The new bill, authored by State Sen. Chris Balkema in the Illinois Senate, aims to support educational infrastructure improvements for the district’s schools, according to Balkema, according to the Illinois State Senate.
The bill, introduced as SB4186 on April 14, 2026, during the general assembly session 104, was summarized by the state legislature as follows: “Appropriates $16,500,000 from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Iroquois County Community Unit School District #9 for costs associated with facility additions and upgrades.”
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill appropriates $16.5 million from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to provide a grant to Iroquois County Community Unit School District 9 for the costs of facility additions and upgrades. The funding may be used in full or in part as needed to support construction, expansion or improvement projects for the district’s school facilities. The bill appears intended to enhance educational infrastructure in the district by financing capital improvements. The act takes effect July 1, 2026.
Balkema has proposed another 59 bills since the beginning of the 104th session, both of them being adopted.
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.
Balkema graduated from Taylor University in 1993 with a BS.
Balkema, a Republican, was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 2025 to represent the state’s 53rd Senate District, replacing previous state senator Thomas M. Bennett.
Bills Introduced by Chris Balkema in Illinois Senate During General Assembly Session 104
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| SB4186 | 04/14/2026 | Appropriates $16,500,000 from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to Iroquois County Community Unit School District #9 for costs associated with facility additions and upgrades. |
| SB3936 | 02/06/2026 | Amends the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act. Makes changes to defined terms. Replaces references to Primary Stroke Centers with Stroke Centers. Provides that a hospital that no longer meets nationally recognized, evidence-based standards for Stroke Centers, loses its Stroke Center certification, or has any change to its designation level shall notify the Department of Public Health and the Regional EMS Advisory Committee within 5 business days. Requires the Department to consult with the State Stroke Advisory Subcommittee for the adoption or deletion of approved stroke designation levels. Provides that the approved stroke designation levels shall coincide with the stroke designation levels recognized by Department-approved certifying bodies. Requires the Department to establish reporting requirements for designated Stroke Centers to capture information using new or existing electronic reporting tools for statewide data collection and certification purposes. Removes provisions concerning previous Stroke Center designations. Makes other changes. |
| SB3937 | 02/06/2026 | Amends the End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act. Provides that, when a death has occurred in accordance with the Act, the death shall be attributed to both the underlying terminal disease and medical aid in dying pursuant to the Act (rather than only the underlying terminal disease). Requires medical aid in dying pursuant to the Act shall be listed on the death certificate of a qualified patient who obtained and self-administered a prescription for medication pursuant to the Act. |
| SB3938 | 02/06/2026 | Amends the Property Tax Code. Creates the Site Value Tax Law within the Property Tax Code. Provides that each taxing district may, by ordinance, levy a site value tax upon the assessed value of land within the taxing district. Provides that “assessed value” means 33 1/3% of the fair cash value of the land, without regard to buildings, structures, improvements, or other permanent fixtures on the land, except for the value of oil, gas, coal, and other minerals in the land and the right to remove such oil, gas, coal, and other minerals from the land. Contains provisions concerning enforcement and collection. Effective immediately. |
| SB3610 | 02/05/2026 | Amends the Governmental Account Audit Act. Provides that, beginning in fiscal year 2027, any governmental unit receiving revenue of less than $1,500,000 (rather than $850,000) in the immediately preceding fiscal year shall, in lieu of causing an annual audit of the accounts of the unit to be made, either (i) cause an audit of the accounts of the unit to be made once every 4 years and file with the Comptroller an annual financial report containing information required by the Comptroller or (ii) file with the Comptroller an annual financial report containing information required by the Comptroller, a copy of which has been provided to each member of that governmental unit’s board of elected officials, presented either in person or by a live phone or web connection during a public meeting, and approved by a 3/5 majority vote. Provides that, beginning in fiscal year 2028, governmental units receiving revenue of $1,500,000 or more (rather than $850,000) in the immediately preceding fiscal year shall, in addition to complying with the requirements for audits and audit reports, file with the Comptroller the financial report and immediately make one copy of the audit report and one copy of the financial report a part of its public record as required by the Act. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately. |
