The new bill authored by State Sen. Mattie Hunter in the Illinois Senate aims to support research and development of alternative proteins at public institutions of higher education, according to the Illinois State Senate.
The bill, introduced as SB4171 on March 10, 2026, during the general assembly session 104, was summarized by the state legislature as follows: “Appropriates $5,000,000 to the Department of Agriculture for grants to Illinois public institutions of higher education for research and development focused on alternative protein research. Effective July 1, 2026.”
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill appropriates $5 million from the General Revenue Fund to the Illinois Department of Agriculture to provide grants to Illinois public institutions of higher education for research and development focused on alternative proteins. The funding is available in the amount specified or as much as may be necessary. The bill appears intended to support scientific and technological advances in alternative protein sources through academic research. The act takes effect July 1, 2026.
Hunter has proposed another 25 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.
Hunter graduated from Monmouth College in 1976 with a BA.
Hunter, a Democrat, was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 2003 to represent the state’s 3rd Senate District, replacing previous state senator Elga L. Jefferies.
Bills Introduced by Mattie Hunter in Illinois Senate During General Assembly Session 104
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| SB4171 | 03/10/2026 | Appropriates $5,000,000 to the Department of Agriculture for grants to Illinois public institutions of higher education for research and development focused on alternative protein research. Effective July 1, 2026. |
| SB4069 | 02/24/2026 | Appropriates $1,000,000 to the University of Illinois for the expansion of biomanufacturing and alternative protein research and development at the University’s integrated bioprocessing research laboratory. Effective July 1, 2026. |
| SB4060 | 02/19/2026 | Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that a municipality shall provide for at least one residential zoning district in which detached single-family dwellings are permitted on lots with an area of not more than 2,500 square feet. Provides that a municipality may not require a minimum lot area of more than 2,500 square feet for detached single-family dwellings in any residential zoning district that permits detached single-family dwellings. Provides that, 8 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, a municipality shall, on any lot located in a residential zoning district that permits single-family dwellings, allow (1) on an area of not more than 2,500 square feet, at least one detached single-family dwelling unit; (2) on any lot with an area of more than 2,500 square feet and not more than 5,000 square feet, up to 4 dwelling units; (3) on any lot with an area of more than 5,000 square feet and not more than 7,500 square feet, up to 6 dwelling units; and (4) on any lot with an area of more than 7,500 square feet, up to 8 dwelling units, including cottage clusters. Provides that a municipality must allow an existing principal residential structure to be converted to any middle-housing type if (1) the structure is not expanded by more than 50% of its existing floor area or more than 1,200 square feet, whichever is greater; and (2) the conversion complies with applicable building codes and preservation or landmark laws. Provides that municipalities may not adopt or enforce standards for bulk, lot area, yards, height, automobile parking, density, floor-area ratio, lot coverage, access, unit size, building separation, and design that (1) impose requirements on middle housing that are more restrictive than those applicable to detached single-family dwellings; (2) require automobile parking mandates for residential dwellings of less than 1,500 square feet and require automobile parking mandates no greater than specified requirements; and (3) require any form of discretionary review, unless the same review is required for detached single-family dwellings. Limits home rule powers. |
| SB3522 | 02/05/2026 | Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title. |
| SB3523 | 02/05/2026 | Appropriates $3,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Human Services for grants and administrative and operational expenses associated with GRO Community. Effective July 1, 2026. |
| SB3524 | 02/05/2026 | Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. Provides for a child support calculation for shared physical care in which each parent exercises 110 or more overnights per year with the child or 110 or more overnight equivalents as determined by a court as a deviation from guidelines or upon agreement by the parties. Provides that overnight equivalents are calculated by using a method other than overnights if the parent has significant parenting time periods on separate days in which the child is in the parent’s physical care and under the direct care of that parent but does not stay overnight. Provides that if parents have shared physical care of a child, the basic child support obligation is multiplied by 1.5 to calculate the combined shared care child support obligation; the court shall determine each parent’s portion of the shared care child support obligation based on the parent’s percentage share of combined adjusted net income; the shared care child support obligation is then computed for each parent by multiplying that parent’s portion of the shared care support obligation by the percentage of time the child spends with the other parent and determining any adjustment for shared physical custody that is less than 146 overnights or overnight equivalents. Provides that the respective shared care child support obligations are then offset with the parent owing more paying the difference in child support. Creates a statutory table to calculate the child support if a parent has physical shared custody for less than 146 overnights or overnight equivalents per year. Provides that the shared care child support obligation after adjustment may not be greater than the amount that would have been ordered under the basic support guidelines in any event. Provides that a parent incarcerated for more than 180 days is presumed to be unable to pay any amount of child support, and this presumption may be rebutted by evidence establishing the ability to pay child support during incarceration. Provides a rebuttable presumption that a minimum child support obligation of $40 per month, per child, will be entered for an obligor who has actual or imputed gross income at or less than 100% of the most recent United States Department of Health and Human Services Federal Poverty Guidelines for a family of one person. |
