Will County Gazette

Harry Benton introduced HB4009 in the Illinois House on Feb. 27, 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: "Appropriates $20,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity Scholarship Program. Effective July 1, 2025."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill appropriates $20 million from the General Revenue Fund to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission specifically for the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity Scholarship Program. The funds are aimed at supporting this scholarship initiative, which is implied to assist in increasing access to early childhood education opportunities. The act becomes effective on July 1, 2025.

Harry Benton has proposed another 23 bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Harry Benton is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 97th House District. He replaced previous state representative Mark Batinick 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
HB4009	02/27/2025	Appropriates $20,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity Scholarship Program. Effective July 1, 2025.
HB4008	02/27/2025	Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026 that provides coverage for prescription drugs shall require that a covered individual's defined cost sharing for each prescription drug shall be calculated at the point of sale based on a price that is reduced by an amount equal to at least 100% of all rebates received in connection with the dispensation or administration of the prescription drug. Provides that an insurer shall apply any rebate amount in excess of the defined cost sharing amount to the health plan to reduce premiums. Provides that the provisions shall not preclude an insurer from decreasing a covered individual's defined cost sharing by an amount greater than the stated amount at the point of sale. Provides that the Department of Insurance may adopt rules to implement the provisions.
HB3872	02/20/2025	Appropriates the sum of $50,000,000 from the Capital Projects Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the DuPage Children’s Museum for costs associated with capital improvements. Effective July 1, 2025.
HB3444	02/07/2025	Amends the Child Care Act of 1969. Provides that a day care home or group day care home may be exempt from licensure (rather than is not required to be licensed) if it serves dependent children of military personnel, is located on a military base or federal or government property, and is certified as a child development program by a branch of the U.S. Effective immediately.
HB3633	02/07/2025	Amends the Public Higher Education Act. Provides that if a student resides with a parent in the State and that parent is an active military member at the time the student enrolls, registers, or submits an enrollment deposit to a public institution of higher education in the State, the student shall be guaranteed the in-State tuition rate for the entirety of the student's enrollment at that public institution of higher education regardless of whether the parent is later reassigned to military service that relocates the parent outside of the State.
HB3721	02/07/2025	Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that any group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or managed care plan amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027 shall provide coverage for emergency medical services delivered by an out-of-network provider on the same terms as coverage that would be provided for an in-network provider. Provides that this requirement does not apply if the services rendered are not covered for in-network providers. Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, the School Code, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Limited Health Service Organization Act, the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act, and the Illinois Public Aid Code to require coverage under those provisions.
HB3771	02/07/2025	Amends the Public Adjusters Article of the Illinois Insurance Code. Removes provisions allowing a public adjuster to have a direct or indirect financial interest in an aspect of the claim if the public adjuster provides the insured a written disclosure. Makes conforming changes.
HB3804	02/07/2025	Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Requires insurance policies to be written in language easily readable and understandable by a person of average intelligence and education. Provides the factors the Director of Insurance shall consider in making the determination that the policy is easily readable and understandable by a person of average intelligence and education.
HB3841	02/07/2025	Amends the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law in the Property Tax Code. Provides that the debt service extension base shall be suspended for park districts for the 2026 levy year.
HB3843	02/07/2025	Amends the Counties Code. Provides that, in counties with a population of over 3,000,000, the minimum setback distance for new developments is 150 feet away from any arterial street. Defines "arterial street" for the purposes of the provisions.
HB3135	02/06/2025	Amends the Video Gaming Act. Provides that a licensed establishment, licensed truck stop establishment, licensed large truck stop establishment, licensed fraternal establishment, or licensed veterans establishment that is located within the designated amount of feet, as designated by the municipality in which the establishment is located, from a school or a place of worship (rather than 100 feet of a school or a place of worship) is ineligible to operate a video gaming terminal. Provides that the distance between the establishment and any such location shall be measured from the front door of the establishment to the front door of such location.
HB3136	02/06/2025	Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that property that is owned by an immediate family caregiver of a veteran with a disability or a veteran of World War II is eligible for the homestead exemption for veterans with disabilities and veterans of World War II if the immediate family caregiver resides with the veteran on a full-time basis.
