Illinois House and Senate pass Rohr's bill on paper coupon availability

The bill spearheaded by State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr is set to provide consumers with access to paper coupons in grocery stores, responding to concerns about accessibility for individuals without digital options, as indicated by the Illinois General Assembly.

In the House, 71 Democrats and 34 Republicans supported the measure.

In the Senate, the bill received votes from 39 Democrats and 17 Republicans in favor.

Rohr filed the proposed legislation in the Illinois House on Jan. 9, 2025, during the 104th session.

The act, identified as HB0045, cleared the legislature on May 20, 2026, during the 104th general assembly session.

The Illinois General Assembly summarized the bill: "Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Provides that a grocery store that offers a digital coupon to consumers shall make available a corresponding paper coupon of equal value. Provides that the paper coupons shall be easily accessible at the service desk and may also be placed in other locations around the store. Provides that a grocery store that violates the requirement commits an unlawful practice within the meaning of the Act."

Outlined below is an analysis based on the actual text of the bill and includes clarification where needed.

Overall, the measure amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act by mandating grocery stores that offer digital coupons to also provide paper coupons of equal value. Paper coupons must be easy for customers to access at the service desk and possibly other store areas. Breaching this requirement constitutes unlawful practice under the Act and aims to guarantee coupon accessibility for all, even those unable to access digital formats.

Key sponsors of the legislation included Rep. Aarón M. Ortíz (Democrat-1st District), Rep. Camille Y. Lilly (Democrat-78th District), and Rep. Carol Ammons (Democrat-103rd District), joined by 36 additional sponsors.

In Illinois, bills move through a multi-step legislative process starting with introduction in either chamber, followed by committee consideration, debate, and votes before being presented to the governor, who may sign or veto proposed laws. The General Assembly meets biennially; while many bills are introduced, relatively few make it through to become law.

Additional information on legislation and related matters is available here.

Rohr earned a BA from Northwestern University in 2002 and her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2010.

The Democrat began serving in the Illinois State House in 2021, representing the 41st House District after succeeding Grant Wehrli.

Legislators listed as "Not Voting" attended the session but chose not to cast a vote. Those marked "Excused Absence" were not present and received approval for their absence.