| SB3739 | 02/05/2026 | Amends the Community-Integrated Living Arrangements Licensure and Certification Act. Changes the licensing term for a community developmental services agency from 3 years to 2 years. |
| SB3740 | 02/05/2026 | Amends the Medicaid Technical Assistance Act. Requires the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center to collaborate with public and private partners throughout the State to identify, establish, and maintain best practices necessary for health providers to ensure their capacity to participate in the Illinois Medical Assistance Program (rather than ensure their capacity to participate in HealthChoice Illinois or YouthCare). Requires the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center to promote equitable delivery systems, remaining committed to the principle that all Medicaid recipients have accessible and equitable physical and mental health care services. Removes provisions concerning the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center’s administration of network adequacy reports, and instead requires the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center to administer a network requirement plan. Provides that by using reports and data provided by the Department of Healthcare and Family Service’s External Quality Review Organization on network adequacy, provider service deserts, and health care disparities by race and ethnicity, the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center shall propose for Department review and approval an annual plan for recruiting providers to participate in the Illinois Medical Assistance Program and report on outcomes of its recruitment efforts to the Department for continuous improvement. Repeals a provision requiring the Department to maximize federal financial participation for any moneys appropriated to the Department for the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center and to deposit all federal financial participation funds into the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center Fund. Repeals a provision creating the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center Fund. Amends the State Finance Act. Provides for the dissolution of the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center Fund on July 1, 2026, or as soon thereafter as practical, after the transfer of all remaining funds into the Healthcare Provider Relief Fund. Effective July 1, 2026. |
| SB3741 | 02/05/2026 | Amends the Newborn Screening Act. Changes the title of the Act and the short title. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2026, an additional newborn screening fee of at least $45, determined by the Department by rule, may be collected and deposited into the Metabolic Screening and Treatment Fund for specified purposes. Provides that nothing in the Act shall be construed to override, replace, preempt, or supersede any provision, requirement, or other duty or prohibition under the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act. Limits the application of certain provisions to hearing screenings and makes technical and conforming changes. Makes conforming changes in the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, the Illinois Procurement Code, the Illinois Public Aid Code, and the Genetic Information Privacy Act. Effective immediately. |
| SB3769 | 02/05/2026 | Creates the Medical Assistant Practice Act. Provides that the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation shall issue credentials for Registered Medical Assistants (RMA-IL) and Licensed Medical Assistants (LMA-IL). Provides that an applicant for registration as a Registered Medical Assistant (RMA-IL) shall be at least 18 years of age; complete not less than one academic year of approved education; pass a Department-approved examination; and meet the requirements established by rule. Provides that an applicant for licensure as a Licensed Medical Assistant (LMA-IL) shall meet all requirements for registration as a RMA-IL; complete not less than 2 academic years of approved education; pass a Department-approved licensure examination; and meet the requirements established by rule. Sets forth provisions concerning examinations; education and training programs; transition; experienced-based education credit; renewal and continuing education; and rulemaking. Effective July 1, 2026. |
| SB3265 | 02/03/2026 | Amends the Illinois Dental Practice Act. Provides that “community health center” means a migrant health center, community health center, health care program for the homeless or for residents of public housing supported under the federal Public Health Service Act, or FQHC, including an FQHC Look-Alike, as designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, that operates at least one federally designated primary health care delivery site in Illinois. Provides that “physician” means a person licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987 to practice medicine in all of its branches and does not include a chiropractic physician. In provisions concerning acts constituting the practice of dental hygiene, provides that a public health dental hygienist may not administer local anesthesia except as provided in the amendatory provisions. Provides that a dental hygienist practicing in a community health center may administer local anesthetics upon the successful completion of a training program approved by the Department and under the general supervision of a dentist as long as the community health center: (i) has adopted written policies and procedures establishing supervision by a dentist or physician at the time the local anesthetics are administered, and (ii) ensures that a dentist or physician is physically present in the clinic at the time the local anesthetics are administered. |
