Chicago City Wire

Mike Simmons introduced SB1262 in the Illinois Senate on Jan. 28, 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 Department of Innovation and Technology Act. Provides that, on or before January 1, 2026, the Department of Innovation and Technology shall develop and implement a system that allows users accessing a website operated by the State to automatically translate the contents of that website into another language. Provides that the system shall provide automatic translation to at least the 100 most commonly spoken language in the State. Effective immediately."

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

In essence, this bill mandates the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology to establish and implement a system by Jan. 1, 2026, that enables users to automatically translate state-operated websites into different languages. The system must include translation capabilities for at least the 100 most commonly spoken languages in Illinois. The act is effective immediately upon becoming law, aiming to enhance accessibility and inclusivity for diverse linguistic communities by facilitating multilingual access to state digital resources.

Mike Simmons has proposed another two bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Simmons graduated from Amherst College in 2006 with a BA.

Mike Simmons is currently serving in the Illinois State Senate, representing the state's 7th Senate District. He replaced previous state senator Heather Steans in 2021.

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
SB1262	01/28/2025	Amends the Department of Innovation and Technology Act. Provides that, on or before January 1, 2026, the Department of Innovation and Technology shall develop and implement a system that allows users accessing a website operated by the State to automatically translate the contents of that website into another language. Provides that the system shall provide automatic translation to at least the 100 most commonly spoken language in the State. Effective immediately.
SB1173	01/24/2025	Amends the Illinois Identification Card Act. Removes a provision that requires the application of a homeless individual for an Illinois Identification Card to be accompanied by an affirmation by a qualified person, on a form provided by the Secretary of State, that the applicant is currently homeless.
SB0088	01/17/2025	Amends the Illinois Affordable Housing Act. Provides that funds in the Illinois Affordable Housing Trust Fund may be used for housing counseling. Defines "housing counseling" to mean services provided by an organization approved by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to be a HUD-Approved Housing Counseling Agency.