Every year, state Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) has dozens of residents from communities throughout the area come to him with ideas for legislation. This year, two of the measures he introduced on behalf of Oak Park residents cleared the Illinois Senate and are now up for debate in the House of Representatives.

One was inspired by senior citizen homeowners and Ali El Saffar, the Oak Park Township Assessor, who met with the Senator in his Oak Park office. The proposal establishes a floor, or minimum benefit, in the so-called “senior freeze” tax program. The senior freeze is designed to mitigate the impact of rising property taxes on low income seniors living on fixed incomes. However, in recent years and in the face of fluctuating real estate values, it has not worked as intended.

“Oak Park senior citizens came to my office, concerned that their taxes were increasing dramatically and that they were getting little or no savings from the senior freeze,” El Saffar explained. “This conversation gave rise to an idea that all seniors eligible for the freeze should receive some savings from the program. Working with Senator Harmon, we gathered support and put together data demonstrating the impact of our minimum freeze proposal on the tax base. I am pleased that the Illinois Senate has overwhelmingly passed this bill, and hope that the House will soon follow suit.”

The other legislation is meant to benefit Illinois residents who are concerned about pesticides. Many families try to keep their children and pets inside whenever their neighbors treat their lawns. Illinois law requires professional pesticide applicators to post notices on one front corner of their clients’ lawns. Neighbors whose properties meet along back boundaries have no way to know when lawn care services have put down dangerous substances.

Harmon’s proposal requires lawn care professionals to post notice along rear boundaries as well as front boundaries. Harmon’s proposal requires lawn care professionals to post notice visible from every entryway to the treated lawn, including backyard entrances.

It also requires that stiff, plastic signs be used for notification rather than the current plastic flags, which can be hard to read. Lastly, it increases penalties on lawn care companies that fail to provide advance notice of treatment to those neighbors who have specifically requested to know ahead of time.

“I am thrilled that Senator Don Harmon was successful in winning Senate approval for increased notification of pesticide use,” said Peggy McGrath, who brought the idea to Harmon. “In the continuing efforts to raise awareness of environmental toxins and the potential health impacts of pesticides, families have a right to know what chemicals are used in their own neighborhoods and on lawns near their homes. This bill is a hopeful sign that the future will be safer for all our children.”

Ms. McGrath is a board member of the Midwest Pesticide Action Center who also serves on the Greening Advisory Committee for the Park District of Oak Park.

The senior citizens assessment freeze legislation is Senate Bill 1906. The pesticide measure is Senate Bill 1626.