The legislation was introduced in bill HB1553 on Jan. 29, when Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-17) filed it with the House clerk.
According to the General Assembly website, the bill as introduced was designed to "amend the Juvenile Court Act of 1987".
After debate, the House passed the bill on March 28 and it arrived in the Senate on April 3, and both chambers agreed to the final version of the legislation on May 21. The bill was sent to the governor and signed into law on July 23. The law is scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
Illinois legislature enacts laws through bills that can be introduced in either the state House of Representatives or the state Senate. Either chamber of the legislature can reject or amend a bill before it becomes law. Legislators sometimes sponsor "shell bills" devoid of substantive provisions, introduced with the intention of being amended later to include actual legislation.
The following table shows the full history of actions on HB1553.
| Date | Chamber | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1/29/2019 | House | Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz |
| 2/1/2019 | House | First Reading |
| 2/1/2019 | House | Referred to Rules Committee |
| 2/6/2019 | House | Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Sara Feigenholtz |
| 2/6/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Karina Villa |
| 2/6/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Daniel Didech |
| 2/6/2019 | House | Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Delia C. Ramirez |
| 2/6/2019 | House | Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez |
| 2/6/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Robyn Gabel |
| 2/7/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Theresa Mah |
| 2/13/2019 | House | Assigned to Adoption & Child Welfare Committee |
| 2/13/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy |
| 2/14/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Michael J. Zalewski |
| 2/14/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Celina Villanueva |
| 2/14/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Aaron M. Ortiz |
| 2/14/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Lamont J. Robinson, Jr. |
| 2/14/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Bob Morgan |
| 2/27/2019 | House | House Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz |
| 2/27/2019 | House | House Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred to Rules Committee |
| 3/5/2019 | House | House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rules Refers to Adoption & Child Welfare Committee |
| 3/12/2019 | House | House Committee Amendment No. 1 Adopted in Adoption & Child Welfare Committee; by Voice Vote |
| 3/12/2019 | House | Do Pass as Amended / Short Debate Adoption & Child Welfare Committee; 011-001-000 |
| 3/13/2019 | House | Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Anna Moeller |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Second Reading - Short Debate |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Deb Conroy |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Jaime M. Andrade, Jr. |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Ann M. Williams |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Gregory Harris |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Sam Yingling |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. John C. D'Amico |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Martin J. Moylan |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. André Thapedi |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Anne Stava-Murray |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr. |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Mary E. Flowers |
| 3/19/2019 | House | Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate |
| 3/20/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Will Guzzardi |
| 3/21/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Joyce Mason |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Mark L. Walker |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Curtis J. Tarver, II |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Natalie A. Manley |
| 3/28/2019 | House | Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 087-018-002 |
| 4/3/2019 | Senate | Arrive in Senate |
| 4/3/2019 | Senate | First Reading |
| 4/3/2019 | Senate | Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. Cristina Castro |
| 4/3/2019 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading |
| 4/3/2019 | Senate | Referred to Assignments |
| 4/24/2019 | Senate | Assigned to Judiciary |
| 5/2/2019 | Senate | Postponed - Judiciary |
| 5/8/2019 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading May 9, 2019 |
| 5/8/2019 | Senate | Do Pass Judiciary; 010-000-000 |
| 5/16/2019 | Senate | Second Reading |
| 5/16/2019 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading May 17, 2019 |
| 5/21/2019 | House | Passed Both Houses |
| 5/21/2019 | Senate | Third Reading - Passed; 047-003-001 |
| 6/19/2019 | House | Sent to the Governor |
| 7/23/2019 | House | Effective Date January 1, 2020 |
| 7/23/2019 | House | Governor Approved |
| 7/23/2019 | House | Public Act . . . . . . . . . 101-0121 |
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