The legislation was introduced in bill HB185 on Dec. 5, 2016, when Rep. Michael J. Madigan (D-22) filed it with the House clerk.
According to the General Assembly website, the bill as introduced was designed to "amend the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act".
After debate, the House passed the bill on Oct. 25, 2017 and it arrived in the Senate on April 19, and both chambers agreed to the final version of the legislation on May 27. The bill was sent to the governor on June 23 and was signed into law on Dec. 29, 2017. 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 HB185.
| Date | Chamber | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 12/5/2016 | House | Prefiled with Clerk by Rep. Michael J. Madigan |
| 1/11/2017 | House | First Reading |
| 1/11/2017 | House | Referred to Rules Committee |
| 1/25/2017 | House | Assigned to Executive Committee |
| 2/8/2017 | House | Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate ** |
| 2/8/2017 | House | Do Pass / Short Debate Executive Committee; 007-003-000 |
| 2/16/2017 | House | Second Reading - Short Debate |
| 2/16/2017 | House | Held on Calendar Order of Second Reading - Short Debate ** |
| 4/28/2017 | House | Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee |
| 10/17/2017 | House | Approved for Consideration Rules Committee; 004-000-000 |
| 10/17/2017 | House | Chief Sponsor Changed to Rep. Elgie R. Sims, Jr. |
| 10/17/2017 | House | Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate |
| 10/20/2017 | House | House Floor Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Elgie R. Sims, Jr. |
| 10/20/2017 | House | House Floor Amendment No. 1 Referred to Rules Committee |
| 10/24/2017 | House | Final Action Deadline Extended-9(b) November 10, 2017 |
| 10/24/2017 | House | House Floor Amendment No. 1 Recommends Be Adopted Judiciary - Criminal Committee; 007-002-000 |
| 10/24/2017 | House | House Floor Amendment No. 1 Rules Refers to Judiciary - Criminal Committee |
| 10/25/2017 | House | House Floor Amendment No. 1 Adopted |
| 10/25/2017 | House | Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 097-012-005 |
| 10/25/2017 | House | 3/5 Vote Required |
| 10/25/2017 | House | Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Brian W. Stewart |
| 10/25/2017 | House | Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Michael J. Zalewski |
| 10/25/2017 | House | Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Jim Durkin |
| 10/25/2017 | House | Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate |
| 11/1/2017 | Senate | Arrive in Senate |
| 11/1/2017 | Senate | First Reading |
| 11/1/2017 | Senate | Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. William R. Haine |
| 11/1/2017 | Senate | Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Tim Bivins |
| 11/1/2017 | Senate | Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. Antonio Muñoz |
| 11/1/2017 | Senate | Assigned to Criminal Law |
| 11/1/2017 | Senate | Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Jason A. Barickman |
| 11/1/2017 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading |
| 11/1/2017 | Senate | Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. John G. Mulroe |
| 11/1/2017 | Senate | Referred to Assignments |
| 11/6/2017 | Senate | Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Chris Nybo |
| 11/6/2017 | Senate | Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Dale A. Righter |
| 11/7/2017 | Senate | Second Reading |
| 11/7/2017 | Senate | Do Pass Criminal Law; 010-000-000 |
| 11/7/2017 | Senate | Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Michael Connelly |
| 11/7/2017 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading November 8, 2017 |
| 11/7/2017 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading |
| 11/8/2017 | House | Passed Both Houses |
| 11/8/2017 | Senate | 3/5 Vote Required |
| 11/8/2017 | Senate | Third Reading - Passed; 054-000-000 |
| 12/7/2017 | House | Sent to the Governor |
| 12/29/2017 | House | Effective Date December 29, 2017 |
| 12/29/2017 | House | Public Act . . . . . . . . . 100-0572 |
| 12/29/2017 | House | Governor Approved |
| 12/18/2018 | House | Prefiled with Clerk by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford |
| 1/9/2019 | House | First Reading |
| 1/9/2019 | House | Referred to Rules Committee |
| 1/18/2019 | House | Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Allen Skillicorn |
| 1/29/2019 | House | Assigned to Judiciary - Civil Committee |
| 2/8/2019 | House | To Family Law Subcommittee |
| 3/11/2019 | House | House Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred to Rules Committee |
| 3/11/2019 | House | House Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford |
| 3/12/2019 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Darren Bailey |
| 3/19/2019 | House | House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rules Refers to Judiciary - Civil Committee |
| 3/29/2019 | House | House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rule 19(c) / Re-referred to Rules Committee |
| 3/29/2019 | House | Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee |
| 2/18/2020 | House | House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rules Refers to Judiciary - Civil Committee |
| 2/18/2020 | House | Assigned to Judiciary - Civil Committee |
| 2/26/2020 | House | To Family Law Subcommittee |
| 2/26/2020 | House | House Committee Amendment No. 1 To Family Law Subcommittee |
| 3/5/2020 | House | Added Co-Sponsor Rep. John M. Cabello |
| 6/23/2020 | House | Rule 19(b) / Re-referred to Rules Committee |
| 6/23/2020 | House | House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rule 19(c) / Re-referred to Rules Committee |
| 1/13/2021 | House | Session Sine Die |
| 1/19/2021 | House | Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Steven Reick |
| 1/22/2021 | House | First Reading |
| 1/22/2021 | House | Referred to Rules Committee |
| 2/23/2021 | House | Assigned to Executive Committee |
| 3/17/2021 | House | Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Consent Calendar |
| 3/17/2021 | House | Do Pass / Consent Calendar Executive Committee; 015-000-000 |
| 4/12/2021 | House | Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate |
| 4/12/2021 | House | Removed from Consent Calendar Status Rep. Greg Harris |
| 4/14/2021 | House | Second Reading - Short Debate |
| 4/14/2021 | House | Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate |
| 4/15/2021 | House | Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 100-004-000 |
| 4/19/2021 | Senate | Arrive in Senate |
| 4/19/2021 | Senate | First Reading |
| 4/19/2021 | Senate | Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. Craig Wilcox |
| 4/19/2021 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading |
| 4/19/2021 | Senate | Referred to Assignments |
| 4/28/2021 | Senate | Assigned to Judiciary |
| 5/12/2021 | Senate | Do Pass Judiciary; 007-000-000 |
| 5/12/2021 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading May 13, 2021 |
| 5/13/2021 | Senate | Second Reading |
| 5/13/2021 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading May 14, 2021 |
| 5/24/2021 | Senate | Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading ** May 25, 2021 |
| 5/27/2021 | House | Passed Both Houses |
| 5/27/2021 | Senate | Third Reading - Passed; 057-000-000 |
| 6/23/2021 | House | Sent to the Governor |
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