| SB3619 | 02/05/2026 | Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates an income tax credit for a qualified employer who makes a qualified contribution toward a health reimbursement arrangement for the qualified taxpayer’s employees. Provides that the amount of the credit is $400 per covered employee in the first taxable year and $200 per covered employee in the second taxable year. Effective immediately. |
| SB3620 | 02/05/2026 | Amends the Regulatory Sunset Act. Changes the repeal date of the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Repairer Regulation Act and the Petroleum Equipment Contractors Licensing Act from January 1, 2027 to January 1, 2032. Effective immediately. |
| SB3651 | 02/05/2026 | Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Provides that an applicant for a Substitute Teaching License who holds a valid paraprofessional educator endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations and who has been working in the capacity of a paraprofessional in this State for a minimum of 5 school years does not need to hold a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education or be enrolled in an approved educator preparation program in this State and have earned at least 90 credit hours to be issued a Substitute Teaching License. |
| SB3790 | 02/05/2026 | Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers’ Occupation Tax Act. Reinstates the exemption for the use or sale of tangible personal property purchased from an Illinois retailer by a taxpayer engaged in centralized purchasing activities in Illinois. Provides that the exemption is repealed on June 30, 2031 (currently, June 30, 2016). Effective immediately. |
| SB3430 | 02/04/2026 | Amends the Downstate Police, Downstate Firefighter, Chicago Police, Chicago Firefighter, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), Chicago Municipal, and Chicago Laborers Articles of the Illinois Pension Code. Establishes an accelerated pension benefit payment in lieu of any pension benefit under which an eligible person may elect to receive an amount determined by the Fund to be equal to 60% of the present value of his or her pension benefits in lieu of receiving any pension benefit. Establishes an accelerated pension benefit payment for a reduction in annual retirement annuity and survivor’s annuity increases, as applicable, under which a Tier 1 member may elect to receive an accelerated pension benefit payment equal to 70% of the difference of the present value of the automatic annual increases to a Tier 1 member’s retirement annuity and survivor’s annuity using the formula applicable to the Tier 1 member and the present value of the automatic annual increases to the Tier 1 member’s retirement annuity using a specified formula and survivor’s annuity using a specified formula. Amends the General Obligation Bond Act to authorize $700,000,000 to be sold to pay for the accelerated pension benefit payments. Provides that the Comptroller shall deduct the amount for the payment of principal and interest due on Local Pension Obligation Acceleration Bonds from any payment out of the Local Government Distributive Fund to the employer and shall pay the amount so deducted toward the principal and interest due on Local Pension Obligation Bonds. Amends the State Finance Act to make a conforming change. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately. |
| SB3431 | 02/04/2026 | Amends the Regulatory Sunset Act. Provides that, in the calendar year 2 years before a regulatory agency or program is scheduled for termination (rather than annually), the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget shall study the performance of each regulatory agency and program scheduled for termination under the Act and report to the Governor the results of the study. Requires the Governor to review the report of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget and, no later than December 1st of the year preceding the year of termination (rather than in each even-numbered year), make recommendations to the General Assembly on the termination, modification, or continuation of regulatory agencies and programs. |
| SB3281 | 02/03/2026 | Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that it is unlawful for any person to, without the consent of another person, operate an unmanned aerial vehicle in a manner that: (1) is intended to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to enter the space above or surrounding the other person’s occupied residence for the purpose of making a video record or transmitting live video or audio recordings of the other person while the other person is: (A) within his or her occupied residence; or (B) on the land or premises on which his or her occupied residence is located; and (2) invades the other person’s reasonable expectation of privacy. Provides that it is unlawful for the person to knowingly disseminate a video record or live video made in violation of these provisions. Defines “unmanned aerial vehicle”. Provides that a violation is a Class A misdemeanor. |
