Quincy Reporter

Neil Anderson introduced SB1631 in the Illinois Senate on Feb. 4, 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 General Assembly Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Restricts participation in the General Assembly Retirement System to persons who became participants before the effective date of the amendatory Act and provides that, beginning on that date, the System shall not accept any new participants. Makes related changes. Effective immediately."

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 Pension Code to restrict participation in the General Assembly Retirement System to those who became participants before the effective date of this amendatory Act. Effective immediately, the system will not accept any new participants. The bill modifies Sections 2-101, 2-105, and 2-107, clarifying that only individuals who were part of the system before this change can enjoy benefits such as retirement and survivor's annuities. The stipulations apply to members of the General Assembly and specified state officials, emphasizing that future participation is closed to newcomers post-enactment.

Neil Anderson has proposed another 18 bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Anderson graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a BA.

Neil Anderson is currently serving in the Illinois State Senate, representing the state's 47th Senate District. He replaced previous state senator Jil Tracy in 2023.

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
SB1631	02/04/2025	Amends the General Assembly Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Restricts participation in the General Assembly Retirement System to persons who became participants before the effective date of the amendatory Act and provides that, beginning on that date, the System shall not accept any new participants. Makes related changes. Effective immediately.
SB1629	02/04/2025	Amends the Department of Central Management Services Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Creates the Disability Benefits Maximization Program. Provides that, within 6 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Department of Central Management Services, in conjunction with the 5 State-funded retirement systems, may enter into a contract with an administrator to establish and conduct a Disability Benefits Maximization Program to identify relevant individuals eligible for Medicare but not enrolled in Medicare, and to assist those individuals with enrolling in Social Security and Medicare. Provides that the Disability Benefits Maximization Program shall conduct an annual audit of the State health benefits program for everyone covered under the State Employees Group Insurance Program, the Teachers' Retirement Insurance Program, and the College Insurance Program for the purpose of identifying participants and their dependents who are eligible for Medicare under federal law and shall also ensure that those annuitants, retirees, benefit recipients, survivors, or dependents who are eligible for Medicare are enrolled in Medicare with Medicare as their primary health care benefits coverage and the State Health Benefits Program being the secondary provider of their health care benefits coverage. Provides that the Disability Benefits Maximization Program shall assist any annuitant, retiree, benefit recipient, survivor or their dependents who becomes disabled, and is not enrolled in Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare, with enrolling in and obtaining Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare benefits. Provides that the administrator of the Disability Benefits Maximization Program shall provide the Department, the 5 State-funded retirement systems, and the General Assembly with an annual report. Effective January 1, 2026.
SB1426	01/31/2025	Creates the Weather Modification Act. Provides that any form of weather modification shall not be allowed in the State, including the seeding of clouds by plane or ground. Defines "seeding" as a type of weather modification that aims to change the amount or type of precipitation that falls from clouds. Effective immediately.
SB1427	01/31/2025	Amends the Herptiles-Herps Act. Provides that, notwithstanding any administrative rule to the contrary, common snapping turtles may be taken by live trap, subject to the following conditions: (1) live traps must be checked every 24 hours; (2) live traps must be equipped with flotation equipment, adequate to have at least 2 inches of the containment area above the surface of the water; and (3) every live trap must be marked with the owner's name and address or Department of Natural Resources customer number (rather than notwithstanding any administrative rule to the contrary, snapping turtles may be taken by trap).
SB1428	01/31/2025	Amends the Fish and Aquatic Life Code and the Wildlife Code. Provides that there is no fee for an annual or 3-year fishing license, sportsmen's combination license, or hunting license for resident Gold Star Family members. Directs the Department of Natural Resources to adopt rules establishing who qualifies for Gold Star Family member status and what constitutes suitable verification of that status. Effective immediately.
SB1313	01/28/2025	Amends the Illinois TRUST Act. Provides that certain limitations under the Act regarding actions that may be taken by law enforcement agencies and officials do not apply with respect to an individual who is not a citizen of the United States and who has been charged or convicted of a criminal offense under Illinois law. Directs a law enforcement agency or official to immediately notify an immigration agent whenever it has in its custody such an individual. Effective immediately.
SB0297	01/24/2025	Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Deletes provisions that prohibit the possession or use of any device or attachment of any kind designed, used, or intended for use in silencing the report of any firearm. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 to make conforming changes.
SB0298	01/24/2025	Repeals the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Amends various Acts to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.
SB0299	01/24/2025	Creates the Capital Crimes Litigation Act of 2025. Provides that if an indigent defendant is charged with an offense for which a sentence of death is authorized, and the State's Attorney has not, at or before arraignment, filed a certificate indicating he or she will not seek the death penalty or stated on the record in open court that the death penalty will not be sought, the trial court shall immediately appoint the Public Defender, or any other qualified attorney or attorneys as the Illinois Supreme Court shall by rule provide, to represent the defendant as trial counsel. Creates the Capital Litigation Trust Fund. Provides that moneys deposited into the Trust Fund shall be used exclusively for the purposes of providing funding for the prosecution and defense of capital cases and for providing funding for post-conviction proceedings. Amends the State Finance Act. Repeals the Death Penalty Abolition Fund and reinstates the Capital Litigation Trust Fund. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Reinstates the death penalty if: (1) the murdered individual was a peace officer, fireman, an emergency medical technician - ambulance, emergency medical technician - intermediate, emergency medical technician - paramedic, ambulance driver, or other medical assistance or first aid personnel, employed by a municipality or other governmental unit killed in the course of performing his or her official duties, to prevent the performance of his or her official duties, or in retaliation for performing his or her official duties, and the defendant knew or should have known that the murdered individual was a peace officer or fireman; or (2) the murdered individual was an employee of an institution or facility of the Department of Corrections, or any similar local correctional agency, killed in the course of performing his or her official duties, to prevent the performance of his or her official duties, or in retaliation for performing his or her official duties. Amends the Freedom of Information Act, the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963, and the State Appellate Defender Act to make conforming changes.