| SB3266 | 02/03/2026 | Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that, to the extent permitted under federal law and regulations, the Department of Human Services shall, as soon as practical after the effective date of the amendatory Act but not later than March 1, 2027, implement an electronic benefits transfer system that uses industry-standard commercial electronic funds transfer technology, including, at a minimum, the use of cards with EMV chips. |
| SB3103 | 01/29/2026 | Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides medical assistance coverage for sickle cell disease (rather than sickle cell anemia). |
| SB2970 | 01/27/2026 | Amends the Illinois Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Act. Makes changes concerning the taxes due under the Act on estates that contain qualified farm property. Provides that, for the purposes of calculating the State Death Tax Credit, those estates are subject to an exemption of $6,000,000 (rather than an exclusion amount of $4,000,000), which shall be deducted from the net estate value after the net estate value is computed in accordance with the Act. Provides that the exemption shall be adjusted each year according to the increase in the Consumer Price Index. Makes changes concerning the calculation of the deceased spousal unused exclusion amount for those estates. Provides for a special use valuation to provide that the value of the qualified farm property shall be calculated without regard to certain limitations under the Internal Revenue Code. Makes changes concerning the definition of “qualified heir”. Effective January 1, 2027. |
| SB2616 | 02/25/2025 | Appropriates $2,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Agriculture to be used as a grant to an Illinois higher education institution’s integrated bioprocessing research laboratory for the expansion of alternative protein research. Effective immediately. |
| SB2475 | 02/07/2025 | Amends the Department of Human Services Act. In provisions concerning death reports investigated by the Department of Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, provides that death reports with no allegation of abuse or neglect shall only be released to the Secretary of Human Services and to the director of the facility or agency when a recommendation is made. Provides that unredacted investigative reports may be shared with the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Amends the Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities Act. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall operate and maintain an Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education-Wood for the education of individuals who are blind, visually impaired, or DeafBlind and are seeking competitive integrated employment. Makes conforming change to the School Code. Amends the Community-Integrated Living Arrangements Licensure and Certification Act. Removes all references regarding the operation of community-integrated living arrangements for the supervision of persons with mental illness. Amends the Early Intervention Services System Act. Extends early intervention services to children who have been found eligible for early childhood special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and have an individualized education program. Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code. Adds physician assistance to the list of medical professionals listed under the definition of “qualified examiner”. Adds advanced practice psychiatric nurse to several provisions listing medical professionals making mental health determinations. Makes conforming changes to the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act. Removes a requirement that a person witness the signing of a consent form. Repeals provisions in the Department of Human Services Act, the State Finance Act, and the Illinois Income Tax Act concerning the Autism Research Checkoff Fund. Effective immediately. |
| SB2476 | 02/07/2025 | Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a credit in an amount equal to 20% of the qualified conversion expenditures incurred by a taxpayer for a qualified converted building. Effective immediately. |
| SB2477 | 02/07/2025 | Amends the Illinois African-American Family Commission Act, the Asian American Family Commission Act, and the Illinois Latino Family Commission Act replacing current provisions in those Acts with the following: Makes a grammatical correction to the title of the Illinois African-American Family Commission Act and to other provisions of the Act, and makes conforming changes in the Violence Prevention Task Force Act, the Commission on Children and Youth Act, the Commission to Study Disproportionate Justice Impact Act, the Advisory Commission on Reducing the Disproportionate Representation of African-American Children in Foster Care Act, the Commission to End Hunger Act, the Racial and Ethnic Impact Research Task Force Act, and the Commission on Equity and Inclusion Act. Provides that each Commission shall advocate for policies, programs, and services that promote greater equity and inclusion in State government. Provides that the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives shall each appoint 3 members to each commission (with the term of a member of any of the Commissions serving on the effective date of the amendatory Act ending on the effective date of the amendatory Act), and each Commission membership shall appoint the chairperson or chairpersons. Provides that the organizational meeting of each Commission shall take place after all members are appointed but no later than 60 days after 50% or more of the members on the Commission have been appointed. Provides that the Lieutenant Governor’s Office shall provide administrative support for the Commissions (rather than the Commission on Equity and Inclusion providing general oversight of the operations of the Commissions). Provides that the Lieutenant Governor’s Office may receive funding through appropriations made available for use on behalf of the commissions. Provides that the Office shall expend funds set aside for the Commissions at the direction of the Commissions. Effective immediately. |