| SB3301 | 02/03/2026 | Amends the Courses of Study Article of the School Code. Provides that a school district is exempt from requiring pupils, beginning with the 2028-2029 school year, to complete 2 years of foreign language in order to graduate if the school district sends a written request to waive the requirement to the State Board of Education and includes evidence in the request that the school district does not have the employees necessary to provide 2 years of foreign language education to all pupils in secondary school within the school district. Provides that after receiving a written request from a school district, the State Superintendent of Education shall approve the request if the evidence included in the request is determined by the State Superintendent to be sufficient. Provides that a pupil is exempt from the 2-year foreign language requirement if the pupil or a school counselor, in consultation with the pupil, develops a postsecondary plan that is centered around postsecondary opportunities that do not include postsecondary education through an institution of higher education. Provides that the pupil or the school counselor shall send the postsecondary plan to the superintendent of the school district in order to be exempt from the 2-year foreign language requirement. Effective July 1, 2026. |
| SB3302 | 02/03/2026 | Creates the Racing Facility Protection Act. Provides that a person licensed under the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975 or any person that owns a motorsport racing facility that is authorized to conduct motorsport racing by a recognized national authority or a unit of local government may not be subject to a civil action brought by a surrounding property owner to the racing facility or racetrack for allegations of nuisance, taking, or other theory if the racing facility or racetrack was built before the surrounding real property owner either purchased the real property or built in the area of the racing facility or racetrack. |
| SB3303 | 02/03/2026 | Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Makes changes to the statement that must appear on a Firearm Owners Identification Card that qualifies for a photograph exemption. Provides that such a card shall have printed on it the following: “This card is valid for firearm purchases through a federally licensed firearms dealer when presented with photographic identification, such as a REAL ID compliant or standard State-issued driver’s license, a REAL ID compliant or standard State-issued identification card, or a United States passport.” Effective immediately. |
| SB3304 | 02/03/2026 | Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that upon verified petition by the State, the court shall hold a hearing and may deny a defendant pretrial release if the defendant is charged with any of the following offenses, and it is alleged that the defendant’s pretrial release poses a real and present threat to the safety of any person or persons or the community, based on the specific articulable facts of the case: (1) aggravated driving under the influence for a third or subsequent time; (2) manufacture or delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, an amount of a controlled or counterfeit substance, not otherwise specified in the statute, containing dihydrocodeine or classified in Schedule I or II, or an analog of those substances that is: (i) a narcotic drug, (ii) lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or an analog of those substances, (iii) any substance containing amphetamine or fentanyl or any salt or optical isomer of amphetamine or fentanyl, or an analog of those substances, or (iv) any substance containing N-Benzylpiperazine (BZP) or any salt or optical isomer of N-Benzylpiperazine (BZP), or an analog of those substances; or (3) possession of any amount of fentanyl. |
| SB3121 | 02/02/2026 | Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Repeals provisions concerning an addition modification related to the business interest deduction taken under specified provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Effective immediately. |
| SB3122 | 02/02/2026 | Amends the Biometric Information Privacy Act. Changes the definition of “biometric identifier”. Defines “biometric lock”, “biometric time clock”, “person”, and “security purpose”. Waives certain requirements for collecting, capturing, or otherwise obtaining a person’s or a customer’s biometric identifier or biometric information under certain circumstances relating to security purposes. Provides that nothing in the Act may be construed to apply to information captured by a biometric time clock or biometric lock that converts a person’s biometric identifier or biometric information to a mathematical representation. Provides that any person aggrieved by a violation of the Act may commence an action in State court or federal court within one year from its occurrence. Requires the aggrieved person to provide the private entity 30 days’ written notice identifying the specific provisions of the Act that have been violated. Provides the private entity 30 days to cure the noticed violation. Exempts a private entity if its employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement that provides for different policies regarding the retention, collection, disclosure, and destruction of biometric information. Effective immediately. |
| SB3243 | 02/02/2026 | Amends the Counties Code. Provides that any recorder may publish property assessment lists in a newspaper of general circulation in the county or on the county’s public-facing website. |
