Chicago City Wire

Ann M. Williams introduced HB2582 in the Illinois House on Feb. 4, 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 Open Meetings Act. Provides that for a 3-member body, 2 members of the body constitute a quorum, and the affirmative vote of 2 members is necessary to adopt any motion, resolution, or ordinance unless a greater number is otherwise provided. Provides that a Chicago Police District Council may hold a closed meeting involving public safety concerns to discuss (i) an ongoing, prior, or future law enforcement or official misconduct investigation or allegation thereof involving specific individuals or (ii) other topics that if discussed in an open meeting would pose an unreasonable risk to an ongoing criminal investigation or an unreasonable risk to the safety of specific individuals. Provides that an agenda for each regular meeting of a public body must be posted the principal office of the public body if such an office exists. Provides that if a public body has a website that is maintained by its full-time staff but does not have a principal office or single building where meetings are regularly held, that body is deemed to have complied with the requirement to post physical notice at the office or building of the meeting if the notice is timely posted on the public body's website. Excludes from the definition of "meeting" for a Chicago Police District Council a gathering of 2 members, except if gathered for a regularly scheduled meeting or otherwise gathered to adopt any motion, resolution, or ordinance. Provides a Chicago Police District Council may hold meetings by audio or video conference without the physical presence of the members under certain conditions except for required regularly scheduled meetings."

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 Open Meetings Act to establish that for a three-member public body, two members are needed to form a quorum, and the same number must vote affirmatively to pass any motion, resolution, or ordinance, unless otherwise specified. It allows the Chicago Police District Council to hold closed meetings regarding public safety concerns, such as ongoing, prior, or future investigations involving specific individuals, if discussing these matters in an open meeting poses a risk to ongoing criminal investigations or individual safety. The bill mandates that agendas for regular public body meetings be posted at the principal office of the body, if available, or on its website if there is no regular meeting location. Furthermore, the legislation clarifies that meetings of a Chicago Police District Council can occur via audio or video conferencing without the physical presence of members, except for obligatory regularly scheduled meetings, provided certain conditions ensuring transparency and public access are met.

Ann M. Williams has proposed one other bill since the beginning of the 104th session.

Williams graduated from the University of Iowa in 1991 with a BA and again in 1994 from Drake University Law School with a JD.

Ann M. Williams is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 11th House District. She replaced previous state representative Kathleen C. Moore 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
HB2582	02/04/2025	Amends the Open Meetings Act. Provides that for a 3-member body, 2 members of the body constitute a quorum, and the affirmative vote of 2 members is necessary to adopt any motion, resolution, or ordinance unless a greater number is otherwise provided. Provides that a Chicago Police District Council may hold a closed meeting involving public safety concerns to discuss (i) an ongoing, prior, or future law enforcement or official misconduct investigation or allegation thereof involving specific individuals or (ii) other topics that if discussed in an open meeting would pose an unreasonable risk to an ongoing criminal investigation or an unreasonable risk to the safety of specific individuals. Provides that an agenda for each regular meeting of a public body must be posted the principal office of the public body if such an office exists. Provides that if a public body has a website that is maintained by its full-time staff but does not have a principal office or single building where meetings are regularly held, that body is deemed to have complied with the requirement to post physical notice at the office or building of the meeting if the notice is timely posted on the public body's website. Excludes from the definition of "meeting" for a Chicago Police District Council a gathering of 2 members, except if gathered for a regularly scheduled meeting or otherwise gathered to adopt any motion, resolution, or ordinance. Provides a Chicago Police District Council may hold meetings by audio or video conference without the physical presence of the members under certain conditions except for required regularly scheduled meetings.
HB2658	02/04/2025	Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Allows a person to request an informal hearing regarding a suspension, revocation, or denial of the issuance of a license, permit, registration, or certificate of title at a Secretary of State driver services facility. Provides that if a person is convicted of a specified offense and the use of alcohol or other drugs is stated as an element of the offense, the Secretary may issue to the person a restricted driving permit granting the privilege of driving a motor vehicle 6 days per week, 12 hours per day within a 200-mile radius of the person's residence for any legal purpose. In provisions regarding the mandatory revocation of a license or permit, the discretionary authority to suspend or revoke a license or permit, and the period of suspension, provides that some convictions may be based on a similar out-of-state offense or similar offense committed on a military installation. Allows the Secretary to grant an employment exception to the prohibition against driving a vehicle that is not equipped with an ignition interlock device if the person is operating an occupational vehicle owned or leased by that person's employer when used solely for employment purposes. Makes other and conforming changes.
HB1305	01/13/2025	Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that the filing fees for specified petitions shall be $250 (rather than $75).