Senators Return to Springfield as Bill Deadlines Approach
The Senate is back in Springfield on Tuesday for what will be a very busy next two weeks. While substantive bills had to clear a committee by March 21, the next bill deadline of note is Friday, April 11, when Senate bills must receive an up or down vote on the Senate floor to remain viable for this session year. After April 11 the legislature will be on a spring break for two weeks, and when we return in late April, we in the Senate will start taking up House Bills that passed in that chamber, and House members will start considering successful Senate bills.
Exceptions to these deadlines are available for appropriations bills, and there are always loopholes that are used to push through legislative proposals through non-traditional channels.
Committees will continue to be very active as well, as bill amendments will continue to be heard. I serve as the ranking Republican on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, and this photo was taken after a recent committee meeting where several bills were heard.
Senator Wilcox Pushes Election Integrity Legislation
President Donald Trump recently issued an executive order titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” which introduces significant changes to U.S. election procedures concerning voting rights and non-citizens. Key provisions of the President’s order include the following common sense measures:
- Proof of Citizenship for Voter Registration: The order mandates that individuals must provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, when registering to vote in federal elections. This measure aims to prevent non-citizens from voting but has raised concerns about potential disenfranchisement of eligible voters lacking such documentation.
- Mail-In Ballot Deadline: It requires that all mail-in ballots be received by Election Day to be counted, eliminating the acceptance of ballots that arrive after Election Day, even if postmarked before. Critics argue this could lead to valid votes being discarded, particularly affecting voters in states that previously allowed a grace period for mail-in ballots.
- Federal Funding Conditions: The order threatens to withhold federal funding from states that do not comply with these new requirements, pressuring states to adopt these measures despite elections traditionally being under state jurisdiction.
I support this executive order 100% and am co-sponsoring several pieces of legislation this year that seeks to protect the integrity of elections here in Illinois. Bills I am co-sponsoring this year include:
- Voter ID (SB 2226): Requires all voters to show a government-issued photo ID or a Voter Identification Card to verify their identity before voting. Voter ID cards will be provided to those who don’t have an acceptable photo ID, with certain requirements and exemptions outlined.
- Voter ID Constitutional Amendment (SJRCA 7): Proposed constitutional amendment would require all Illinois voters to show photo ID when voting in person and to provide identifying information when voting by mail. It confirms that U.S. citizens who are at least 18 and have lived in Illinois for at least 30 days can vote, while adding new ID verification requirements to the state constitution for both in-person and mail-in voting.
- Elections Omnibus (SB 181): Overhauls Illinois’ election laws to tighten voting rules and increase ballot security. It requires a valid photo ID with a current address to register or vote and eliminates ballot drop boxes, allowing ballots only at polling places or clerk’s offices. It shortens early voting to 14 days, ends same-day voter registration, and scales back vote-by-mail by eliminating permanent VBM and requiring ballots to be requested 30 days in advance. Vote centers must be geographically spread out, ballots must be pre-printed and tracked, and all counting (except for military ballots) must be completed within 7 days of the election. Ballot harvesting is banned and made a felony, and polling places are prohibited in residential buildings and college dorms.
- Timely Reporting of Mail in/Early Vote (SB 54): Timely reporting of election results from county clerks. Draft would require them to provide regular updates (48 hours) on counting for absentee ballots after election day.
- Same Day Registration Provisional Voting (SB 2239): Requires anyone who registers to vote on election day to cast a provisional ballot. Their vote will only count if they complete and return a registration form mailed to the address they gave on election day, confirming they actually live there.
- Voting Residency Requirements (SB 2240): Tightens voter registration requirements by adding more detailed attestation requirements about a person’s residency and narrowing the list of acceptable IDs. If passed, Illinois election law would no longer permit student ID cards, employee ID cards, or credit cards to be used to register to vote. It also requires election authorities to only accept the permitted forms of identification listed in law, rather than having wide discretion to accept other documents.
- Citizenship Verification (SB 59): Requires the Illinois Secretary of State to create a secure database by January 1, 2026, that shows whether someone with a driver’s license or state ID is a U.S. citizen. Starting that same date, local election officials must use this database to check a person’s citizenship status before registering them to vote. If the database shows the applicant is not a U.S. citizen, their registration will be marked as incomplete, and they will be notified in writing that they cannot vote unless they appear in person at the county clerk’s office with proof of U.S. citizenship.
