Chicago City Wire

Mike Simmons introduced SB1388 in the Illinois Senate on Jan. 29, 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 Regional Transportation Authority Act. Provides that, by December 31, 2025, the Regional Transportation Authority, the Board of the Commuter Rail Division of the Authority, the Board of the Suburban Bus Division of the Authority, and the Board of the Chicago Transit Authority shall create a program to provide free rides to persons earning under 138% of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' poverty guidelines. Effective July 1, 2025."

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

In essence, this bill amends the Regional Transportation Authority Act to establish a program offering free rides to individuals earning less than 138% of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' poverty guidelines, with implementation required by Dec. 31, 2025. It mandates the Regional Transportation Authority and associated boards to collaborate on this initiative. Additionally, the authority is required to provide the Department of Public Health with a monthly list of free or reduced-fare riders, including personal details to ensure the removal of deceased individuals from the program. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025.

Mike Simmons has proposed another five 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
SB1388	01/29/2025	Amends the Regional Transportation Authority Act. Provides that, by December 31, 2025, the Regional Transportation Authority, the Board of the Commuter Rail Division of the Authority, the Board of the Suburban Bus Division of the Authority, and the Board of the Chicago Transit Authority shall create a program to provide free rides to persons earning under 138% of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' poverty guidelines. Effective July 1, 2025.
SB1387	01/29/2025	Amends the State Comptroller Act. Provides that all State payments that are recurring payments to a vendor shall be made through direct deposit. Provides that it is the responsibility of the paying State agency to ensure compliance with the mandate. Defines "recurring payment". Effective immediately.
SB1389	01/29/2025	Amends the Adult Protective Services Act. Expands the list of mandated reporters under the Act to include broker-dealers and officers, managers, and employees of financial institutions. Provides that financial exploitation of an adult with disabilities or a person aged 60 or older occurs when a person or entity (i) takes, secretes, appropriates, obtains, or retains real or personal property of an eligible adult for a wrongful use or with intent to defraud, or both; (ii) assists in taking, secreting, appropriating, obtaining, or retaining real or personal property of an eligible adult for a wrongful use or with intent to defraud, or both; (iii) knowingly aids and abets in the taking, secreting, appropriating, obtaining, or retaining of real or personal property of an eligible adult for a wrongful use or with intent to defraud, or both; or (iv) takes, secretes, appropriates, obtains, or retains, or assists in taking, secreting, appropriating, obtaining, or retaining, real or personal property of an eligible adult by undue influence. Sets forth when a financial institution or an officer, manager, or employee of a financial institution, a broker-dealer, or an investment adviser is deemed to have assisted in taking, secreting, appropriating, obtaining, or retaining real or personal property of an eligible adult. Sets forth when all other mandated reporters are deemed to have assisted in taking, secreting, appropriating, obtaining, or retaining real or personal property of an eligible adult. Exempts from liability nonsupervisory employees of a financial institution. Contains other provisions.
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.