Chicago City Wire

Elgie R. Sims, Jr. introduced SB2418 in the Illinois Senate on Feb. 7, 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 Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the Department of Juvenile Justice shall provide resources to persons under the 18 years of age who have been adjudicated delinquent for a nonviolent crime. Provides that a nonviolent crime does not include the use or threat of force toward a person. Provides that the resources shall include: (1) mentoring; (2) access to educational resources in collaboration with the State Board of Education; (3) employment training opportunities; (4) behavioral health services, including trauma informed services; (5) parent supports; and (6) any other resources that the Department deems helpful to youth convicted of nonviolent crimes. Provides that the Department may provide services through existing or new service contracts with community agencies. Provides that the circuit courts and probation departments may refer youth to this program. Provides that the Department shall not provide any supervision of court-ordered conditions under the program. Provides that on or before July 1, 2026, the Department shall publicize on its website the program and the process for referring eligible youth. Provides that the Department shall include the number of youth and families served and a summary of the types of services provided through this program in its annual report."

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 Unified Code of Corrections by adding Section 3-2.5-25 to establish a youth nonviolent crime resource program. It mandates the Department to provide resources to individuals under 18 adjudicated for nonviolent crimes, specifically excluding crimes involving the use or threat of force. Covered resources include mentoring, educational access in cooperation with the State Board of Education, employment training, behavioral health and trauma services, parent support, and other helpful resources. The Department may collaborate with community agencies through service contracts and accept program referrals from circuit courts and probation departments, but will not manage court-ordered conditions. By July 1, 2026, the Department must publicize the program and referral process online, and include participation and service summaries in its annual report.

Elgie R. Sims, Jr. has proposed another 15 bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Sims graduated from Illinois State University in 1993 with a BA and again in 2007 from Loyola University School of Law at Chicago with a JD.

Elgie R. Sims Jr. is currently serving in the Illinois State Senate, representing the state's 17th Senate District. He replaced previous state senator Donne Trotter in 2018.

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
SB2418	02/07/2025	Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the Department of Juvenile Justice shall provide resources to persons under the 18 years of age who have been adjudicated delinquent for a nonviolent crime. Provides that a nonviolent crime does not include the use or threat of force toward a person. Provides that the resources shall include: (1) mentoring; (2) access to educational resources in collaboration with the State Board of Education; (3) employment training opportunities; (4) behavioral health services, including trauma informed services; (5) parent supports; and (6) any other resources that the Department deems helpful to youth convicted of nonviolent crimes. Provides that the Department may provide services through existing or new service contracts with community agencies. Provides that the circuit courts and probation departments may refer youth to this program. Provides that the Department shall not provide any supervision of court-ordered conditions under the program. Provides that on or before July 1, 2026, the Department shall publicize on its website the program and the process for referring eligible youth. Provides that the Department shall include the number of youth and families served and a summary of the types of services provided through this program in its annual report.
SB2447	02/07/2025	Amends the State Finance Act. Requires the clerks of the court to remit a portion of filing and appearance fees to the State Treasurer for deposit into the Guardianship and Advocacy Fund. Increases various schedule fees. Creates fees for county law libraries, neutral site custody, dispute resolutions, and domestic relation legal fund. Amends the Clerks of Courts Act. Provides that no fee may be charged for accounts filed for guardianships established for disabled minors or adults. Eliminates a provision that unless a court-ordered payment schedule is implemented or the fee requirements of the provisions concerning circuit court clerks' fees are waived under a court order, the clerk of the circuit court may add to any unpaid fees and costs under this provision a delinquency amount equal to 5% of the unpaid fees that remain unpaid after 30 days, 10% of the unpaid fees that remain unpaid after 60 days, and 15% of the unpaid fees that remain unpaid after 90 days. Creates additional conditional assessments. Amends the Criminal and Traffic Assessment Act. Amends the Domestic Relations Legal Funding Act. Allows any county to enact a fee. Provides that conditional assessments include court-supervised service provider costs imposed in a case. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Prohibits plea agreements that are conditioned upon a defendant giving up the right to seek as assessment waiver. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the court shall, without application, reduce the total amount of fines imposed on a defendant who is sentenced to a term of imprisonment, based upon the defendant's prison sentence. Amends the Counties Code, the Neutral Site Custody Exchange Funding Act, the Illinois Municipal Code, the Firearm Concealed Carry Act, the Domestic Relations Legal Funding Act, the Illinois Not-For-Profit Dispute Center Resolution Act, the Criminal Code of 2012, the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963, the Unified Code of Corrections, the Code of Civil Procedure, the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act, and the Illinois Adoption Act to make other and confirming changes.
