West Central Reporter

Jil Tracy introduced SB0295 in the Illinois Senate on Jan. 24, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act. Provides that, for purposes of determining the partisanship of any person who is appointed by the Governor to an office that either requires specific partisanship or limits the number of appointees from a single political party that may be appointed, the vote of that person in the 3 general primary elections immediately preceding the effective date of the appointment shall determine his or her partisanship for that person's term of office. Provides that a person who did not vote, or who voted but did not request a partisan ballot, in the 3 general primary elections immediately preceding the effective date of the appointment or who voted but requested partisan ballots for 2 or more different political parties in the 3 general primary elections immediately preceding the effective date of the appointment shall be deemed an independent for purposes of determining partisanship for that person's term of office."

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 Illinois Governmental Ethics Act to specify that an appointee's political affiliation is determined by the votes cast in the three general primary elections preceding their appointment. If a person did not vote, did not request a partisan ballot, or requested ballots for multiple parties during these primaries, they will be considered an independent. It further stipulates that appointees nominated on or after the bill's effective date cannot be disqualified based on their voting in a primary election after their appointment. The bill also outlines time constraints for temporary and acting gubernatorial appointees, emphasizing that such appointees must be formally nominated within a certain timeframe to continue their roles.

Jil Tracy has proposed another 17 bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Tracy graduated from Southern Illinois University and again in 1976 from Southern Illinois University with a JD.

Jil Tracy is currently serving in the Illinois State Senate, representing the state's 50th Senate District. She replaced previous state senator Steve McClure in 2023.

