Public Act 103-0062—Protecting Farmworkers from Pesticide Exposure
In 2019, at least 27 farmworkers were sprayed with pesticides while working in cornfields in Dewitt County, Illinois. Together with the Environmental Law & Policy Center and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, our partner organization, Legal Aid Chicago, filed a federal lawsuit against Pioneer Hi-Bred, its corporate parent Corteva Inc., and aerial applicator companies. The law, however, authorized the Department of Agriculture to impose a total fine of only $750 for the defendants’ violations.
Together with ELPC and Illinois Environmental Council, we worked on a legislative solution. Public Act 103-0062, which was sponsored by State Senator Katrina Villa and Representative Dagmara Avelar, imposes special penalties for spraying pesticides on human beings.
The Department of Agriculture can now impose a fine for as much as $1,250 per person, depending on the number of affected individuals. Had this legislation been in place at the time of the DeWitt incident, the Department could have imposed a fine of more than $33,000.
Court Access, Safety, and Participation Act (CASPA)
Together with civil rights and immigrants’ advocates, we advocated for the passage of his legislation, which was sponsored by Senator Celina Villanueva Governor and signed into law in December 2025. The Act bans civil arrests—including federal immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant—within, on the way to, or returning from any state courthouse. When Illinois residents do not go to court for fear of being detained, the consequences are enormous—D.V. survivors do not seek orders of protection, witnesses do not testify, and injuries are not redressed.
CASPA creates a civil cause of action for wrongful arrest or detention in violation of the statute and allows injured individuals to recover actual damages, statutory damages, and attorneys’ fees when the offending party knew or should have known the person was protected under the Act.
