The legislation was introduced in bill HB1637 on Jan. 31, when Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch (D-7) filed it with the House clerk.
According to the General Assembly website, the bill as introduced was designed to "create the Keep Illinois Families Together Act".
After debate, the House passed the bill on May 27 and it arrived in the Senate on May 28, and both chambers agreed to the final version of the legislation on May 30. The bill was sent to the governor and signed into law on June 21. The law went into effect immediately.
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 HB1637.
| Date | Chamber | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1/31/2019 | House | Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch |
| 2/1/2019 | House | First Reading |
| 2/1/2019 | House | Referred to Rules Committee |
| 2/1/2019 | House | Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez |
| 2/5/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz |
| 2/13/2019 | House | Assigned to Executive Committee |
| 2/14/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia |
| 2/20/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Sara Feigenholtz |
| 2/20/2019 | House | Do Pass / Short Debate Executive Committee; 007-004-000 |
| 2/20/2019 | House | Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate |
| 2/21/2019 | House | Fiscal Note Requested by Rep. Tom Demmer |
| 2/25/2019 | House | Fiscal Note Filed |
| 2/26/2019 | House | Fiscal Note Filed |
| 2/26/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Carol Ammons |
| 2/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Gregory Harris |
| 3/4/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Robyn Gabel |
| 3/6/2019 | House | Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Celina Villanueva |
| 3/13/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy |
| 3/25/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Jonathan Carroll |
| 3/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Joyce Mason |
| 3/28/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Luis Arroyo |
| 4/5/2019 | House | House Floor Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch |
| 4/5/2019 | House | House Floor Amendment No. 1 Referred to Rules Committee |
| 4/9/2019 | House | Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch |
| 4/9/2019 | House | House Floor Amendment No. 2 Referred to Rules Committee |
| 4/9/2019 | House | Chief Sponsor Changed to Rep. Celina Villanueva |
| 4/9/2019 | House | Remove Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Celina Villanueva |
| 4/9/2019 | House | House Floor Amendment No. 2 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Celina Villanueva |
| 4/9/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Will Guzzardi |
| 4/9/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Terra Costa Howard |
| 4/10/2019 | House | Second Reading - Short Debate |
| 4/10/2019 | House | Held on Calendar Order of Second Reading - Short Debate |
| 4/12/2019 | House | Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee |
| 4/23/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Camille Y. Lilly |
| 5/7/2019 | House | Approved for Consideration Rules Committee; 004-000-000 |
| 5/7/2019 | House | House Floor Amendment No. 2 Rules Refers to Executive Committee |
| 5/7/2019 | House | Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate |
| 5/7/2019 | House | Final Action Deadline Extended-9(b) May 31, 2019 |
| 5/9/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Yehiel M. Kalish |
| 5/9/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin |
| 5/14/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Karina Villa |
| 5/15/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Rita Mayfield |
| 5/15/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Ann M. Williams |
| 5/15/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Anne Stava-Murray |
| 5/15/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Anna Moeller |
| 5/16/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Aaron M. Ortiz |
| 5/16/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Diane Pappas |
| 5/16/2019 | House | House Floor Amendment No. 2 Recommends Be Adopted Executive Committee; 008-005-000 |
| 5/16/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. André Thapedi |
| 5/22/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Lamont J. Robinson, Jr. |
| 5/22/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. LaToya Greenwood |
| 5/27/2019 | House | Second Reading - Short Debate |
| 5/27/2019 | House | Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth |
| 5/27/2019 | House | House Floor Amendment No. 2 Adopted |
| 5/27/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. La Shawn K. Ford |
| 5/27/2019 | House | Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Aaron M. Ortiz |
| 5/27/2019 | House | Removed Co-Sponsor Rep. Aaron M. Ortiz |
| 5/27/2019 | House | Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 067-050-000 |
| 5/27/2019 | House | Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate |
| 5/28/2019 | Senate | Arrive in Senate |
| 5/28/2019 | Senate | Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. Don Harmon |
| 5/28/2019 | Senate | First Reading |
| 5/28/2019 | Senate | Rule 2-10 Committee/3rd Reading Deadline Established As May 31, 2019 |
| 5/28/2019 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading |
| 5/28/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Robert Peters |
| 5/28/2019 | Senate | Waive Posting Notice |
| 5/28/2019 | Senate | Assigned to Executive |
| 5/28/2019 | Senate | Referred to Assignments |
| 5/29/2019 | Senate | Second Reading |
| 5/29/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Omar Aquino |
| 5/29/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Cristina Castro |
| 5/29/2019 | Senate | Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Changed to Sen. Iris Y. Martinez |
| 5/29/2019 | Senate | Do Pass Executive; 013-004-000 |
| 5/29/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Ram Villivalam |
| 5/29/2019 | Senate | Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Changed to Sen. Antonio Muñoz |
| 5/29/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Iris Y. Martinez |
| 5/29/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Antonio Muñoz |
| 5/29/2019 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading |
| 5/29/2019 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading May 30, 2019 |
| 5/30/2019 | House | Passed Both Houses |
| 5/30/2019 | Senate | Third Reading - Passed; 035-019-000 |
| 5/30/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Jacqueline Y. Collins |
| 5/30/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Emil Jones, III |
| 5/30/2019 | Senate | Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Patricia Van Pelt |
| 6/6/2019 | House | Sent to the Governor |
| 6/21/2019 | House | Public Act . . . . . . . . . 101-0019 |
| 6/21/2019 | House | Governor Approved |
| 6/21/2019 | House | Effective Date June 21, 2019 |
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