Chicago City Wire

Justin Slaughter introduced HB1655 in the Illinois House on Jan. 23, 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 Counties Code. Provides that, in a county with a population of 3,000,000 or more, a person is not eligible to be elected or appointed to the office of sheriff, unless the person has a certificate attesting to the person's successful completion of the County Correctional Training Course as prescribed by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board or a substantially similar training program of another state or the federal government."

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 Counties Code to specify eligibility criteria for the office of sheriff in Illinois. To be elected or appointed as sheriff, a candidate must be a U.S. citizen, a county resident for at least one year, and cannot be a convicted felon. In counties with populations under 3 million, the candidate must have completed the Minimum Standards Basic Law Enforcement Officers Training Course or an equivalent program. In counties with populations of 3 million or more, candidates must complete the County Correctional Training Course or a similar program. These training requirements do not apply to individuals currently serving as sheriff on the act's effective date.

Justin Slaughter has proposed another two bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Slaughter graduated from the University of Chicago with a BA.

Justin Slaughter is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 27th House District. He replaced previous state representative Monique D. Davis in 2017.

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
HB1655	01/23/2025	Amends the Counties Code. Provides that, in a county with a population of 3,000,000 or more, a person is not eligible to be elected or appointed to the office of sheriff, unless the person has a certificate attesting to the person's successful completion of the County Correctional Training Course as prescribed by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board or a substantially similar training program of another state or the federal government.
HB1656	01/23/2025	Appropriates $5,000,000 from the Rebuild Illinois Fund to the Department of Commerce and Equal Opportunity for the William Leonard Public Library. Effective July 1, 2025.
HB1225	01/09/2025	Creates the Best Customer Price Act. Provides that a public institution of higher education or a State agency may require best customer pricing for any goods it procures. Provides that, if goods are to be purchased by the State from a supplier or reseller, the supplier or reseller shall attest that the price is the best customer price. Provides that the supplier or reseller shall include a provision in the letter of supply from the manufacturer that the supplier or reseller can secure the supply and quantity of goods to be purchased, and that the manufacturer has extended the same best customer pricing from the manufacturer to each of the suppliers or resellers registered with the State for the goods to be purchased. Provides that, if a public institution of higher education or a State agency requires best customer pricing for the goods but does not believe the price is competitive, the public institution of higher education or the State agency may decline to award the bid. Effective immediately.