McLean County Times

Chris Balkema introduced SB2210 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 Illinois State Police Act. Provides that the Illinois State Police shall restore, within 18 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the site of the Illinois State Police building that was decommissioned in 2003 and that was located at 15,551 Old Route 66, Pontiac, IL 61764, to its original condition before the building was operated as an Illinois State Police facility. Provides that the cost of the site restoration required under this provision shall be paid by the Department of Central Management Services."

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 State Police to restore the site of a decommissioned building, located at 15,551 Old Route 66, Pontiac, IL, to its original condition as it was before being used as an Illinois State Police facility. The restoration must be completed within 18 months following the effective date of the amendatory act. The expenses for this restoration project will be covered by the Department of Central Management Services. This effort aims to return the property to its prior state after its decommissioning in 2003.

Chris Balkema has proposed another 28 bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Balkema graduated from Taylor University in 1993 with a BS.

Chris Balkema is currently serving in the Illinois State Senate, representing the state's 53rd Senate District. He replaced previous state senator Thomas M. Bennett in 2025.

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
SB2210	02/07/2025	Amends the Illinois State Police Act. Provides that the Illinois State Police shall restore, within 18 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the site of the Illinois State Police building that was decommissioned in 2003 and that was located at 15,551 Old Route 66, Pontiac, IL 61764, to its original condition before the building was operated as an Illinois State Police facility. Provides that the cost of the site restoration required under this provision shall be paid by the Department of Central Management Services.
SB2113	02/07/2025	Amends the Public Higher Education Act. Requires the governing board of each public institution of higher education to adopt a policy that prohibits employees of the public institution of higher education from offering incentives to students to vote.
SB2114	02/07/2025	Amends various Acts. Removes the requirement that the Senate provides advise and consent to specified nominations.
SB2206	02/07/2025	Amends the Department of Natural Resources (Conservation) Law. Creates the Kankakee and Iroquois Counties Floodwater Mitigation Commission. Provides that the Commission shall: study floodplain policies and actions in neighboring states and counties and the impact on Kankakee and Iroquois Counties; identify and evaluate critical flooding and drainage issues and needs in Kankakee and Iroquois Counties; and make recommendations on how best to address flooding and drainage issues in Kankakee and Iroquois Counties. Sets forth provisions concerning membership of the Commission. Provides that members of the Commission shall not receive compensation. Requires the Commission to meet at least quarterly at the call of the chair and to file a report with the Governor and General Assembly by January 1, 2027 on its recommendations for flooding and drainage control in Kankakee and Iroquois Counties. Requires the Department of Natural Resources to provide administrative support to the Commission. Dissolves the Commission after the report has been filed.
SB2207	02/07/2025	Amends the Department of Professional Regulation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Defines "health care professional" as a person licensed or registered by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation under the Medical Practice Act of 1987, Nurse Practice Act, Physician Assistant Practice Act of 1987, and Respiratory Care Practice Act or a person licensed or registered by the Department of Public Health under the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act. Provides that, for license or registration renewals occurring on or after January 1, 2026, a health care professional who has continuing education requirements shall complete at least a one-hour course in training on the recognition and reporting of human trafficking. Provides rulemaking abilities for the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Provides that any person, institution, or agency participating in the making of a report, providing information or records related to a report, assessment, or services, or participating in the investigation of a report under the Act in good faith, or taking photographs or x-rays as a result of an authorized assessment, shall have immunity from any civil, criminal or other liability in any civil, criminal or other proceeding brought in consequence of making such report or assessment or on account of submitting or otherwise disclosing such photographs or x-rays to any agency designated to receive reports of alleged or suspected human trafficking. Provides that any person, institution, or agency authorized by the Department to provide assessment, intervention, or administrative services under the Act shall, in the good faith performance of those services, have immunity from any civil, criminal or other liability in any civil, criminal, or other proceeding brought as a consequence of the performance of those services. Provides that, for the purposes of any civil, criminal, or other proceeding, the good faith of any person required to report, permitted to report, or participating in an investigation of a report of alleged or suspected human trafficking shall be presumed.