| SB3075 | 01/29/2026 | Amends the Illinois Pension Code. With respect to the 5 State-funded Retirement Systems: requires each System to prepare and implement a defined contribution plan by July 1, 2028 that aggregates State and employee contributions in individual participant accounts that are used for payouts after retirement. Provides that a Tier 1 or Tier 2 participant may elect to participate in the defined contribution plan instead of the defined benefit plan and may also elect to terminate all participation in the defined benefit plan and to have a specified amount credited to his or her account under the defined contribution plan. Provides that, if a person who made the election to participate in the defined contribution plan terminates service and thereafter returns to service, he or she may either elect to participate in the defined contribution plan with regard to that service or not elect to participate in the defined contribution plan with regard to that service. Provides that an employee may elect not to participate in the System by notifying the System in writing in a manner specified by the System. Provides that any benefit increase that results from the amendatory Act is excluded from the definition of “new benefit increase”. In the State Employees, State Universities, and Downstate Teachers Articles, provides that a person who first becomes an employee after the effective date of the amendatory Act is not required to participate in the System as a condition of employment. Makes conforming and other changes. Makes related changes in the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971. Effective immediately. |
| SB2887 | 01/16/2026 | Amends the Unemployment Insurance Act. Provides that the Department of Employment Security shall make payments to beneficiaries under the Act based on the State’s average unemployment rate. Effective January 1, 2027. |
| SB2821 | 01/13/2026 | Amends the School Code. Provides that the school board of each school district shall report for each of the school district’s schools specified information regarding learning materials and activities used for student instruction in a prominent location on the school district’s website. Requires a school board to provide updated information on the school district’s website by January 1 and August 1 of each year and more frequently as the school board deems appropriate. Provides that nothing may be construed to require: (1) the publication of a digital reproduction of learning materials on a school district’s website; or (2) a separate listing of the individual components of learning materials produced as a single volume. Allows a school district to: (1) update the report and post the updated report on the school district’s website on an ongoing basis during the school year, as long as the updated report is completed by January 1 and August 1; and (2) use a collaborative online document or spreadsheet software that allows multiple authorized users to update or make additions to the report on an ongoing basis, as long as a link to the report is publicly accessible on the school district’s website. Requires each school district’s report to remain publicly available on the school district’s website at least until the next report for the year is completed and made publicly available on the school district’s website. Provides that each school district’s report shall include a step-by-step process on how a parent or guardian of a student attending a school within the school district can opt-out a child from any learning materials or activities provided by the school if the learning materials or activities conflict with the student’s religious beliefs. Effective July 1, 2026. |
| SB2826 | 01/13/2026 | Amends the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that no person who has earned creditable service through employment by the Fund shall be eligible to serve as a trustee. |
| SB2683 | 10/14/2025 | Amends the Local Government Debt Reform Act. Provides that, in the case of bonds authorized to be issued under the School Code and approved by voters of Iroquois County Community Unit School District Number 9 in an April 2021 referendum, the bond approval, once obtained, remains for 10 years after the date of the referendum. Effective immediately. |
| SB2701 | 10/14/2025 | Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that, for taxable years 2026 and thereafter, in all counties, a taxpayer who has been granted a senior citizens homestead exemption need not reapply for that exemption. Effective immediately. |
| SB2522 | 02/18/2025 | Makes appropriations from the General Revenue Fund to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for grants to the City of Morris for costs associated with landfill closures and landfill well monitoring. Effective July 1, 2025. |
| SB2113 | 02/07/2025 | Amends the Public Higher Education Act. Requires the governing board of each public institution of higher education to adopt a policy that prohibits employees of the public institution of higher education from offering incentives to students to vote. |
| SB2114 | 02/07/2025 | Amends various Acts. Removes the requirement that the Senate provides advise and consent to specified nominations. |