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.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
SB0295	01/24/2025	Amends the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act. Provides that, for purposes of determining the partisanship of any person who is appointed by the Governor to an office that either requires specific partisanship or limits the number of appointees from a single political party that may be appointed, the vote of that person in the 3 general primary elections immediately preceding the effective date of the appointment shall determine his or her partisanship for that person's term of office. Provides that a person who did not vote, or who voted but did not request a partisan ballot, in the 3 general primary elections immediately preceding the effective date of the appointment or who voted but requested partisan ballots for 2 or more different political parties in the 3 general primary elections immediately preceding the effective date of the appointment shall be deemed an independent for purposes of determining partisanship for that person's term of office.
SB0261	01/24/2025	Reenacts the Invest in Kids Act and makes the Act permanent. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.
SB0272	01/24/2025	Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that aggravated assault includes an assault committed against a contractor (rather than just a subcontractor) of the Department of Human Services supervising or controlling sexually dangerous persons or sexually violent persons. Provides that aggravated battery includes committing various kinds of battery against an officer or employee of a contractor or subcontractor of the Department of Human Services supervising or controlling sexually dangerous persons or sexually violent persons.
SB0273	01/24/2025	Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a person who commits the offense of financial exploitation of an elderly person or a person with a disability may be tried in any county in which any part of the assets that the person obtained control over are held. Provides that a defense to aggravated battery of a person 60 years of age or older does not exist merely because the accused reasonably believed the victim to be less than 60 years of age. Enhances the penalties for theft and theft by deception if the victim is 60 years of age or older or a person with a disability or if the offense was committed in a nursing home, an assisted living facility, or a supportive living facility. Provides that theft, theft by deception, and financial exploitation of an elderly person or a person with a disability is a Class X felony if the value of the property stolen or illegally obtained exceeds $100,000 (rather than $1,000,000).
SB0274	01/24/2025	Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Defines a "basic training candidate" to mean a person enrolled in basic training school who is not a full-time or part-time law enforcement officer. Requires the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board to select and certify schools within the State of Illinois for the purpose of providing basic training for basic training candidates and to create curriculum and minimum basic training requirements for basic training candidates.
SB0275	01/24/2025	Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that any minor 15 years of age or older arrested or taken into custody under the Act for aggravated vehicular hijacking shall be detained in an authorized detention facility until a detention or shelter care hearing is held to determine if there is probable cause to believe that the minor is a delinquent minor and: (1) secure custody is a matter of immediate and urgent necessity for the protection of the minor or of the person or property of another; (2) the minor is likely to flee the jurisdiction of the court; or (3) the minor was taken into custody under a warrant. Provides that if the court makes that determination, the minor shall continue to be held until the disposition of an adjudicatory hearing under the Delinquent Minors Article of the Act.
SB0276	01/24/2025	Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that, with certain exceptions in cases of reckless homicide involving the death of 2 or more persons as part of a single course of conduct, in cases involving reckless homicide in which the defendant: (1) was driving at a speed of more than 20 miles per hour in excess of the posted speed limit or (2) failed or refused to comply with a traffic control aide or device engaged in traffic control, the penalty is a Class 2 felony, for which a person, if sentenced to a term of imprisonment, shall be sentenced to a term of not less than 3 years and not more than 14 years. Provides that in cases involving reckless homicide in which the offense was committed as a result of the defendant driving while the defendant's driver's license, permit, or privilege to operate a motor vehicle was suspended or revoked and the defendant caused the deaths of 2 or more persons as part of a single course of conduct, the penalty for reckless homicide is a Class 2 felony, for which a person, if sentenced to a term of imprisonment, shall be sentenced to a term of not less than 6 years and not more than 28 years.
SB0277	01/24/2025	Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the court shall sentence the defendant to a term of natural life imprisonment for first degree murder if the defendant, at the time of the commission of the murder, had attained the age of 18, and is found guilty of the first degree murder of a child under the age of 5 who is determined by the court, upon testimony of a physician, to have died from abusive head trauma caused by the defendant. Provides that "abusive head trauma" includes shaken baby syndrome. Defines "abusive head trauma" and shaken baby syndrome".
SB0278	01/24/2025	Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides for enhanced penalties for aggravated assault or aggravated battery of emergency department staff of a health care facility. Defines "emergency department staff" as any clinical or nonclinical staff present in the emergency department or emergency room of a health care facility who may come in contact with patients, including, but not limited to, physicians, nurses, nonphysician providers, technicians, security staff, patient transporters, respiratory therapists, housekeeping personnel, secretaries, and pharmacists. Defines "health care facility" as a facility, hospital, or establishment licensed or organized under the Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center Act, the University of Illinois Hospital Act, the Hospital Licensing Act, the Nursing Home Care Act, the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act, or the Community Living Facilities Licensing Act. Effective immediately.
SB0294	01/24/2025	Amends the University of Illinois Act. Provides that a county is entitled to a scholarship in the University of Illinois for the benefit of the children of persons who served in the armed forces of the United States any time on or after August 2, 1990 and until Congress or the President orders that persons in service are no longer eligible for the Kosovo Campaign Medal or the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.
SB1206	01/24/2025	Amends the Firearms Restraining Order Act. Provides that if the petitioner for a firearms restraining order against a respondent is a law enforcement officer, the petitioner shall be referred to as the law enforcement agency in which the officer is employed on all public indexes concerning the petition and not the individually named officer who filed the petition. Effective immediately.