HB3199	02/06/2025	Amends the School Code. Provides that the school board of a school district maintaining any of grades 9 through 12 shall require all students who are at least 16 years of age to receive a heart screening and, if a student is 16 years old, to receive another heart screening at the age of 18 years.
HB3201	02/06/2025	Amends the Election Code. Provides that no person shall broadcast any electioneering communication on a video or audio service that offers content that is primarily viewed or listened to by children under the age of 13. Provides that a violation of the provision is a business offense, punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000.
HB3266	02/06/2025	Amends the Prevailing Wage Act. Provides that, for purposes of the Act, the term "public works" also includes all private projects that are located in a tax increment financing district and paid for wholly or in part out of public funds, unless the total cost of the project is less than $25,000 or the project is performed in a designated historic district requiring specialty contractors because of that designation.
HB3268	02/06/2025	Amends the Child Care Act of 1969. Provides that an early childhood teacher must meet one of the following qualifications: (1) complete 60 semester hours from an accredited college or university with either 6 semester hours in early childhood education or complete the Gateways Early Childhood Education Credential Level 1 training; (2) complete 1,560 clock hours of child development experience and 30 semester hours from an accredited college or university with either 6 semester hours in early childhood education or Gateways Early Childhood Education Credential Level 1 training; (3) complete 2,080 clock hours of child development experience as a teacher assistant in a day care center, complete the Gateways Early Childhood Education Credential Level 1 training, and provide proof of enrollment from an accredited college or university until 30 semester hours are attained or proof of enrollment in an early childhood teacher credentialing program, either of which must be completed in no more than 5 years from the date of initial enrollment; or (4) complete a credentialing program approved by the Department of Children and Family Services in accordance with administrative rule.
HB3297	02/06/2025	Amends the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. In provisions prohibiting a person licensed under the Act from knowingly carrying a firearm on or into a building or portion of a building under the control of a unit of local government, provides that a retired police officer may carry a concealed firearm on the premises of the retired officer's former governmental employer if (i) the retired officer is authorized to carry a concealed firearm under the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004 and (ii) the retired officer's actions are authorized by ordinance.
HB3305	02/06/2025	Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that dark stores shall be assessed as active properties. Defines "dark store". Effective immediately.
HB2722	02/04/2025	Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Exempts from disclosure any studies, drafts, notes, recommendations, memoranda, and other records in which opinions are expressed, or policies or actions are formulated, except that a specific record or relevant portion of a record is not exempt if the record has remained in draft form for more than a 12-month period and public dollars were spent by a unit of local government to conduct such a study.
HB2525	02/03/2025	Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer is a Class 4 felony if there is video evidence of the driver or operator of the motor vehicle fleeing or attempting to elude the peace officer and that the fleeing or attempting to elude the peace officer results in damage to property of the State, a unit of local government, or school district.
HB2388	01/31/2025	Amends the Property Tax Code. Increases the maximum income limitation for the low-income senior citizens assessment freeze homestead exemption from $65,000 to $85,000. Effective immediately.
HB2394	01/31/2025	Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that a vehicle or combination of vehicles operated by an engine fueled wholly or partially by an electric battery or hydrogen fuel cell electric fueling system may exceed the posted weight limits by up to 2,000 pounds.
HB2395	01/31/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a deduction for the full amount of union dues paid by the taxpayer during the taxable year if the taxpayer was not allowed a federal deduction under the Internal Revenue Code. Provides that, if any amount of union dues representing federal miscellaneous itemized deductions was allowed as a federal deduction, then the amount allowed as an Illinois deduction shall be a specified percentage of the union dues disallowed under the Internal Revenue Code. Provides that the deduction is exempt from the Act's automatic sunset provision. Effective immediately.
HB2406	01/31/2025	Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that a federally licensed firearm dealer shall, upon the sale or transfer of a firearm to a person whom the dealer reasonably believes to be a first-time purchaser or transferee of a firearm, provide the purchaser or transferee of the firearm with printed or digital information about firearm safety courses available locally or electronically and the safe storage of firearms. Effective immediately.