How Laws Are Created in Illinois
In Illinois, laws are proposed and voted on in the Illinois General Assembly, or ILGA. ILGA is made up of two chambers, the House and the Senate. Illinois is made up of 59 legislative districts, and each of those elects one senator for either a two- or four-year term. Each of the 59 legislative districts is divided into two representative districts. Each of those 118 districts elects a representative to the House for a two-year term.
Each General Assembly conducts business during a two-year term beginning when new House members take office. The House and Senate members elected on November 8, 2022 will take office on January 11, 2023, and the 103rd General Assembly will commence.
Bills can be proposed in either chamber: the House or the Senate. Once they are passed in their chamber of origin, they move to the other chamber. Most bills pass by a simple 51% majority vote: 60 votes in the House and 30 in the Senate. Bills that pass both chambers are sent to the governor for signing. The governor has 60 days to either veto a bill or sign it into law. If the governor does nothing for 60 days, the bill becomes a law. See the detailed path of a bill.
Timing is important
Regular/General Session convenes each year in January and usually adjourns the last day of May. This year, the Regular/General Session was adjourned early, on April 9, to allow for a delayed Primary Election. The Primary was delayed to allow time for district maps to be drawn based on 2020 Census data that was delayed due to Covid shutdowns.
The session during which a bill is introduced affects the number of votes it needs to pass.
During the General and Lame Duck Sessions, a bill requires a simple majority, or 60 votes in the House and 30 in the Senate, to pass. However, during the Veto session, a bill needs 70 votes in the house and 36 in the Senate.
The calendar date on which a bill passes can determine when a law takes effect.
Bills passed before May 31 of a calendar year go into effect on January 1 of the next calendar year, unless a different effective date is written into the bill.
Bills passed after May 31 of a calendar year go into effect June 1 of the next calendar year, unless the General Assembly approves an earlier effective date, written into the bill, by a three-fifths majority.
Bills passed during the Veto Session need to meet this three-fifths majority threshold if they are written with an immediate effective date.
Bills passed during a Lame Duck Session in January only need a simple majority to pass, whether or not they are written with an immediate effective date.
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