Omar Aquino, Illinois State Senator for 2nd District | www.facebook.com
Omar Aquino, Illinois State Senator for 2nd District | www.facebook.com
In the House, 71 Democrats and 33 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.
Meanwhile, in the Senate, 36 Democrats and eight Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while 10 Republicans voted against it.
Aquino introduced the bill in the Illinois Senate on Feb. 7, 2025 during the 104th session.
The legislation, known as SB2466, was passed on May 31, 2025 during the general assembly session 104.
According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Act. Provides that a distressed location project that is located within a distressed community shall be eligible for assistance of up to 100% for the acquisition of open space lands and for capital development and improvement proposals that are in conformity with the purposes of the Act. Specifies that a project that is located within a distressed community, regardless of whether the project is located within a distressed location, is eligible for assistance up to 90% for the acquisition of open space lands and for capital development and improvement proposals that are in conformity with the purposes of the Act. Provides that a distressed location project that is not located in a distressed community shall be eligible for assistance of up to 75% for the acquisition of open space lands and for capital development and improvement proposals that are in conformity with the purposes of the Act. Directs the Department of Natural Resources to prioritize the making of grants under the Act for projects that are located in distressed locations and distressed communities. Sets limits on the appropriated amounts that may be used for grants to distressed communities and distressed locations. Repeals a provision that required the Department of Natural Resources to prepare a Distressed Local Government Report. Repeals provisions that define terms. Adds other definitions. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Grants emergency rulemaking powers to the Department of Natural Resources."
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 Illinois Administrative Procedure Act and the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Act to facilitate more effective implementation. It empowers the Department of Natural Resources to adopt emergency rules to expedite the process, emphasizing the necessity for public interest, safety, and welfare. The bill also outlines definitions and criteria for distressed communities and locations, establishing different funding assistance levels depending on the area's economic status. Grants for local governments are prioritized based on population density, outdoor recreation needs, and location within distressed or floodplain areas. The bill repeals specific sections of the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Act and stipulates that applications for grants must be complete and comply with the notice of funding opportunity, with certifications made annually. Additionally, it specifies limits on grant distributions, conditions for advanced payment, and the need for rulemaking to effectuate its purposes, with an aim to ensure efficient aid distribution and project prioritization. The bill includes a provision to repeal the new section regarding emergency rulemaking one year after the effective date.
The bill was sponsored by Sen. Adriane Johnson (Democrat-30th District), Rep. Barbara Hernandez (Democrat-50th District), and Rep. Bob Morgan (Democrat-58th District), along with 31 other sponsors.
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.
Aquino graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2009.
Aquino, a Democrat, was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 2017 to represent the state's 2nd Senate District, replacing previous state senator William Delgado.
While the final vote determined the bill’s passage, lawmakers in both chambers held an additional vote related to a concurrence. This earlier vote is included below for context.
| Legislator | Party | District | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aarón M. Ortíz | Democrat | 1st District | Yea |
| Abdelnasser Rashid | Democrat | 21st District | Yea |