| SB2206 | 02/07/2025 | Amends the Department of Natural Resources (Conservation) Law. Creates the Kankakee and Iroquois Counties Floodwater Mitigation Commission. Provides that the Commission shall: study floodplain policies and actions in neighboring states and counties and the impact on Kankakee and Iroquois Counties; identify and evaluate critical flooding and drainage issues and needs in Kankakee and Iroquois Counties; and make recommendations on how best to address flooding and drainage issues in Kankakee and Iroquois Counties. Sets forth provisions concerning membership of the Commission. Provides that members of the Commission shall not receive compensation. Requires the Commission to meet at least quarterly at the call of the chair and to file a report with the Governor and General Assembly by January 1, 2027 on its recommendations for flooding and drainage control in Kankakee and Iroquois Counties. Requires the Department of Natural Resources to provide administrative support to the Commission. Dissolves the Commission after the report has been filed. |
| SB2207 | 02/07/2025 | Amends the Department of Professional Regulation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Defines “health care professional” as a person licensed or registered by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation under the Medical Practice Act of 1987, Nurse Practice Act, Physician Assistant Practice Act of 1987, and Respiratory Care Practice Act or a person licensed or registered by the Department of Public Health under the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act. Provides that, for license or registration renewals occurring on or after January 1, 2026, a health care professional who has continuing education requirements shall complete at least a one-hour course in training on the recognition and reporting of human trafficking. Provides rulemaking abilities for the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Provides that any person, institution, or agency participating in the making of a report, providing information or records related to a report, assessment, or services, or participating in the investigation of a report under the Act in good faith, or taking photographs or x-rays as a result of an authorized assessment, shall have immunity from any civil, criminal or other liability in any civil, criminal or other proceeding brought in consequence of making such report or assessment or on account of submitting or otherwise disclosing such photographs or x-rays to any agency designated to receive reports of alleged or suspected human trafficking. Provides that any person, institution, or agency authorized by the Department to provide assessment, intervention, or administrative services under the Act shall, in the good faith performance of those services, have immunity from any civil, criminal or other liability in any civil, criminal, or other proceeding brought as a consequence of the performance of those services. Provides that, for the purposes of any civil, criminal, or other proceeding, the good faith of any person required to report, permitted to report, or participating in an investigation of a report of alleged or suspected human trafficking shall be presumed. |
| SB2208 | 02/07/2025 | Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that a person shall not drive or be in actual physical control of any vehicle within the State while the alcohol concentration in the person’s blood, other bodily substance, or breath is .04 or more for one year after the person’s first conviction if the person is convicted with an alcohol concentration of .15 or more, or for 5 years after the person’s second or subsequent conviction with an alcohol concentration of .15 or more. |
| SB2209 | 02/07/2025 | Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall restore, within 18 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the site of any warden’s homes provided for the chief administrative officer or warden of the Pontiac Correctional Center that have been deemed by the Department of Corrections to be in a state of disrepair that renders them unsafe to be used as residences to their original condition before the homes were built. Provides that the cost of the site restoration required under these provisions shall be paid by the Department of Central Management Services. |
| SB2210 | 02/07/2025 | Amends the Illinois State Police Act. Provides that the Illinois State Police shall restore, within 18 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the site of the Illinois State Police building that was decommissioned in 2003 and that was located at 15,551 Old Route 66, Pontiac, IL 61764, to its original condition before the building was operated as an Illinois State Police facility. Provides that the cost of the site restoration required under this provision shall be paid by the Department of Central Management Services. |
| SB2211 | 02/07/2025 | Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall restore, within 18 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the site of the Dwight Correctional Center that was decommissioned on March 31, 2013, including the warden’s home and any unused structures on the property, to its original condition before the facility was built. Provides that the cost of the site restoration required under these provisions shall be paid by the Department of Central Management Services. |