SB2208	02/07/2025	Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that a person shall not drive or be in actual physical control of any vehicle within the State while the alcohol concentration in the person's blood, other bodily substance, or breath is .04 or more for one year after the person's first conviction if the person is convicted with an alcohol concentration of .15 or more, or for 5 years after the person's second or subsequent conviction with an alcohol concentration of .15 or more.
SB2209	02/07/2025	Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall restore, within 18 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the site of any warden's homes provided for the chief administrative officer or warden of the Pontiac Correctional Center that have been deemed by the Department of Corrections to be in a state of disrepair that renders them unsafe to be used as residences to their original condition before the homes were built. Provides that the cost of the site restoration required under these provisions shall be paid by the Department of Central Management Services.
SB2211	02/07/2025	Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that the Department of Corrections shall restore, within 18 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the site of the Dwight Correctional Center that was decommissioned on March 31, 2013, including the warden's home and any unused structures on the property, to its original condition before the facility was built. Provides that the cost of the site restoration required under these provisions shall be paid by the Department of Central Management Services.
SB2340	02/07/2025	Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to submit an annual report available to the public, on or before July 1, on its website that includes for each school district: (1) the number of students in the school year seeking admission to transfer to or within a school district or withdrawal from a school in the school district under specified provisions, showing the potential net change; (2) the number of rejected transfer requests in the school year; (3) the reason or reasons why each rejected transfer request was rejected in the school year; and (4) the total number of students that either transferred into, out of, or within each district, showing the actual net change. Provides that each year, the State Board of Education shall randomly select 20 school districts in this State to conduct an audit of each school district's approved and denied transfers based on the provisions of the policies adopted by the respective school district. Provides that on or before the first day of January, April, July, and October of each year, it shall be the duty of the superintendent of a receiving school district to file with the State Board of Education a report showing the total number of students granted transfers to or within the receiving school district and their respective school sites and grade levels. Requires each school district to report to the State Board of Education on or before October 1 of each year: (1) the total student capacity for each school in the school district; (2) the number of transfer students enrolled in each receiving school in the receiving school district; (3) the number of requests for specified transfer received; and (4) the number of requests for transfer denied and the reason or reasons supporting the denial of any request for transfer.
SB2341	02/07/2025	Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that upon verified petition by the State, the court shall hold a hearing and may deny a defendant pretrial release if the defendant is charged with any of the following offenses, and it is alleged that the defendant's pretrial release poses a real and present threat to the safety of any person or persons or the community, based on the specific articulable facts of the case: (1) aggravated driving under the influence for a third or subsequent time; or (2) manufacture or delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, an amount of a controlled or counterfeit substance, not otherwise specified in the statute, containing dihydrocodeine or classified in Schedule I or II, or an analog of those substances that is: (i) a narcotic drug, (ii) lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or an analog of those substances, (iii) any substance containing amphetamine or fentanyl or any salt or optical isomer of amphetamine or fentanyl, or an analog of those substances, or (iv) any substance containing N-Benzylpiperazine (BZP) or any salt or optical isomer of N-Benzylpiperazine (BZP), or an analog of those substances.
SB2342	02/07/2025	Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Requires the State Employees' Retirement System of Illinois to prepare and implement a defined contribution plan by July 1, 2027 that aggregates State and employee contributions in individual participant accounts that are used for payouts after retirement. Provides that a Tier 1 or Tier 2 participant may elect to participate in the defined contribution plan instead of the defined benefit plan and may also elect to terminate all participation in the defined benefit plan and to have a specified amount credited to his or her account under the defined contribution plan. Provides that a person who first becomes an employee after the effective date of the amendatory Act is not required to participate in the System as a condition of employment. Provides that, if a person who made the election to participate in the defined contribution plan terminates service and thereafter returns to service, he or she may either elect to participate in the defined contribution plan with regard to that service or not elect to participate in the defined contribution plan with regard to that service. Provides that an employee may elect not to participate in the System by notifying the System in writing in a manner specified by the System. Provides that any benefit increase that results from the amendatory Act is excluded from the definition of "new benefit increase". Makes conforming and other changes. Makes related changes in the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971. Effective immediately.
SB2389	02/07/2025	Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. Reinstates the exemption for the use or sale of tangible personal property purchased from an Illinois retailer by a taxpayer engaged in centralized purchasing activities in Illinois. Provides that the exemption sunsets on June 30, 2030 (currently, June 30, 2016). Effective immediately.