SB2470	02/07/2025	Amends the Innovation Development and Economy Act. Provides that the corporate authorities of any political subdivision that (i) is not a home-rule unit and (ii) has established a STAR bond district under the Act may, by ordinance or resolution, impose a tourism tax upon all admission and amusement charges from transactions at places of business located within the STAR bond district, at a rate not to exceed 9% of the gross receipts derived from any admission and amusement charge within the STAR bond district, to be imposed only in 0.25% increments. Provides that the tax imposed under the provisions and all civil penalties that may be assessed as an incident of the tax under the provisions shall be collected and enforced by the Department of Revenue. Provides that, for any STAR bond district created on or after January 1, 2025, the Director of Revenue may only approve a STAR bond district if the Director finds that: (i) the proposed STAR bond district is an eligible area; (ii) the STAR bond district plan includes a projected capital investment of at least $500,000,000; (iii) the STAR bond district plan is reasonably projected to produce at least $100,000,000 of annual gross sales revenues, 1,500 new jobs, and 5,000 construction jobs; (iv) the STAR bond district plan includes a statement of how the jobs and taxes will contribute significantly to the economic development of the State and region; (v) the STAR bond district plan shows visitation expectations in excess of 1,000,000 visitors annually; (vi) the STAR bond district plan includes potential destination users and a potential entertainment user; (vii) the creation of the STAR bond district and STAR bond district plan are in accordance with the purpose of the Act and the public interest; and (viii) the STAR bond district and STAR bond district plan meet any other requirement the Director deems appropriate. Provides that, for the purposes of the Act, "local sales tax increment" includes, with respect to local sales taxes administered by the Illinois Department of Revenue, all of the local sales tax paid by, among others, amusement park users. Makes other changes.
SB1897	02/06/2025	Amends the Film Production Services Tax Credit Act of 2008. Provides that accredited productions shall be considered Category 1 productions or Category 2 productions. Provides that a Category 1 production is an accredited production that meets the following criteria: (1) at least 75% of all principal filming or taping days of the accredited production that occur at any soundstage facility within or without Illinois occur at a qualified production facility; and (2) at least 20% of the total expenditures for the accredited production are for (i) tangible property that will be used at a qualified production facility or for the use of the qualified production facility; (ii) the performance of services at a qualified production facility; or (iii) any combination of (i) and (ii). Makes changes concerning the amount of the credit. Makes changes concerning the number of nonresident employees whose wages may be considered Illinois labor expenditures. Makes changes concerning the definition of "qualified production facility". Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act to make changes concerning withholdings for loan out company employees. Effective immediately.
SB1898	02/06/2025	Amends the Judicial Privacy Act. Adds administrative law judges to the definition of judicial officer in the Judicial Privacy Act.
SB1899	02/06/2025	Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that a person charged with certain weapon-related offenses under the Criminal Code of 2012 and sentenced to the First Time Weapons Offense Program under the Unified Code of Corrections or any other court-ordered diversionary program created by law or by a court of the State of Illinois may submit an application for a Firearm Owner's Identification Card before receiving a court order demonstrating completion of the program. Directs the Illinois State Police to issue a Firearm Owner's Identification Card to such a person upon receiving a court order demonstrating completion of the program, provided the person is otherwise eligible to receive a Firearm Owner's Identification Card. Specifies that a FOID application made under this provision shall be approved or denied within 10 business days of receiving a court order or written notification from a State's Attorney that the person completed a diversionary program.
SB1900	02/06/2025	Creates the Inclusive Venture Investment Act. Provides that the State Treasurer shall create a Direct Matching Funds Program. Provides that the purpose of the program shall be to leverage State-managed funds for investments in minority-owned venture capital firms, minority-owned financial managers, and minority-led startups. Sets forth provisions for investment requirements and incentives; administration; transparency and reporting; oversight and compliance; confidentiality; and rulemaking. Effective July 1, 2026.