| SB2340 | 02/07/2025 | Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to submit an annual report available to the public, on or before July 1, on its website that includes for each school district: (1) the number of students in the school year seeking admission to transfer to or within a school district or withdrawal from a school in the school district under specified provisions, showing the potential net change; (2) the number of rejected transfer requests in the school year; (3) the reason or reasons why each rejected transfer request was rejected in the school year; and (4) the total number of students that either transferred into, out of, or within each district, showing the actual net change. Provides that each year, the State Board of Education shall randomly select 20 school districts in this State to conduct an audit of each school district’s approved and denied transfers based on the provisions of the policies adopted by the respective school district. Provides that on or before the first day of January, April, July, and October of each year, it shall be the duty of the superintendent of a receiving school district to file with the State Board of Education a report showing the total number of students granted transfers to or within the receiving school district and their respective school sites and grade levels. Requires each school district to report to the State Board of Education on or before October 1 of each year: (1) the total student capacity for each school in the school district; (2) the number of transfer students enrolled in each receiving school in the receiving school district; (3) the number of requests for specified transfer received; and (4) the number of requests for transfer denied and the reason or reasons supporting the denial of any request for transfer. |
| SB2341 | 02/07/2025 | Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that upon verified petition by the State, the court shall hold a hearing and may deny a defendant pretrial release if the defendant is charged with any of the following offenses, and it is alleged that the defendant’s pretrial release poses a real and present threat to the safety of any person or persons or the community, based on the specific articulable facts of the case: (1) aggravated driving under the influence for a third or subsequent time; or (2) manufacture or delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, an amount of a controlled or counterfeit substance, not otherwise specified in the statute, containing dihydrocodeine or classified in Schedule I or II, or an analog of those substances that is: (i) a narcotic drug, (ii) lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or an analog of those substances, (iii) any substance containing amphetamine or fentanyl or any salt or optical isomer of amphetamine or fentanyl, or an analog of those substances, or (iv) any substance containing N-Benzylpiperazine (BZP) or any salt or optical isomer of N-Benzylpiperazine (BZP), or an analog of those substances. |
| SB2342 | 02/07/2025 | Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Requires the State Employees’ Retirement System of Illinois to prepare and implement a defined contribution plan by July 1, 2027 that aggregates State and employee contributions in individual participant accounts that are used for payouts after retirement. Provides that a Tier 1 or Tier 2 participant may elect to participate in the defined contribution plan instead of the defined benefit plan and may also elect to terminate all participation in the defined benefit plan and to have a specified amount credited to his or her account under the defined contribution plan. Provides that a person who first becomes an employee after the effective date of the amendatory Act is not required to participate in the System as a condition of employment. Provides that, if a person who made the election to participate in the defined contribution plan terminates service and thereafter returns to service, he or she may either elect to participate in the defined contribution plan with regard to that service or not elect to participate in the defined contribution plan with regard to that service. Provides that an employee may elect not to participate in the System by notifying the System in writing in a manner specified by the System. Provides that any benefit increase that results from the amendatory Act is excluded from the definition of “new benefit increase”. Makes conforming and other changes. Makes related changes in the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971. Effective immediately. |
| SB2389 | 02/07/2025 | Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers’ Occupation Tax Act. Reinstates the exemption for the use or sale of tangible personal property purchased from an Illinois retailer by a taxpayer engaged in centralized purchasing activities in Illinois. Provides that the exemption sunsets on June 30, 2030 (currently, June 30, 2016). Effective immediately. |
| SB1783 | 02/06/2025 | Creates the Prohibition on Government Sponsored Sexual Performances. Provides that a unit of local government or a school district may not allow a live adult performance to be held on publicly owned or operated property under its control. Requires the State to stop distributing all funds to a unit of local government or school district that violates the provisions. Limits home rule powers. Effective immediately. |
| SB1864 | 02/06/2025 | Amends the Public Higher Education Act. Provides that if a student at a public institution of higher education is required to complete an instructor evaluation, the student shall evaluate the instructor’s bias on whether the instructor displays any prejudiced or unfair treatment toward certain individuals or groups based on factors, including, but not limited to, race, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or political ideology. |