| Adam M. Niemerg | Republican | 102nd District | Yea |
| Amy Briel | Democrat | 76th District | Yea |
| Amy Elik | Republican | 111th District | Yea |
| Amy L. Grant | Republican | 47th District | Absent, excused |
| Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar | Democrat | 22nd District | Yea |
| Ann M. Williams | Democrat | 11th District | Yea |
| Anna Moeller | Democrat | 43rd District | Yea |
| Anne Stava | Democrat | 81st District | Yea |
| Anthony DeLuca | Democrat | 80th District | Yea |
| Barbara Hernandez | Democrat | 50th District | Yea |
| Blaine Wilhour | Republican | 110th District | Not vote |
| Bob Morgan | Democrat | 58th District | Yea |
| Brad Halbrook | Republican | 107th District | Yea |
| Brad Stephens | Republican | 20th District | Yea |
| Bradley Fritts | Republican | 74th District | Yea |
| Brandun Schweizer | Republican | 104th District | Yea |
| Camille Y. Lilly | Democrat | 78th District | Yea |
| Carol Ammons | Democrat | 103rd District | Absent, excused |
| Charles Meier | Republican | 109th District | Yea |
| Chris Miller | Republican | 101st District | Present |
| Christopher "C.D." Davidsmeyer | Republican | 100th District | Yea |
| Curtis J. Tarver, II | Democrat | 25th District | Yea |
| Dagmara Avelar | Democrat | 85th District | Yea |
| Dan Swanson | Republican | 71st District | Yea |
| Dan Ugaste | Republican | 65th District | Yea |
| Daniel Didech | Democrat | 59th District | Yea |
| Dave Severin | Republican | 116th District | Yea |
| Dave Vella | Democrat | 68th District | Yea |
| David Friess | Republican | 115th District | Yea |
| Debbie Meyers-Martin | Democrat | 38th District | Yea |
| Dennis Tipsword | Republican | 105th District | Yea |
| Diane Blair-Sherlock | Democrat | 46th District | Yea |
| Edgar González, Jr. | Democrat | 23rd District | Yea |
| Elizabeth "Lisa" Hernandez | Democrat | 2nd District | Yea |
| Eva-Dina Delgado | Democrat | 3rd District | Yea |
| Fred Crespo | Democrat | 44th District | Yea |
| Gregg Johnson | Democrat | 72nd District | Yea |
| Harry Benton | Democrat | 97th District | Yea |
| Hoan Huynh | Democrat | 13th District | Yea |
| Jackie Haas | Republican | 79th District | Yea |
| Jaime M. Andrade, Jr. | Democrat | 40th District | Absent, excused |
| Janet Yang Rohr | Democrat | 41st District | Yea |
| Jason R. Bunting | Republican | 106th District | Yea |
| Jawaharial Williams | Democrat | 10th District | Yea |
| Jay Hoffman | Democrat | 113th District | Yea |
| Jed Davis | Republican | 75th District | Yea |
| Jeff Keicher | Republican | 70th District | Present |
| Jehan Gordon-Booth | Democrat | 92nd District | Yea |
| Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz | Democrat | 17th District | Yea |
| Jennifer Sanalitro | Republican | 48th District | Yea |
| Joe C. Sosnowski | Republican | 69th District | Absent, excused |
| John M. Cabello | Republican | 90th District | Yea |
| Joyce Mason | Democrat | 61st District | Yea |
| Justin Slaughter | Democrat | 27th District | Yea |
| Kam Buckner | Democrat | 26th District | Yea |
| Katie Stuart | Democrat | 112th District | Yea |
| Kelly M. Cassidy | Democrat | 14th District | Yea |
| Kevin John Olickal | Democrat | 16th District | Yea |
| Kevin Schmidt | Republican | 114th District | Yea |
| Kimberly Du Buclet | Democrat | 5th District | Absent, excused |
| Kyle Moore | Republican | 99th District | Yea |
| La Shawn K. Ford | Democrat | 8th District | Yea |
| Laura Faver Dias | Democrat | 62nd District | Yea |
| Lawrence "Larry" Walsh, Jr. | Democrat | 86th District | Yea |
| Lilian Jiménez | Democrat | 4th District | Yea |
| Lindsey LaPointe | Democrat | 19th District | Yea |
| Lisa Davis | Democrat | 32nd District | Yea |
| Marcus C. Evans, Jr. | Democrat | 33rd District | Yea |
| Margaret Croke | Democrat | 12th District | Yea |
| Martha Deuter | Democrat | 45th District | Yea |
| Martin J. Moylan | Democrat | 55th District | Yea |
| Martin McLaughlin | Republican | 52nd District | Yea |
| Mary Beth Canty | Democrat | 54th District | Yea |
| Mary Gill | Democrat | 35th District | Yea |
| Matt Hanson | Democrat | 83rd District | Yea |
| Maura Hirschauer | Democrat | 49th District | Yea |
| Maurice A. West, II | Democrat | 67th District | Yea |
| Michael Crawford | Democrat | 31st District | Yea |
