The legislation was introduced in bill HB2541 on Feb. 13, when Rep. Sonya M. Harper (D-6) filed it with the House clerk.
According to the General Assembly website, the bill as introduced was designed to "create the Re-Entering Citizens Civics Education Act".
After debate, the House passed the bill on April 10 and it arrived in the House on May 23, and both chambers agreed to the final version of the legislation on May 29. The bill was sent to the governor and signed into law on Aug. 21. The law is scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
Illinois legislature enacts laws through bills that can be introduced in either the state House of Representatives or the state Senate. Either chamber of the legislature can reject or amend a bill before it becomes law. Legislators sometimes sponsor "shell bills" devoid of substantive provisions, introduced with the intention of being amended later to include actual legislation.
The following table shows the full history of actions on HB2541.
| Date | Chamber | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 2/13/2019 | House | Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Sonya M. Harper |
| 2/13/2019 | House | First Reading |
| 2/13/2019 | House | Referred to Rules Committee |
| 2/26/2019 | House | Assigned to Appropriations-Public Safety Committee |
| 3/5/2019 | House | Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Will Guzzardi |
| 3/6/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. William Davis |
| 3/26/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Nicholas K. Smith |
| 3/26/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr. |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Daniel Swanson |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Sue Scherer |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Sara Feigenholtz |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Theresa Mah |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Celina Villanueva |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Barbara Hernandez |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Lawrence Walsh, Jr. |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Aaron M. Ortiz |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Delia C. Ramirez |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Rita Mayfield |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. LaToya Greenwood |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Justin Slaughter |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Carol Ammons |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Amy Grant |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Sam Yingling |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Lamont J. Robinson, Jr. |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Kathleen Willis |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Do Pass / Short Debate Appropriations-Public Safety Committee; 010-000-000 |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Bob Morgan |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. La Shawn K. Ford |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Margo McDermed |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Lindsay Parkhurst |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Thaddeus Jones |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. André Thapedi |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Natalie A. Manley |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Anne Stava-Murray |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Melissa Conyears-Ervin |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Camille Y. Lilly |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Anna Moeller |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Curtis J. Tarver, II |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Mary E. Flowers |
| 3/29/2019 | House | Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate |
| 4/4/2019 | House | Second Reading - Short Debate |
| 4/4/2019 | House | Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate |
| 4/10/2019 | House | Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 102-009-001 |
| 4/10/2019 | Senate | Arrive in Senate |
| 4/10/2019 | Senate | First Reading |
| 4/10/2019 | Senate | Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. Robert Peters |
| 4/10/2019 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading |
| 4/10/2019 | Senate | Referred to Assignments |
| 4/24/2019 | Senate | Assigned to Criminal Law |
| 5/2/2019 | Senate | Postponed - Criminal Law |
| 5/7/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Jacqueline Y. Collins |
| 5/7/2019 | Senate | Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Secretary by Sen. Robert Peters |
| 5/7/2019 | Senate | Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred to Assignments |
| 5/8/2019 | Senate | Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Pursuant to Senate Rule 3-8(b-1), this amendment will remain in the Committee on Assignments. |
| 5/8/2019 | Senate | Do Pass Criminal Law; 010-000-000 |
| 5/8/2019 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading May 9, 2019 |
| 5/9/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Ann Gillespie |
| 5/14/2019 | Senate | Second Reading |
| 5/14/2019 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading May 15, 2019 |
| 5/16/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford |
| 5/17/2019 | Senate | Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Referred to Assignments |
| 5/17/2019 | Senate | Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Filed with Secretary by Sen. Robert Peters |
| 5/21/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Omar Aquino |
| 5/21/2019 | Senate | Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Assignments Refers to Criminal Law |
| 5/21/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Ram Villivalam |
| 5/21/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. John G. Mulroe |
| 5/21/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Andy Manar |
| 5/22/2019 | Senate | Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Recommend Do Adopt Criminal Law; 010-000-000 |
| 5/23/2019 | House | Arrived in House |
| 5/23/2019 | House | Placed on Calendar Order of Concurrence Senate Amendment(s) 2 |
| 5/23/2019 | Senate | Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Adopted; Peters |
| 5/23/2019 | Senate | Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Tabled Pursuant to Rule 5-4(a) |
| 5/23/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Christopher Belt |
| 5/23/2019 | Senate | Recalled to Second Reading |
| 5/23/2019 | Senate | Third Reading - Passed; 058-000-000 |
| 5/23/2019 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading |
| 5/26/2019 | House | Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Motion to Concur Referred to Rules Committee |
| 5/26/2019 | House | Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Motion to Concur Rules Referred to Appropriations-Public Safety Committee |
| 5/26/2019 | House | Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Motion Filed Concur Rep. Sonya M. Harper |
| 5/27/2019 | House | Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Motion to Concur Recommends Be Adopted Appropriations-Public Safety Committee; 012-000-000 |
| 5/29/2019 | House | Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 House Concurs 113-001-000 |
| 5/29/2019 | House | Passed Both Houses |
| 5/29/2019 | House | House Concurs |
| 6/27/2019 | House | Sent to the Governor |
| 8/21/2019 | House | Effective Date January 1, 2020 |
| 8/21/2019 | House | Public Act . . . . . . . . . 101-0441 |
| 8/21/2019 | House | Governor Approved |
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