Illinois Rep. Stephens’s park district assessment waiver bill passes House and Senate

Newly passed bill authored by State Rep. Brad Stephens aims to let park district boards waive unpaid assessment requirements before landowners petition to disconnect border territory, following House and Senate approval, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

In the House, 74 Democrats and 37 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while one Democrat opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 40 Democrats and 19 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Stephens introduced the bill in the Illinois House on Feb. 6, 2026 during the 104th session.

The legislation, known as HB5542, was passed on May 21, 2026 during the general assembly session 104.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill’s official text as follows: “Amends the Park District Code. Provides that, prior to the submission of a petition to separate territory from a park district, the governing board of the park district may, at its discretion, adopt, by ordinance, a determination to waive the full payment of any unpaid park district assessments outstanding at the time the petition is submitted. Specifies that, if this waiver is adopted by park district ordinance, the county clerk or county clerks shall certify the petition for disconnection of the property identified in the petition without requiring the payment of any assessments that have been waived.”

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Park District Code to let a park district’s governing board, by ordinance, waive the requirement that all unpaid park district assessments be paid before landowners petition to disconnect border territory from the district. Current law generally requires a county clerk’s certificate showing all assessments are paid before a disconnection petition is considered. Under the bill, if the board adopts a waiver ordinance, county clerks must certify the petition and the park district may approve disconnection of the specified property without collecting the waived assessments.

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Laura M. Murphy (Democrat-28th District) and Sen. Robert F. Martwick (Democrat-10th District).

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Stephens, a Republican, was elected to the Illinois State House in 2019 to represent the state’s 20th House District, replacing previous state representative Michael P. McAuliffe.

Lawmakers listed as “Excused Absence” had formally informed leadership of their inability to attend the vote, often due to health or personal circumstances.