| Michael J. Coffey, Jr. | Republican | 95th District | Yea |
| Michael J. Kelly | Democrat | 15th District | Yea |
| Michelle Mussman | Democrat | 56th District | Yea |
| Mr. Speaker | Democrat | 7th District | Yea |
| Nabeela Syed | Democrat | 51st District | Absent, excused |
| Natalie A. Manley | Democrat | 98th District | Yea |
| Nicholas K. Smith | Democrat | 34th District | Yea |
| Nicole La Ha | Republican | 82nd District | Absent, excused |
| Nicolle Grasse | Democrat | 53rd District | Yea |
| Norine K. Hammond | Republican | 94th District | Yea |
| Norma Hernandez | Democrat | 77th District | Yea |
| Patrick Sheehan | Republican | 37th District | Yea |
| Patrick Windhorst | Republican | 117th District | Yea |
| Paul Jacobs | Republican | 118th District | Yea |
| Regan Deering | Republican | 88th District | Yea |
| Rick Ryan | Democrat | 36th District | Yea |
| Rita Mayfield | Democrat | 60th District | Absent, excused |
| Robert "Bob" Rita | Democrat | 28th District | Yea |
| Robyn Gabel | Democrat | 18th District | Yea |
| Ryan Spain | Republican | 73rd District | Absent, excused |
| Sharon Chung | Democrat | 91st District | Yea |
| Sonya M. Harper | Democrat | 6th District | Yea |
| Stephanie A. Kifowit | Democrat | 84th District | Yea |
| Steven Reick | Republican | 63rd District | Yea |
| Sue Scherer | Democrat | 96th District | Absent, excused |
| Suzanne M. Ness | Democrat | 66th District | Yea |
| Terra Costa Howard | Democrat | 42nd District | Yea |
| Thaddeus Jones | Democrat | 29th District | Absent, excused |
| Theresa Mah | Democrat | 24th District | Yea |
| Tom Weber | Republican | 64th District | Yea |
| Tony M. McCombie | Republican | 89th District | Yea |
| Tracy Katz Muhl | Democrat | 57th District | Yea |
| Travis Weaver | Republican | 93rd District | Yea |
| Wayne A. Rosenthal | Republican | 108th District | Yea |
| Will Guzzardi | Democrat | 39th District | Yea |
| William "Will" Davis | Democrat | 30th District | Yea |
| William E Hauter | Republican | 87th District | Yea |
| Yolonda Morris | Democrat | 9th District | Yea |
| Legislator | Party | District | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adriane Johnson | Democrat | 30th District | Yea |
| Andrew S. Chesney | Republican | 45th District | Nay |
| Bill Cunningham | Democrat | 18th District | Yea |
| Celina Villanueva | Democrat | 12th District | Yea |
| Chapin Rose | Republican | 51st District | Nay |
| Chris Balkema | Republican | 53rd District | Nay |
| Christopher Belt | Democrat | 57th District | Yea |
| Craig Wilcox | Republican | 32nd District | Nay |
| Cristina Castro | Democrat | 22nd District | Yea |
| Dale Fowler | Republican | 59th District | Yea |
| Darby A. Hills | Republican | 26th District | Yea |
| Dave Syverson | Republican | 35th District | Nay |
| David Koehler | Democrat | 46th District | Yea |
| Donald P. DeWitte | Republican | 33rd District | Not vote |
| Doris Turner | Democrat | 48th District | Yea |
| Elgie R. Sims, Jr. | Democrat | 17th District | Yea |
| Emil Jones, III | Democrat | 14th District | Not vote |
| Erica Harriss | Republican | 56th District | Yea |
| Graciela Guzmán | Democrat | 20th District | Yea |
| Jason Plummer | Republican | 55th District | Nay |
| Javier L. Cervantes | Democrat | 1st District | Yea |
| Jil Tracy | Republican | 50th District | Nay |
| John F. Curran | Republican | 41st District | Yea |
| Julie A. Morrison | Democrat | 29th District | Yea |
| Karina Villa | Democrat | 25th District | Yea |
| Kimberly A. Lightford | Democrat | 4th District | Yea |
| Lakesia Collins | Democrat | 5th District | Yea |
| Laura Ellman | Democrat | 21st District | Yea |
| Laura Fine | Democrat | 9th District | Yea |
| Laura M. Murphy | Democrat | 28th District | Yea |
| Li Arellano, Jr. | Republican | 37th District | Yea |
| Linda Holmes | Democrat | 42nd District | Yea |
| Mark L. Walker | Democrat | 27th District | Not vote |
| Mary Edly-Allen | Democrat | 31st District | Yea |
| Mattie Hunter | Democrat | 3rd District | Not vote |
| Meg Loughran Cappel | Democrat | 49th District | Yea |
| Michael E. Hastings | Democrat | 19th District | Yea |
| Michael W. Halpin | Democrat | 36th District | Yea |
| Mike Porfirio | Democrat | 11th District | Yea |