SB1783	02/06/2025	Creates the Prohibition on Government Sponsored Sexual Performances. Provides that a unit of local government or a school district may not allow a live adult performance to be held on publicly owned or operated property under its control. Requires the State to stop distributing all funds to a unit of local government or school district that violates the provisions. Limits home rule powers. Effective immediately.
SB1864	02/06/2025	Amends the Public Higher Education Act. Provides that if a student at a public institution of higher education is required to complete an instructor evaluation, the student shall evaluate the instructor's bias on whether the instructor displays any prejudiced or unfair treatment toward certain individuals or groups based on factors, including, but not limited to, race, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or political ideology.
SB1865	02/06/2025	Creates the Campus Free Speech Act. Requires the governing board of each public university and community college to develop and adopt a policy on free expression; sets forth what the policy must contain. Requires the Board of Higher Education to create a Committee on Free Expression to issue an annual report. Requires public institutions of higher education to include in their freshman orientation programs a section describing to all students the policies and rules regarding free expression that are consistent with the Act. Contains provisions concerning rules, construction of the Act, and enforcement.
SB1866	02/06/2025	Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
SB1867	02/06/2025	Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. In provisions concerning educator testing, provides that the State Board of Education and the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board are required to approve more than one assessment, not from the same source, and each teacher preparation program in the State may use any evidence-based assessment of teacher effectiveness that aligns to current State teaching standards. Effective July 1, 2025.
SB1915	02/06/2025	Amends the School Code. Provides that immediately upon the determination of a substantial deficiency in reading or the characteristics of dyslexia based upon (i) screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, or assessment data, (ii) statewide assessments, or (iii) teacher observations, the parent or legal guardian of a student in grades 1 through 3 who exhibits a substantial deficiency in reading must be notified in writing by the student's teacher of the following: (1) that the student has been identified as having a substantial deficiency in reading; (2) a description of the services that the school district currently is providing to the student; (3) a description of the proposed supplemental instructional services and supports that are designed to remediate the identified area of reading deficiency which the school district plans to provide the student; and (4) strategies for parents and guardians to use in helping the student to succeed in reading proficiency. Amends the State Mandates Act. Provides that no reimbursement by the State is required for the implementation of any mandate created by the amendatory Act.
SB1916	02/06/2025	Amends the Recyclable Metal Purchase Registration Law. Provides that provisions prohibiting the sale of certain recyclable metal materials shall not apply if the seller produces written documentation reasonably demonstrating that the seller is the owner of the recyclable metal material or is authorized to sell the recyclable metal material on behalf of the owner. Provides that the recyclable metal dealer shall copy the documentation provided by the seller and maintain the copy of the documentation along with the purchase records. Provides that the sale of a detached catalytic converter may occur at the fixed business address of the seller or of the recyclable metal dealer (rather than at the fixed business address of the licensed recyclable metal dealer). Changes references from "licensed recyclable metal dealer" to "recyclable metal dealer".
SB1917	02/06/2025	Creates the Illinois Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act. Requires an institution to file a disclosure report annually on July 1 when: (1) an institution received a gift from, or entered into a contract with, a foreign source, other than a foreign country of concern or foreign entity of concern, with a value of $50,000 or more, or an undetermined value; (2) an institution receives a gift from a foreign country of concern or foreign entity of concern of any dollar amount; (3) an institution enters into a contract with a foreign country of concern or foreign entity of concern after receiving a waiver for such contract; or (4) an institution is substantially controlled by a foreign source. Requires the Board of Higher Education to establish and maintain a searchable, public database on the Board's website that: (1) contains all reports submitted; (2) includes any information provided in such reports; (3) is searchable and sortable by date filed, date of the gift received or contract entered into, by attributable country of the gift or contract, and by institution; (4) indicates whether a gift is from a foreign government or from a foreign source that is not a foreign government; and (5) indicates when a report does not contain the name or address of a foreign source. Prohibits an institution from entering into any contracts with foreign entities of concern or countries of concern. Provides that private institutions with endowments above $6,000,000,000 or with investments of concern above $250,000,000 shall report: (1) a list of the investments of concern; (2) the aggregate fair market value of all investments of concern; (3) the combined value of all investments of concern; and (4) the combined value of all capital gains from such sales of investments of concern. Sets forth how the Act may be enforced, including fines for violations.