SB1234	01/24/2025	Creates the Illinois Regional Generation Reliability Task Force Act. Sets forth findings of the General Assembly. Creates the Illinois Regional Generation Reliability Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall monitor the reliability of the Illinois power grid. Contains provisions concerning: the membership of the Task Force; duties of the Task Force; administrative support; and an annual report. Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. Provides that the Carbon Capture Infrastructure Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury and shall be administered by the Illinois Power Agency. Provides that $10,000,000 shall be transferred from the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund to the Carbon Capture Infrastructure Fund. Provides that the Agency shall award grants from the fund to carbon producing power plants for the construction of new carbon capture storage systems. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Carbon Capture Infrastructure Fund. Effective immediately.
SB1235	01/24/2025	Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Reverts provisions regarding greenhouse gases to the language existing before changes made by amendment under P.A. 102-662. Repeals a provision defining "clean energy". Effective immediately.
SB1236	01/24/2025	Amends the Business Assistance and Regulatory Reform Act. Modifies requirements concerning the Office of Business Permits and Regulatory Assistance. Provides that the Office shall implement reforms to improve interagency coordination and encourage expeditious permit issuance. Provides that the Office shall use information technology tools to track project schedules and metrics in order to improve transparency and accountability of the permitting process, reduce uncertainty and delays, and reduce costs and risks to taxpayers. Modifies and adds requirements concerning the expediting of permit reviews. Provides for the creation of an Interagency Permitting Advisory Committee. Provides additional requirements to improve the coordination of permit reviews. Defines terms. Makes other changes.
SB0096	01/17/2025	Amends the School Code. Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, requires a school board to allow a student who resides in the school district but attends a nonpublic school to participate in extracurricular athletic activities sponsored by the district without being required to enroll or complete coursework at a public school within the district if certain conditions are met. Effective immediately.
SB0133	01/17/2025	Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, and the Vehicle Use Tax Article of the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that the taxes under those Acts do not apply to a motor vehicle that is registered in the State to an Illinois resident who acquired the vehicle while the Illinois resident was stationed outside of this State as an active duty member of the military.
SB0134	01/17/2025	Amends the Illinois Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Act. Provides that, for persons dying on or after January 1, 2026, if a valid election has been made under the Internal Revenue Code allowing a person to take into account a federal deceased spousal unused exclusion amount for the purposes of calculating the person's federal estate tax, then the person's Illinois exclusion amount shall include the Illinois deceased spousal unused exclusion amount for the deceased spouse with respect to whom the federal election was made. Effective immediately.
SB0138	01/17/2025	Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall establish a teacher recruitment and retention program, which shall encourage both new and experienced teachers to seek employment with qualifying public schools by providing for a refundable income tax credit to each participating teacher in the amount of $3,000 per school year for no more than 5 consecutive school years. Provides that the number of participating teachers in the program in any school year shall be limited to 1,000. Contains requirements for participating school districts and participating teachers. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act establishing the $3,000 tax credit for individuals designated by the State Board of Education as a participating teacher in the teacher recruitment and retention program. Effective July 1, 2025.
SB0139	01/17/2025	Amends the Illinois Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Act. Provides that, for persons dying on or after January 1, 2026, the exclusion amount shall be the applicable exclusion amount calculated under Section 2010 of the Internal Revenue Code as that Section exists on the effective date of the amendatory Act, including the inflation adjustment and including any deceased spousal unused exclusion amount (currently, the exclusion amount for Illinois estate tax purposes is $4,000,000). Effective immediately.
SB0023	01/13/2025	Amends the Illinois State Auditing Act. Provides that, in calendar years 2025, 2030, 2035, 2040, and 2045, the Auditor General shall conduct a performance audit of (i) the programs and procurement activities administered by the Illinois Power Agency to implement the Renewable Portfolio Standard and (ii) the Adjustable Block program established under the Illinois Power Agency Act. Provides that the performance audits shall address several questions related to renewable energy, solar vendors, and other issues. Provides that performance audits shall each include physical inspections of 3 random solar sites funded through the Adjustable Block program. Provides that the Auditor General shall consult with energy experts in the audit process and may employ an energy consulting firm. Provides for the Auditor General to report findings and recommendations. Repeals the provisions added by this amendatory Act on July 1, 2046. Effective immediately.
SB0035	01/13/2025	Amends the Workers' Compensation Act. Provides that the provisions of the Act shall apply automatically and without election to all employers and all their employees, including, but not limited to, sole proprietors and general contractors and their subcontractors (currently, all employers and all their employees), engaged in any department enterprises or businesses which are declared to be extra hazardous. Removes a provision that the Act shall not be construed to apply to any sole proprietor or partner or member of a limited liability company who elects not to provide and pay compensation for accidental injuries sustained by himself, arising out of and in the course of the employment according to the provisions of the Act. Provides that the definition of "corporate officer" does not include a sole proprietor.
SB0053	01/13/2025	Amends the Lobbyist Registration Act. Provides that a lobbyist or lobbying entity may not promise anything of value to an official, State employee, or a candidate for a State executive or State legislative office for the person's support, action, or inaction for a specific legislative action or executive action, including, but not limited to, campaign contributions, endorsement of candidacy, or any in-kind contributions supporting an official, State employee, or candidate for a State executive or State legislative office. Prohibits a lobbyist or lobbying entity from soliciting an official or State employee to violate similar provisions of the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Provides that nothing in the provisions prevents the making or accepting of voluntary contributions otherwise in accordance with law.
SB0060	01/13/2025	Amends the Election Code. Requires the State Board of Elections, in conjunction with election authorities, to implement a secure, free access system available to voters by January 1, 2026. Provides that the system shall allow a voter to track receipt of the voter's vote by mail ballot and check the ballot's status with the election authority. Requires the election authority to make the system available to vote by mail voters from the first day that vote by mail ballots are accepted until 30 days after completion of the official canvass. Effective immediately.