| SB2478 | 02/07/2025 | Creates the Utility Data Access Act. Requires the Illinois Commerce Commission to enact the following procedures: (1) a utility shall retain all consumption data for a period of not less than 2 years; (2) a qualified utility shall retain monthly consumption data used for billing for a period of not less than 15 years; (3) a utility shall honor an account holder’s request to transmit the account holder’s covered usage data held by the utility to any entity designated by the account holder; (4) a qualified data recipient with respect to a qualified building or qualified property may request that a qualified utility provide aggregated usage data for the qualified building or qualified property; (5) a utility shall deliver requested data on a schedule set by the Commission; and (6) the account holder request process and utility delivery of requested data shall be convenient and secure. Establishes requirements for: the Commission’s participation in a stakeholder process; the form and timeline in which covered usage data is provided to the data recipient; entry of data into the benchmarking tool; and the provision of covered usage data to recipients upon account holder authorization. Provides that, except in cases where the utility has not followed processes established by the Act or the utility is grossly negligent, the utility shall be held harmless for third-party misuse of data shared under the Act and no cause of action may be initiated against the utility for such subsequent misuse. Provides that prior to filing for cost recovery, a qualified utility must first demonstrate good faith efforts to secure federal, State, or other relevant funding options. Sets forth provisions regarding funding for the Commission to carry out its responsibilities under the Act and the Commission selecting and engaging outside consultants with experience in benchmarking and utility data access. States findings. Defines terms. |
| SB2479 | 02/07/2025 | Amends the Consumer Installment Loan Act. Provides that the certified database provider shall indemnify the licensee against all claims and actions arising from illegal or willful or wanton acts on the part of the certified database provider. The certified database provider may charge a fee not to exceed the lesser of $1 or 0.1% of the loan principal for each loan entered into the certified database. Prohibits the database provider from charging any additional fees or charges to the licensee. Effective immediately. |
| SB2480 | 02/07/2025 | Creates the Illinois African American Commission Act, the Illinois Asian American Commission Act, and the Illinois Latino Commission Act. Establishes a new Illinois African American Commission, Illinois Latino Commission, and Illinois Asian American Commission. Provides that the purpose of these Commissions is to be an independent voice for their communities, represent community priorities, and advocate for policies, programs, and services that promote greater equity and inclusion in State government. Repeals the African American Family Commission Act, the Latino Family Commission Act, and the Asian American Family Commission Act. |
| SB1911 | 02/06/2025 | Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that a county opting out of the special assessment programs to reduce the assessed value of certain residential real property shall not disqualify or shorten the maximum eligibility periods for any property approved to receive a reduced valuation prior to the county opting out. Requires that the special assessment programs be available to all qualifying residential real property regardless of whether or not the property has or is currently receiving any other public financing or subsidies or subject to any regulatory agreements with any public entity, or both. If an owner is approved for the reduced valuation prior to December 31, 2037 and the provisions are not subsequently extended, this shall not disqualify or shorten the maximum eligibility periods for any property approved to receive a reduced valuation. Provides that, if the chief county assessment officer has not created application forms, the chief county assessment officer shall make publicly available and accept applications forms that shall be available to local governments from the Illinois Department of Revenue. If a county Internet website exists, the application materials, as well as any other program requirements used by the county (such as application deadlines, fees, and other procedures required by the application) must be published on that website, otherwise it must be available to the public upon request at the office of the chief county assessment officer. On an annual basis, requires the Illinois Housing Development Authority to calculate and make available on its website the minimum per square foot expenditure requirements to be applicable statewide to be eligible for the reduced valuation, which shall include the historical annual expenditure requirements starting with calendar year 2021. Changes reference to improvements to existing residential real property to substantially rehabilitated residential real property. Makes other changes. |
