Earlier this year, Illinois lawmakers passed legislation to improve the pesticide applicator licensing process, and on Friday, Gov. JB Pritzker signed it into law.
An initiative of the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association (IFCA), the bill passed the Illinois Senate 50-4 and the state house 116-0.
Set to begin for the fall of 2027, the Illinois Department of Agriculture will adopt a continuing education credits (CECs) program for pesticide applicators meaning current valid license holders can renew their license with CEC credits.
“IFCA would like to thank Gov. Pritzker for signing SB783 into law,” said Kevin Johnson, president of the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association in its newsletter alert. “IFCA has always believed Illinois should utilize continuing education as an option to maintain an individual’s pesticide license.”
Johnson adds how continuing CEC is the best format for pesticide applicators to stay up to date, and it’s widely used by other midwestern states.
And he notes while the new process will slightly increase the pesticide applicator license fee in order for the Illinois Department of Ag to implement the program, the improvements to the process will be valuable to all stakeholders.
“We are excited for this new opportunity for members to recertify but want to stress that there are many moving parts behind the scenes in the creation of this new program and that it will take some time to get off the ground. We will continue to inform membership of the timeline of when continuous education credits will be rolled out as we move forward,” Johnson said.
