ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½’s Environmental Right Repository
 Article I section 19
[Environmental rights] §19. Environmental rights. Each person shall have a right to clean air and water, and a healthful environment. (Added by vote of the people November 2, 2021.)

History of the Amendment
In November 2021, 70% of ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ers voted to enshrine environmental rights in the Bill of Rights of the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ State Constitution. These rights augment the commitments already set forth in Article XIV, the Conservation provisions of the Constitution, which have provided great protection for ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½â€™s cherished forest preserve.
The Pace ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Environmental Rights Repository provides a resource to advocates, litigators, courts and scholars seeking to interpret, apply, and understand Article I section 19. It houses documents relating to amendment’s legislative history; briefs and decisions in cases implicating the Article I, section 19; materials shedding light on the public context in which the amendment was adopted; and relevant legal scholarship.
RESOURCES
Legislative History
A collection of documents, including bill text and sponsor memos, generated by the Senate and Assembly during the passage of the legislation forming the basis for the addition of the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Environmental Right to the November 2021 ballot. Materials, such as sponsor memos, floor transcripts, and voting rolls, as well as letters in support and opposition to the Amendment from ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ interest groups are also provided. Â
Cases
A compilation of cases and claims raising the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Environmental Right in legal proceedings in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½, including state and federal court cases and administrative proceedings.

Public Context – COMING SOON
When in interpreting constitutional amendments, ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ courts consider what voters had in mind when they went to the polls and contemporary events that provide context to understand the cause or necessity for the amendment’s adoption.