SB1955	02/06/2025	Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Provides that in the Eviction Article, the term "impounded" has the meaning ascribed to the term in the Court Record and Document Accessibility Act. In that Article, replaces the term "seal" with "impound" and provides that a court may order that a file may be impounded by agreement of the parties. In the expungement provisions of the Criminal Identification Act, modifies the definitions of "expunge" and "seal" and removes a definition of "impounded". Makes conforming changes, including in the Court Record and Document Accessibility Act. Changes "court" to "circuit court clerk" relating to some court duties.
SB1956	02/06/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Makes changes in provisions concerning (i) an addition modification for interest paid, accrued, or incurred to a person who would be a member of the taxpayer's unitary business group but for the fact that the person is ordinarily required to apportion business income under different provisions of the Act and (ii) an addition modification for intangible expenses and costs otherwise allowed as a deduction in computing the taxpayer's base income that were paid, accrued, or incurred to a person who would be a member of the taxpayer's unitary business group but for the fact that the person is ordinarily required to apportion business income under different provisions of the Act. Effective immediately.
SB1754	02/05/2025	Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that the offense of methamphetamine trafficking may be tried in any county. Permits the Attorney General to authorize certain eavesdropping requests from law enforcement. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Permits the Attorney General or an Assistant Attorney General authorized by the Attorney General to authorize an application to a circuit judge or an associate judge assigned by the Chief Judge of the circuit for, and such judge may grant in conformity with the Judicial Supervision of the Use of Eavesdropping Devices Article of the Code, an order authorizing or approving the use of an eavesdropping device by a law enforcement officer or agency having the responsibility for the investigation of any felony under Illinois law where any one party to a conversation to be monitored, or previously monitored in the case of an emergency situation, has consented to such monitoring. Amends the Statewide Grand Jury Act. Provides that a Statewide Grand Jury may investigate, indict, and prosecute theft, retail theft, Internet offenses, continuing financial crimes enterprise, vehicular hijacking, aggravated vehicular hijacking, vehicular invasion, burglary, residential burglary, and home invasion if the offense involves acts occurring in more than one county of the State.
SB1755	02/05/2025	Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Provides that to ensure Illinois parents with children, including foster parents and parents of adult children with intellectual or developmental disabilities, can easily access all publicly available information on State resources for parents, as soon as practicable the Department shall maintain a publicly accessible webpage on its official website that lists each child care, early child care, education, nutrition, mental health, housing, family planning, cash assistance, health care, and any other program or service for parents operated by the Department or another State agency, including, but not limited to, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Early Childhood, the Department of Public Health, the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice. Provides that the webpage must include for each listed program and service a hyperlink to a publicly viewable webpage that is operated and maintained by the State agency responsible for administering the program or service and that includes additional information and resources on the specific program or service.
SB1756	02/05/2025	Creates the Interstate Massage Compact. Provides that the State of Illinois enters into the Interstate Massage Compact. Provides that the purpose of the Compact is to reduce the burdens on State governments and to facilitate the interstate practice and regulation of massage therapy with the goal of improving public access to, and the safety of, massage therapy services. Sets out provisions concerning member state requirements; multistate license requirements; the authority of the Interstate Massage Compact Commission and member state licensing authorities; adverse actions; active duty military members and the spouses of active duty military members; establishment and operation of the Interstate Massage Compact Commission; data systems; rulemaking; oversight, dispute resolution, and enforcement; the effective date of, withdrawal from, and amending the Compact; construction and severability; and conflicts with member state laws.
SB1758	02/05/2025	Amends the Election Code. Provides that the Elections Special Projects Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury. Provides that any federal grant reimbursements paid to the State Board of Elections shall be deposited into the Fund. Provides that moneys in the Fund shall be used for purposes consistent with specified provisions of the Illinois Constitution. Provides that, beginning June 30, 2026, and the last day of each fiscal year thereafter, the State Comptroller shall direct and the State Treasurer shall transfer any moneys in excess of $1,000,000 from the Elections Special Projects Fund to the General Revenue Fund. Amends the State Finance Act to make a conforming change.