| Mike Simmons | Democrat | 7th District | Yea |
| Mr. President | Democrat | 39th District | Yea |
| Napoleon Harris, III | Democrat | 15th District | Yea |
| Neil Anderson | Republican | 47th District | Nay |
| Omar Aquino | Democrat | 2nd District | Not vote |
| Patrick J. Joyce | Democrat | 40th District | Yea |
| Paul Faraci | Democrat | 52nd District | Yea |
| Rachel Ventura | Democrat | 43rd District | Yea |
| Ram Villivalam | Democrat | 8th District | Yea |
| Robert F. Martwick | Democrat | 10th District | Yea |
| Robert Peters | Democrat | 13th District | Yea |
| Sally J. Turner | Republican | 44th District | Nay |
| Sara Feigenholtz | Democrat | 6th District | Yea |
| Seth Lewis | Republican | 24th District | Yea |
| Steve McClure | Republican | 54th District | Nay |
| Steve Stadelman | Democrat | 34th District | Yea |
| Sue Rezin | Republican | 38th District | Yea |
| Suzy Glowiak Hilton | Democrat | 23rd District | Yea |
| Terri Bryant | Republican | 58th District | Yea |
| Willie Preston | Democrat | 16th District | Yea |
| Legislator | Party | District | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adriane Johnson | Democrat | 30th District | Yea |
| Andrew S. Chesney | Republican | 45th District | Not vote |
| Bill Cunningham | Democrat | 18th District | Yea |
| Celina Villanueva | Democrat | 12th District | Yea |
| Chapin Rose | Republican | 51st District | Yea |
| Chris Balkema | Republican | 53rd District | Yea |
| Christopher Belt | Democrat | 57th District | Yea |
| Craig Wilcox | Republican | 32nd District | Yea |
| Cristina Castro | Democrat | 22nd District | Yea |
| Dale Fowler | Republican | 59th District | Yea |
| Darby A. Hills | Republican | 26th District | Yea |
| Dave Syverson | Republican | 35th District | Yea |
| David Koehler | Democrat | 46th District | Yea |
| Donald P. DeWitte | Republican | 33rd District | Yea |
| Doris Turner | Democrat | 48th District | Yea |
| Elgie R. Sims, Jr. | Democrat | 17th District | Yea |
| Emil Jones, III | Democrat | 14th District | Yea |
| Erica Harriss | Republican | 56th District | Yea |
| Graciela Guzmán | Democrat | 20th District | Yea |
| Jason Plummer | Republican | 55th District | Yea |
| Javier L. Cervantes | Democrat | 1st District | Yea |
| Jil Tracy | Republican | 50th District | Yea |
| John F. Curran | Republican | 41st District | Yea |
| Julie A. Morrison | Democrat | 29th District | Yea |
| Karina Villa | Democrat | 25th District | Yea |
| Kimberly A. Lightford | Democrat | 4th District | Not vote |
| Lakesia Collins | Democrat | 5th District | Yea |
| Laura Ellman | Democrat | 21st District | Yea |
| Laura Fine | Democrat | 9th District | Not vote |
| Laura M. Murphy | Democrat | 28th District | Yea |
| Li Arellano, Jr. | Republican | 37th District | Yea |
| Linda Holmes | Democrat | 42nd District | Yea |
| Mark L. Walker | Democrat | 27th District | Yea |
| Mary Edly-Allen | Democrat | 31st District | Yea |
| Mattie Hunter | Democrat | 3rd District | Yea |
| Meg Loughran Cappel | Democrat | 49th District | Yea |
| Michael E. Hastings | Democrat | 19th District | Not vote |
| Michael W. Halpin | Democrat | 36th District | Yea |
| Mike Porfirio | Democrat | 11th District | Yea |
| Mike Simmons | Democrat | 7th District | Yea |
| Mr. President | Democrat | 39th District | Yea |
| Napoleon Harris, III | Democrat | 15th District | Yea |
| Neil Anderson | Republican | 47th District | Yea |
| Omar Aquino | Democrat | 2nd District | Yea |
| Patrick J. Joyce | Democrat | 40th District | Yea |
| Paul Faraci | Democrat | 52nd District | Yea |
| Rachel Ventura | Democrat | 43rd District | Yea |
| Ram Villivalam | Democrat | 8th District | Yea |
| Robert F. Martwick | Democrat | 10th District | Yea |
| Robert Peters | Democrat | 13th District | Yea |
| Sally J. Turner | Republican | 44th District | Yea |
| Sara Feigenholtz | Democrat | 6th District | Yea |
| Seth Lewis | Republican | 24th District | Yea |
| Steve McClure | Republican | 54th District | Yea |
| Steve Stadelman | Democrat | 34th District | Yea |
| Sue Rezin | Republican | 38th District | Yea |
| Suzy Glowiak Hilton | Democrat | 23rd District | Yea |
| Terri Bryant | Republican | 58th District | Yea |
| Willie Preston | Democrat | 16th District | Yea |
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