After the President’s executive order was issued, Governor JB Pritzker quickly announced that Illinois would not be following the Presidential order. Similarly, all of the Senate Republican measures listed above that would help secure our elections in Illinois have been blocked from consideration by Pritzker and his Democrat allies. My colleagues and I will continue to fight for free, fair, and secure elections despite the majority party’s utter disinterest in ensuring that only those who legally have the right to vote cast ballots in Illinois elections.
Democrats Seek to Ease Restrictions on Sex Offenders
In yet another display of their misplaced priorities, Democrat lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow convicted sex offenders to live closer to schools, playground, and childcare facilities.
Currently, registered offenders cannot live within 500 feet of these types of facilities. However, Senate Bill 2254 would reduce the distance by half, allowing offenders to live within 250 feet of these facilities.
Additionally, the legislation would lower penalties for violations of the sex offender, arsonist, and violent offender registries from felonies to misdemeanors and shortens the registration period for the Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registry from 10 years to 5 years. The measure also requires law enforcement to waive registration fees for indigent offenders.
Rather than seeking to reduce safeguards put in place to protect children, my Senate Republican colleagues and I argue that more should be done to hold those who abuse accountable for their crimes.
This includes our filing of Senate Bill 284, which closes dangerous loopholes that have allowed offenders to escape full accountability by prohibiting plea deals for individuals charged with grooming, trafficking in persons, or involuntary sexual servitude of a minor while also imposing stricter restrictions on convicted offenders. The proposal also expands restrictions on where convicted child sex offenders can work, volunteer, or be present, barring them from facilities that cater specifically to minors.
Still Time to Participate in Senator Wilcox’s “My Inspirational Teacher” Essay Contest
As a reminder, I’m taking steps to help celebrate area teachers during Illinois’ Teacher Appreciation Week May 5-9. To ensure teachers know who much they are appreciated, I am hosting my second annual My Inspirational Teacher Essay Contest for students in 6th through 8th grade in the 32nd Senate District.
The contest offers students an opportunity to showcase their favorite teacher’s talents and explain how that teacher has made a special difference in their lives. Specifically, students are invited to write a 250-500-word essay about the one teacher who has been the most inspirational to them in their educational journey thus far.
When writing the essays, students should relay how a teacher’s specific actions made a positive impact and also outline the results of exactly how the teacher changed them as they continued through school. Each entry must include the child’s name, school, and grade level, and the teacher’s name, school, and the subject taught. A panel of education leaders will read and evaluate the essays, and will consider persuasiveness, correct spelling and grammar, and adherence to contest instructions.
There will be several winning essays, and the grand prize winning essay will be posted on my legislative website (SenatorWilcox.com). Excerpts from all of the winning essays will be displayed for a week in the State Capitol rotunda in Springfield.
Eligible Participants: Students in Grades 6-8
Theme: How My Teacher Inspires Me
Entry Deadline: April 25, 2025
Announcement of Winners: Winners will be notified by email
The 32nd Senate District includes all or portions of the following communities: Antioch, Bull Valley, Cary, Crystal Lake, Fox Lake, Island Lake, Johnsburg, Lake Villa, Lakemoor, Lakewood, Lindenhurst, McCullom Lake, McHenry, Oakwood Hills, Port Barrington, Prairie Grove, Richmond, Ringwood, Round Lake Beach, Spring Grove, Trout Valley, Volo, Woodstock, and Wonder Lake.
For additional information about this essay contest, please contact Kim at kjohnson@sgop.ilga.gov.
Capture the Heart of Illinois Agriculture in the Cream of the Crop Photo Contest!
The Illinois Treasurer’s Office is launching the Cream of the Crop Photo Contest, inviting students ages 8-18 to submit photos that best represent Illinois agriculture. Entries are accepted until June 13 and can be submitted electronically at Illinois Treasurer’s Cream of the Crop Photo Contest.
The contest features three age categories:
- Ages 8-10
- Ages 11-14
- Ages 15-18
Prizes include Bright Start scholarships of $1,000, $500, and $250 for the top three winners in each category. Each student may submit up to two photos.
Snapshots for the Cream of the Crop Photo Contest may be submitted electronically at: https://illinoistreasurer.gov/Invest_in_Illinois/Ag_Invest/Cream_of_the_Crop_Photo_Contest