SB1535	02/04/2025	Creates the Straw Purchaser Accountability Act. Provides that whenever any person engages in gun trafficking or intentionally or negligently delivers or causes to be delivered a firearm, firearm ammunition, or a laser sight accessory, firearm silencer, or muffler to: (1) any person who is not legally authorized to possess that item; (2) a person who is purchasing the item on behalf of another person; or (3) any other person the deliverer knows or has reason to know will use the item unlawfully; the deliverer shall thereafter be civilly liable for the commission of any subsequent tortious conduct that directly or indirectly involves the use, attempted use, or threatened use of the item by any person. Provides that a prevailing plaintiff shall be entitled to all relief that would make him or her whole. Provides that persons subject to liability under the Act are jointly and severally liable. Provides that any person who recovers damages under the Act may not recover the same costs or damages under any other Act. Provides that a person who recovers damages under any other Act may not recover for the same costs or damages under the Straw Purchaser Accountability Act.
SB1536	02/04/2025	Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that if the minor has multiple delinquency petitions filed against him or her, remaining petitions pending against the minor respondent shall be adjudicated within 120 (rather than 160) days from the date on which a finding relative to the first petition prosecuted is rendered. Restructures the provisions concerning alleged delinquent minors and pretrial detention of alleged delinquent minors. Provides that if the court determines that the State, without success, has exercised due diligence to timely obtain the results of DNA testing that is material to the case, and that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the results may be obtained at a later date, the court may extend the period of detention of the minor to not more than 70 days, only for any matter for which the minor may be committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice. Provides that nothing in the trial and pretrial detention provisions of the Act prevents the minor from exercising the minor's rights to waive the time limits set forth in these provisions. Deletes provision that time needed to prepare a defense to a State motion such as an extended juvenile jurisdiction petition or a transfer petition shall not be considered a delay occasioned by the minor. Makes technical changes in the trial and pretrial detention provisions of the Act.
SB1537	02/04/2025	Amends the Student Loan Servicing Rights Act. Creates within the Act an Article concerning educational income share agreements. Contains provisions concerning: monthly payment affordability; maximum annual percentage rates; limits on the duration of income share agreements; risk sharing; limits on covered income; fees; restrictions on security interests; discharge of obligations; prohibitions on cosigners; limits on acceleration; assignment of wages; limitations on garnishment; use of multiple agreements; required disclosures; early completion of the agreement; assumption of increases in future income; receipts; and adjustment of dollar amounts. Provides that the Attorney General may enforce a violation of the Educational Income Share Agreements Article of the Student Loan Servicing Rights Act as an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Makes other changes. Amends the Consumer Installment Loan Act and the Interest Act to make conforming changes. Provides that the provisions of the amendatory Act are severable. Effective immediately.
SB1621	02/04/2025	Amends the Court of Claims Act. Provides that the Court of Claims has exclusive jurisdiction to hear all claims against the State for time unjustly served in State prisons, in county jails, in county juvenile detention facilities, or in Illinois Youth Centers, on parole or probation, or registered as a sex offender if the person was unjustly convicted or adjudicated a delinquent and received a pardon from the Governor on the ground of innocence of the crime for which the person was convicted or adjudicated a delinquent or the person received a certificate of innocence. Removes language providing the amount of the award the court may give for a successful claim. Provides instead that the court shall make an award of $50,000 per year during which the person was wrongfully incarcerated and $25,000 for each year during which the person was wrongfully on parole or probation or required to register as a sex offender. Provides that the changes made by the amendatory Act apply to claims pending or filed on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Allows any person who is convicted or adjudicated a delinquent and then serves any part of a sentence of incarceration in a State prison, in a county jail, in a county juvenile detention facility, or in a Illinois Youth Center, on parole or probation, or registered as a sex offender (rather than convicted and subsequently imprisoned) for one or more felonies by the State that the person did not commit may file a petition for certificate of innocence. Requires the court to make an award of reasonable attorney's fees, costs, and expenses after awarding a certificate of innocence. Provides that any person seeking a certificate of innocence based on the dismissal of a juvenile delinquency petition or an acquittal that occurred before the effective date of the amendatory Act shall file a petition within 4 years after the effective date of the amendatory Act, and any person seeking a certificate of innocence based on the dismissal of a juvenile delinquency petition or an acquittal that occurred on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act shall file a petition within 2 years after the dismissal or acquittal. Effective immediately.