Biography

State Senator Laura Ellman was elected to serve in the Illinois General Assembly in November of 2018. The district she serves includes parts of Bolingbrook, Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Lisle, Lombard, Naperville, Wheaton and Warrenville. Senator Ellman currently serves on a number of committees, including Agriculture; Appropriations, Chairperson of Environment and Conservation; Vice-Chairperson of Financial Institutions; Transportation and Veterans Affairs. 

Senator Ellman has a love for learning and solving problems. She was the first child to go to college in both her parents’ families. After graduating from Grinnell College with a degree in mathematics, she earned a masters’ degree in applied statistics at the University of Iowa. As an assessor at a National Laboratory, Senator Ellman knows what it takes to solve complex problems. Professionally, she has more than 25 years of experience working in manufacturing and engineering and dealing with regulations and policies. She has also been active in her community through her work on the Naperville Fair Housing Commission, Toastmasters, and as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, Feed My Starving Children, and as an ESL tutor.

Senator Ellman currently lives in Naperville with her husband Pete, a musician and small business owner, and is proud of their two college students – Lizzie and Barrett. In addition to amateur woodworking and home improvement projects, Senator Ellman enjoys sports—she’s been playing basketball every week for over twenty years, participates in triathlons, and ran a marathon (one was enough!).

After a successful first year in office, Senator Ellman planned to continue her work on important legislation to protect the environment and expand access to education in 2020. One of Senator Ellman’s first pieces of legislation for the 2020 spring session was a measure that repealed the Railroad Intoxicating Liquor Act of 1911, which prohibits drinking alcohol on trains, around train stations and gives conductors the ability to arrest violators and charge them with a Class C misdemeanor. This law hasn’t been enforced since the 1920s, during prohibition. 

Unfortunately, shortly after the Senate wrapped up session in February 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic derailed Senator Ellman and the rest of the Senate’s legislative priorities for the 2020 spring session. Though disappointed with the outcome of her second legislative session, Senator Ellman knew her job was to serve the residents of the district she represents in a time of international crisis.

As spring began to draw to a close, Senator Ellman, along with her fellow lawmakers returned to the Capitol in Springfield to pass the state’s FY 21 budget.  

Although Senator Ellman remained proud of the work she and colleagues accomplished in a compressed amount of time. She understood that there was a lot of work that still needed to be done for the residents of Illinois. She and her staff continued their hard work to ensure residents in the 21st district had access to the information and resources they needed to help guide them through an uncertain time.

During her third year in office, Senator Ellman worked to establish Illinois as a leader in a regional hydrogen hub by establishing the Hydrogen Economy Task Force, combated the opioid epidemic by making overdose reversal drugs more accessible, and established Dolostone as Illinois’ official state rock other measures. 

Senator Ellman hopes to advance legislation related strengthening the Hydrogen Economy in Illinois during her upcoming fourth term serving the Illinois’ 21st Senate District.

Senator Ellman invites you to reach out to her staff at any time to express your opinion on state issues, for assistance dealing with a state agency, and with any questions about state government.