfield this fall. It’s truly an honor to fight for the Metro East on the House floor, making sure our concerns are considered and needs are met.

State Rep. Katie Stuart represents the 112th District that includes Edwardsville and Glen Carbon. She can be reached at repkatiestuart@gmail.com.