SB1208	01/24/2025	Amends the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. Provides that a non-resident may carry a handgun under the Act if the non-resident is 21 years of age or older, has a license or permit in a state where the training requirements are substantially similar under the Act or to non-residents of contiguous states if a reciprocal agreement has been entered into, the license or permit holder is not a resident of Illinois, and the license or permit holder is a legal resident of the United States. Provides that a non-resident is subject to the same laws and restrictions as a license holder under the Act. Provides that if a resident of another state who is permitted to carry under this provision establishes legal residence in this State, the license or permit shall be valid in this State for 90 days following the date on which the holder of the license or permit establishes legal residence in this State. Effective immediately.
SB1209	01/24/2025	Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Eliminates language providing that no person may acquire or possess firearm ammunition within the State without having in his or her possession a Firearm Owner's Identification Card previously issued in his or her name by the Illinois State Police under the provisions of the Act. Eliminates language providing that no person may knowingly transfer, or cause to be transferred, any firearm ammunition to any person within the State unless the transferee with whom the person deals displays either: (1) a currently valid Firearm Owner's Identification Card which has previously been issued in his or her name by the Illinois State Police under the provisions of the Act; or (2) a currently valid license to carry a concealed firearm which has previously been issued in his or her name by the Illinois State Police under the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.
SB1210	01/24/2025	Amends the School Code. Provides that a school district may offer a firearm safety training course to students in grades 9 through 12, which may include instruction on hunting safety. Provides that if a school district offers the course, a student may not be required to take the course. Provides that if a school board intends to offer a firearm safety training course, it must develop a policy to implement the course and must publish that policy on the district's website.
SB1211	01/24/2025	Amends the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. Provides that the prohibition against a licensee carrying a firearm into any building, parking area, or portion of a building under the control of an officer of the executive or legislative branch of government does not apply to any rest areas under the control of the Department of Transportation or to buildings located in rest areas under the control of the Department of Transportation. Eliminates a provision that a licensee shall not knowingly carry a firearm on any bus, train, or form of transportation paid for in whole or in part with public funds, and any building, real property, and parking area under the control of a public transportation facility paid for in whole or in part with public funds. Eliminates a provision that a licensee shall not knowingly carry a firearm in any public park, athletic area, or athletic facility under the control of a municipality or park district. Effective immediately.
SB1212	01/24/2025	Amends the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. Provides that the prohibition against carrying a firearm into any building, parking area, or portion of a building under the control of an officer of the executive or legislative branch of government does not apply to any rest areas under the control of the Department of Transportation or to buildings located in rest areas under the control of the Department of Transportation. Effective immediately.
SB1213	01/24/2025	Amends the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. Eliminates a provision that a licensee under the Act shall not knowingly carry a firearm on any bus, train, or form of transportation paid for in whole or in part with public funds, or in any building, real property, or parking area under the control of a public transportation facility paid for in whole or in part with public funds. Effective immediately.
SB1214	01/24/2025	Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a full-time, sworn, compensated fire fighter is permitted to carry a pistol, revolver, stun gun, taser, or other firearm on his or her person in public or in a vehicle, if the fire fighter has a valid concealed carry license, is carrying on duty, and has been approved to carry on duty by the mayor, city council, village president, or village board of trustees.
SB1215	01/24/2025	Creates the Gun Crime Charging and Sentencing Accountability and Transparency Act. Provides that in a criminal case, if a defendant is charged with an offense involving the illegal use or possession of a firearm and subsequently enters into a plea agreement in which the charge will be reduced to a lesser offense or a non-weapons offense in exchange for a plea of guilty, at or before the time of sentencing, the State's Attorney shall file with the court a written statement of his or her reasons in support of the plea agreement, which shall specifically state why the offense or offenses of conviction resulting from the plea agreement do not include the originally charged weapons offense. Provides that the written statement shall be part of the court record in the case and a copy shall be provided to any person upon request. Provides that in a criminal case in which the original charge is or was for an offense involving the illegal use or possession of a firearm, if a defendant pleads guilty or is found guilty of the original charge or lesser offense or a non-weapons offense, in imposing the sentence, the judge shall set forth in a written sentencing order his or her reasons for imposing the sentence or accepting the plea agreement. Provides that a copy of the written sentencing order shall be provided to any person upon request.
SB1245	01/24/2025	Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Permits the operation of recreational off-highway vehicles meeting certain criteria on any street, roadway, or highway in the State, unless the highway is an interstate system, is near a grade-separated portion of the highway, is within a municipality, or has a posted speed limit higher than 55 miles per hour. Provides that a recreational off-highway vehicle may be registered in the same manner as provided for snowmobiles and shall comply with the registration, fees, insurance, and other requirements for snowmobiles under the Snowmobile Registration and Safety Act. Provides for the distribution of registration fees. Outlines the vehicle equipment requirements for the operation of a recreational off-highway vehicle on a roadway.
SB0174	01/17/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a deduction in an amount equal to any overtime wages paid to the taxpayer during the taxable year. Effective immediately.