SB1935	02/06/2025	Amends the Regulatory Sunset Act. Provides that, in the calendar year 2 years before the agency or program is scheduled for termination, the Governor's Office of Management and Budget shall study the performance of each regulatory agency and program scheduled for termination under the Act. Provides that, in determining whether an agency or program should be recommended for termination, modification, or continuation, the Governor's Office of Management and Budget shall consider the extent to which the profession, occupation, business, industry, or trade that it licensed, supervised, exercised control over, issued rules regarding, or otherwise regulated is subject to regulation in other states or territories.
SB2043	02/06/2025	Amends the Wildlife Code. Provides that, upon request, the Department of Natural Resources shall issue a certificate of competency to any resident active-duty military personnel who provide acceptable verification of service, any Illinois resident veterans who provide acceptable verification of service, and any individuals who present proof of holding a concealed carry permit issued by the State.
SB2044	02/06/2025	Creates the Web-Based Signatures Act. Provides that a unit of local government may allow a person to sign any document with a web-based signature if the unit of local government uses a secure web-based platform.
SB2045	02/06/2025	Amends the Unemployment Insurance Act. Provides that the Department of Employment Security shall make payments to beneficiaries under the Act based on the State's average unemployment rate. Effective January 1, 2026.
SB2046	02/06/2025	Appropriates $350,000,000 to the Department of Transportation for the construction, land acquisition, and any other required infrastructure changes for a new interchange at Minooka Road on I-80 to accommodate current and expected increases to traffic volume. Effective July 1, 2025.
SB2047	02/06/2025	Creates the Design Professional Self-Certification Act. Provides that the Executive Director of the Capital Development Board shall establish a self-certification program through which a qualified design professional within a participating municipality shall be permitted to: (1) take responsibility for a project's compliance with the baseline building code; and (2) self-certify that a permit application, plans, and specifications comply with the baseline building code. Requires the Executive Director to establish requirements for design professionals to qualify for the self-certification program. Sets forth program requirements; oversight; and recordkeeping. Effective January 1, 2026.
SB1759	02/05/2025	Appropriates $50,000,000 to the Department of Transportation for the expansion of Route 6 from Brisbin Road to Ridge Road. Effective July 1, 2025.
SB1760	02/05/2025	Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Requires the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board to develop a program for training unpaid volunteers to serve as police chaplains.
SB1761	02/05/2025	Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall establish a program to award grants to units of local government for the purposes of demolishing or repairing commercial buildings that are detrimental to public health or safety as a result of dilapidation, obsolescence, deterioration, or the failure of the building to meet minimum code standards.
SB1762	02/05/2025	Appropriates $10,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for the purpose of awarding grants to units of local government for the demolition or repair of commercial buildings that are detrimental to public health or safety as a result of one or more of the following: dilapidation; obsolescence; deterioration; or the failure of the building to meet minimum building code standards. Effective immediately.
SB1763	02/05/2025	Amends the Counties Code. Provides that any recorder may publish property assessment rolls in a paper of general circulation in the county or on the county's public-facing website.
SB1517	02/04/2025	Amends the Wildlife Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
SB1276	01/28/2025	Amends the Counties Code. In provisions about commercial wind energy facilities and commercial solar energy facilities, removes changes made by Public Act 102-1123. Provides that any provision of a county zoning ordinance pertaining to wind farms, commercial wind energy facilities, or commercial solar energy facilities that was in effect before January 27, 2023 may continue in effect notwithstanding any changes made in Public Act 102-1123 and, if applicable, any provision of a county zoning ordinance pertaining to wind farms that was in effect before August 16, 2007 may continue in effect notwithstanding the changes made in Public Act 95-203.
SB1347	01/28/2025	Creates the Citizens Empowerment Act. Provides that electors may petition for a referendum at the next general election to dissolve a unit of local government. Sets forth the requirements for the petition, together with the form and requirements for the ballot referendum. Provides for the transfer of all real and personal property and any other assets, together with all personnel, contractual obligations, and liabilities of the dissolving unit of local government to the receiving unit of local government. Amends the Election Code to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.