| SB1912 | 02/06/2025 | Amends the Underserved Health Care Provider Workforce Act. Changes the definition of “designated shortage area” to mean an area designated as a medically underserved area or a health professional shortage area (rather than a physician shortage area, a medically underserved area, or a critical health manpower shortage area). Changes the term “eligible medical student” to “eligible student”, and includes in the definition of that term a person who is studying optometry in an optometry college or institution located in Illinois and that a person may agree to practice full-time in a designated shortage area as an optometrist or anesthesiologist one year for each year he or she is a scholarship recipient. Includes a rural health center, a federally qualified health center, a federally qualified health center look alike, and an optometric office in the definition of “medical facility”. Includes an optometrist in the definition of “eligible health care provider”. Includes an obstetrician or gynecologist in the definition of “primary care physician”. Includes loan repayment recipients in a provision regarding scholarship recipients who fail to fulfill specified obligations, and provides that the amounts paid by these scholarship or loan repayment recipients shall be deposited into the fund where the payment originated from (rather than the Community Health Center Care Fund). Repeals a different provision defining “primary care physician”. Effective January 1, 2026. |
| SB1913 | 02/06/2025 | Amends the Child Care Act of 1969. Provides that an entity that contracts with the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Early Childhood, a child care facility, or a non-licensed service provider to provide a service that places the entity’s employees in a child care facility shall require each employee who is placed or will be placed in such a facility to undergo a criminal background investigation. Provides that each entity shall submit an applicable employee’s fingerprints to the Illinois State Police in the form and manner prescribed by the Illinois State Police. Sets forth provisions concerning the processing of an employee’s fingerprints and actions that the Illinois State Police shall take regarding the criminal background investigation. Provides that information concerning the convictions of an entity’s employee who is placed or will be placed in a child care facility and who is investigated, including the source of the information and any conclusions or recommendations derived from the information, shall be provided, upon request, to such entity and the entity’s employee prior to final action by the Department of Children and Family Services or the Department of Early Childhood under the agencies’ respective authority on the application. Sets forth provisions concerning the transmission of information about an employee’s criminal charges and the protection of confidential information. Provides that any employee of the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Early Childhood, the Illinois State Police, or a child care facility receiving confidential information who gives or causes to be given any confidential information concerning any criminal convictions of an applicant, employee, or volunteer of a child care facility or non-licensed service provider or an employee who is placed in a child care facility by a contracted entity, shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor unless release of such information is authorized by the provisions concerning criminal background investigations. |
| SB1301 | 01/28/2025 | Amends the Deposit of State Moneys Act and the Public Funds Investment Act. Provides that the State Treasurer or any public agency may consider the current and historical ratings that a financial institution has received under the Illinois Community Reinvestment Act when deciding whether to deposit State or public funds in that financial institution. Provides that, effective January 1, 2026, no State or public funds may be deposited in a financial institution subject to the Illinois Community Reinvestment Act unless either (i) the institution has a current rating of satisfactory or outstanding under the Illinois Community Reinvestment Act or (ii) the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation has not yet completed its initial examination of the institution pursuant to the Illinois Community Reinvestment Act. Makes conforming changes. Effective January 1, 2026. |
| SB1302 | 01/28/2025 | Repeals the Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities Property Tax Relief Act and removes all cross-references to the Act in various statutes. Amends the Illinois Act on the Aging. Requires the Department on Aging to implement and administer the Benefits Access Program and to establish the eligibility criteria under the program for: (1) the Secretary of State with respect to reduced fees paid by qualified vehicle owners under the Illinois Vehicle Code; (2) special districts that offer free fixed route public transportation services for qualified older adults under the Local Mass Transit District Act, the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act, and the Regional Transportation Authority Act; and (3) special districts that offer transit services for qualified individuals with disabilities under the Local Mass Transit District Act, the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act, and the Regional Transportation Authority Act. Sets forth household income eligibility limits and other eligibility requirements under the program. Authorizes the Department to adopt rules concerning automatic renewals and appeal rights under the program. Makes corresponding changes concerning the program to the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act, the Local Mass Transit District Act, the Regional Transportation Authority Act, the Illinois Public Aid Code, the Older Adult Services Act, and the Illinois Vehicle Code. Further amends the Illinois Act on the Aging by removing a requirement that the Department: (i) study the feasibility of implementing an affirmative action employment plan for the recruitment, hiring, and training of persons 60 years of age or older; and (ii) develop a multilingual pamphlet to assist physicians, pharmacists, and patients in monitoring prescriptions provided by various physicians and to aid persons 65 years of age or older in complying with directions for proper use of pharmaceutical prescriptions. Adds a requirement that the Department implement the Older Americans Act. Removes provisions requiring a Community Care Program Medicaid Initiative and a Community Care Program Medicaid Enrollment Oversight Subcommittee. Makes other changes. |
