Chicago Tribune - March 18, 2016 | Original article

By Tribune news service

A new bill proposing a special Illinois license plate to help preserve the monarch butterfly has been proposed in the Illinois state Senate.

The plan by state Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake, is to allow motorists to pay a surcharge for stickers to indicate their support for the monarch, the offical insect of Illinois.

The monarch population in Illinois has decreased 90 percent in the past two decades because of changes in habitat.
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Take a look at some of Illinois' state symbols, as identified on the state's official website.

Bush says monarchs need milkweed plants to lay eggs and feed. Interstate highway medians could be developed with the plant so the butterfly could visit the milkweeds with little outside distraction.

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SPRINGFIELD — To put an end to an unavoidable tax that unfairly singles out women, State Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake, put forth legislation that would end the tax on feminine hygienic products like tampons.

“Items like tampons and sanitary napkins are taxed as luxury items, but all women know that periods are not a luxury,” Bush said. “We always talk about making frugal financial decisions, but this ‘pink tax’ unfairly targets women for a product they are literally biologically incapable of avoiding.”

The proposal, which a Senate committee approved today, would also repeal taxes on adult diapers. Illinoisans spend an estimated $14.7 million annually on the products affected by the proposal, according to the Illinois Committee on Government Forecasting and Accountability.

The legislation is Senate Bill 2746. It moves to the full Senate for consideration.