| SB1865 | 02/06/2025 | Creates the Campus Free Speech Act. Requires the governing board of each public university and community college to develop and adopt a policy on free expression; sets forth what the policy must contain. Requires the Board of Higher Education to create a Committee on Free Expression to issue an annual report. Requires public institutions of higher education to include in their freshman orientation programs a section describing to all students the policies and rules regarding free expression that are consistent with the Act. Contains provisions concerning rules, construction of the Act, and enforcement. |
| SB1866 | 02/06/2025 | Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title. |
| SB1867 | 02/06/2025 | Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. In provisions concerning educator testing, provides that the State Board of Education and the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board are required to approve more than one assessment, not from the same source, and each teacher preparation program in the State may use any evidence-based assessment of teacher effectiveness that aligns to current State teaching standards. Effective July 1, 2025. |
| SB1915 | 02/06/2025 | Amends the School Code. Provides that immediately upon the determination of a substantial deficiency in reading or the characteristics of dyslexia based upon (i) screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, or assessment data, (ii) statewide assessments, or (iii) teacher observations, the parent or legal guardian of a student in grades 1 through 3 who exhibits a substantial deficiency in reading must be notified in writing by the student’s teacher of the following: (1) that the student has been identified as having a substantial deficiency in reading; (2) a description of the services that the school district currently is providing to the student; (3) a description of the proposed supplemental instructional services and supports that are designed to remediate the identified area of reading deficiency which the school district plans to provide the student; and (4) strategies for parents and guardians to use in helping the student to succeed in reading proficiency. Amends the State Mandates Act. Provides that no reimbursement by the State is required for the implementation of any mandate created by the amendatory Act. |
| SB1916 | 02/06/2025 | Amends the Recyclable Metal Purchase Registration Law. Provides that provisions prohibiting the sale of certain recyclable metal materials shall not apply if the seller produces written documentation reasonably demonstrating that the seller is the owner of the recyclable metal material or is authorized to sell the recyclable metal material on behalf of the owner. Provides that the recyclable metal dealer shall copy the documentation provided by the seller and maintain the copy of the documentation along with the purchase records. Provides that the sale of a detached catalytic converter may occur at the fixed business address of the seller or of the recyclable metal dealer (rather than at the fixed business address of the licensed recyclable metal dealer). Changes references from “licensed recyclable metal dealer” to “recyclable metal dealer”. |
| SB1917 | 02/06/2025 | Creates the Illinois Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act. Requires an institution to file a disclosure report annually on July 1 when: (1) an institution received a gift from, or entered into a contract with, a foreign source, other than a foreign country of concern or foreign entity of concern, with a value of $50,000 or more, or an undetermined value; (2) an institution receives a gift from a foreign country of concern or foreign entity of concern of any dollar amount; (3) an institution enters into a contract with a foreign country of concern or foreign entity of concern after receiving a waiver for such contract; or (4) an institution is substantially controlled by a foreign source. Requires the Board of Higher Education to establish and maintain a searchable, public database on the Board’s website that: (1) contains all reports submitted; (2) includes any information provided in such reports; (3) is searchable and sortable by date filed, date of the gift received or contract entered into, by attributable country of the gift or contract, and by institution; (4) indicates whether a gift is from a foreign government or from a foreign source that is not a foreign government; and (5) indicates when a report does not contain the name or address of a foreign source. Prohibits an institution from entering into any contracts with foreign entities of concern or countries of concern. Provides that private institutions with endowments above $6,000,000,000 or with investments of concern above $250,000,000 shall report: (1) a list of the investments of concern; (2) the aggregate fair market value of all investments of concern; (3) the combined value of all investments of concern; and (4) the combined value of all capital gains from such sales of investments of concern. Sets forth how the Act may be enforced, including fines for violations. |
