Illinois Rep. du Buclet’s Metropolitan Water Reclamation District bond issuance bill passes House and Senate

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Kimberly Du Buclet aims to amend the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Act to allow bond issuances without voter approval for sewage treatment and facility improvements, as well as pension fund contributions, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

In the House, 63 Democrats and nine Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while 30 Republicans opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 39 Democrats and three Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while 16 Republicans voted against it.

du Buclet introduced the bill in the Illinois House on Jan. 9, 2025 during the 104th session.

The legislation, known as HB1158, was passed on May 21, 2025 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 Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Act. Provides that bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness for specified purposes shall be issued from time to time only in amounts as may be required for such purposes but the amount of such obligations issued during any one budget year shall not exceed $250,000,000 (rather than $150,000,000) plus the amount of any obligations authorized by the Act to be issued during the 3 budget years next preceding the year of issuance but which were not issued.”

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

In essence, the bill amends the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Act to allow the issuance of bonds, notes, or other debt instruments up to 3.35% of the equalized assessed property valuation within the district, without voter approval, for sewage treatment, facility improvements, and other projects until Dec. 31, 2034. It sets a ceiling of $250 million per budget year for these issuances, allowing rollovers from the previous three years. Exemptions include refunding previous bonds, obligations under the Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund, and “Build America Bonds.” It also authorizes $600 million in bonds for pension fund contributions per the Illinois Pension Code, independent of voter consent, not reducing employer contribution requirements.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin (Democrat-38th District) and Sen. Laura M. Murphy (Democrat-28th 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.

Buclet graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BS.

Buclet, a Democrat, was elected to the Illinois State House in 2023 to represent the state’s 5th House District, replacing previous state representative Lamont Robinson Jr..

Lawmakers listed as “Not Voting” were present for the vote but did not cast a vote. Those marked as having an “Excused Absence” were not present and formally provided a reason for their absence, which was accepted.