North Cook News

Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz introduced HB1738 in the Illinois House on Jan. 24, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934. Requires a bar to offer for sale or provide to the bar's customers drug testing devices at a cost not to exceed a reasonable amount based on the wholesale cost of the devices or free of charge. Provides that the owner or owners of a bar shall not be held liable, either criminally or civilly, for a defective test or inaccurate test result, including a false positive or false negative test result. Requires the owner or owners of a bar to ensure that all testing devices offered to customers have not exceeded their expiration date or recommended period of use, according to the product label or product packaging or as otherwise recommended by the manufacturer. Requires the Illinois Liquor Control Commission to post on its website information about the requirements, including, but not limited to, the signage that is required to be posted and the types of drug testing devices that are required to be available. Authorizes rulemaking."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934 to require bars in Illinois to offer drug testing devices for customers to detect controlled substances in drinks, either at a reasonable price or free of charge. The bill defines "bar" as an establishment primarily serving alcohol with no more than 10% of revenue from food sales. Bars must post a notice about the availability of drug testing kits and ensure the devices are used within their expiration dates, as per manufacturer recommendations. Bar owners are not liable for defective or inaccurate test results. Additionally, the Illinois Liquor Control Commission must provide information on its website regarding the requirements, including necessary signage and available device types, and is authorized to adopt rules to enforce these requirements.

Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz has proposed another two bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Gong-Gershowitz graduated from Indiana University in 1991 with a BA and again in 1996 from Loyola University School of Law at Chicago with a JD.

Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 17th House District. She replaced previous state representative Laura Fine in 2019.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
HB1738	01/24/2025	Amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934. Requires a bar to offer for sale or provide to the bar's customers drug testing devices at a cost not to exceed a reasonable amount based on the wholesale cost of the devices or free of charge. Provides that the owner or owners of a bar shall not be held liable, either criminally or civilly, for a defective test or inaccurate test result, including a false positive or false negative test result. Requires the owner or owners of a bar to ensure that all testing devices offered to customers have not exceeded their expiration date or recommended period of use, according to the product label or product packaging or as otherwise recommended by the manufacturer. Requires the Illinois Liquor Control Commission to post on its website information about the requirements, including, but not limited to, the signage that is required to be posted and the types of drug testing devices that are required to be available. Authorizes rulemaking.
HB1600	01/22/2025	Amends the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Provides that a full-service restaurant or quick-service restaurant shall not provide single-use plastic disposable foodware items to a consumer ordering or purchasing dine-in food unless requested by the consumer and that plastic drinking straws must be provided when specifically requested. Provides that single-use plastic disposable foodware items that are provided may not be packaged in plastic. Provides that a food dispensing establishment or takeout food delivery service must provide options for a customer to request disposable foodware items separate from the customer's order, with certain requirements. Provides that a full-service restaurant or quick-service restaurant offering condiments may use dispensers rather than prepackaged disposable condiment packets. Provides that a full-service restaurant or quick-service restaurant must post a sign indicating that single-use plastic disposable foodware will be made available upon request or at a self serve station. Provides that a full-service restaurant or quick-service restaurant may make single-use plastic straws available to customers ordering or purchasing dine-in food by making available dispensers or certain other means if a sign is posted encouraging the reduction of the use single-use plastics. Provides for a civil penalty of $25, after a first notice of violation, for each day a full-service restaurant or quick-service restaurant is in violation, paid to the Department of Public Health. Defines terms. Effective January 1, 2026.
HB1374	01/15/2025	Amends the School Code. In provisions concerning health examinations and immunizations, requires questions on the safe storage of firearms in a child's home to be included as a part of each health examination. Requires the Department of Public Health to develop rules and appropriate revisions to the child health examination form to implement this requirement.