| SB1935 | 02/06/2025 | Amends the Regulatory Sunset Act. Provides that, in the calendar year 2 years before the agency or program is scheduled for termination, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget shall study the performance of each regulatory agency and program scheduled for termination under the Act. Provides that, in determining whether an agency or program should be recommended for termination, modification, or continuation, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget shall consider the extent to which the profession, occupation, business, industry, or trade that it licensed, supervised, exercised control over, issued rules regarding, or otherwise regulated is subject to regulation in other states or territories. |
| SB2043 | 02/06/2025 | Amends the Wildlife Code. Provides that, upon request, the Department of Natural Resources shall issue a certificate of competency to any resident active-duty military personnel who provide acceptable verification of service, any Illinois resident veterans who provide acceptable verification of service, and any individuals who present proof of holding a concealed carry permit issued by the State. |
| SB2044 | 02/06/2025 | Creates the Web-Based Signatures Act. Provides that a unit of local government may allow a person to sign any document with a web-based signature if the unit of local government uses a secure web-based platform. |
| SB2045 | 02/06/2025 | Amends the Unemployment Insurance Act. Provides that the Department of Employment Security shall make payments to beneficiaries under the Act based on the State’s average unemployment rate. Effective January 1, 2026. |
| SB2046 | 02/06/2025 | Appropriates $350,000,000 to the Department of Transportation for the construction, land acquisition, and any other required infrastructure changes for a new interchange at Minooka Road on I-80 to accommodate current and expected increases to traffic volume. Effective July 1, 2025. |
| SB2047 | 02/06/2025 | Creates the Design Professional Self-Certification Act. Provides that the Executive Director of the Capital Development Board shall establish a self-certification program through which a qualified design professional within a participating municipality shall be permitted to: (1) take responsibility for a project’s compliance with the baseline building code; and (2) self-certify that a permit application, plans, and specifications comply with the baseline building code. Requires the Executive Director to establish requirements for design professionals to qualify for the self-certification program. Sets forth program requirements; oversight; and recordkeeping. Effective January 1, 2026. |
| SB1759 | 02/05/2025 | Appropriates $50,000,000 to the Department of Transportation for the expansion of Route 6 from Brisbin Road to Ridge Road. Effective July 1, 2025. |
| SB1760 | 02/05/2025 | Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Requires the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board to develop a program for training unpaid volunteers to serve as police chaplains. |
| SB1761 | 02/05/2025 | Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall establish a program to award grants to units of local government for the purposes of demolishing or repairing commercial buildings that are detrimental to public health or safety as a result of dilapidation, obsolescence, deterioration, or the failure of the building to meet minimum code standards. |
| SB1762 | 02/05/2025 | Appropriates $10,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for the purpose of awarding grants to units of local government for the demolition or repair of commercial buildings that are detrimental to public health or safety as a result of one or more of the following: dilapidation; obsolescence; deterioration; or the failure of the building to meet minimum building code standards. Effective immediately. |
| SB1763 | 02/05/2025 | Amends the Counties Code. Provides that any recorder may publish property assessment rolls in a paper of general circulation in the county or on the county’s public-facing website. |
| SB1517 | 02/04/2025 | Amends the Wildlife Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title. |
| SB1276 | 01/28/2025 | Amends the Counties Code. In provisions about commercial wind energy facilities and commercial solar energy facilities, removes changes made by Public Act 102-1123. Provides that any provision of a county zoning ordinance pertaining to wind farms, commercial wind energy facilities, or commercial solar energy facilities that was in effect before January 27, 2023 may continue in effect notwithstanding any changes made in Public Act 102-1123 and, if applicable, any provision of a county zoning ordinance pertaining to wind farms that was in effect before August 16, 2007 may continue in effect notwithstanding the changes made in Public Act 95-203. |
| SB1347 | 01/28/2025 | Creates the Citizens Empowerment Act. Provides that electors may petition for a referendum at the next general election to dissolve a unit of local government. Sets forth the requirements for the petition, together with the form and requirements for the ballot referendum. Provides for the transfer of all real and personal property and any other assets, together with all personnel, contractual obligations, and liabilities of the dissolving unit of local government to the receiving unit of local government. Amends the Election Code to make conforming changes. Effective immediately. |
