East Central Reporter

Blaine Wilhour introduced HB3119 in the Illinois House on Feb. 6, 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: "Creates the Prairie State Infrastructure Protection Act. Provides that a business entity in the State may not enter into a contract or other agreement relating to critical infrastructure in the State with a company if the company, under the contract or agreement, would be able to directly or remotely access or control critical infrastructure in the State and is associated with China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or another designated county. Provides that the Governor may designate a country as a threat to critical infrastructure in consultation with the Director of the Illinois State Police. Provides that the Governor may consult with the Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to assess a threat to critical infrastructure under the Act. Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Provides that a governmental entity may not enter into a contract or other agreement relating to critical infrastructure in the State with a company that is associated with China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or another designated county."

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

In essence, the bill, titled the Prairie State Infrastructure Protection Act, prohibits business entities and governmental entities in Illinois from entering contracts related to critical infrastructure with companies associated with China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or any other country designated by the Governor as a threat. This restriction applies if the company could directly or remotely access or control critical infrastructure, defined as systems like communication infrastructure, cybersecurity, electric grids, hazardous waste treatment, and water treatment. The Governor is authorized to consult with the Director of the Illinois State Police and the Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to assess threats and designate countries as threats. This measure applies regardless of whether the companies are publicly traded or listed on public stock exchanges.

Blaine Wilhour has proposed another two bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Blaine Wilhour is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 110th House District. She replaced previous state representative Chris Miller 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
HB3119	02/06/2025	Creates the Prairie State Infrastructure Protection Act. Provides that a business entity in the State may not enter into a contract or other agreement relating to critical infrastructure in the State with a company if the company, under the contract or agreement, would be able to directly or remotely access or control critical infrastructure in the State and is associated with China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or another designated county. Provides that the Governor may designate a country as a threat to critical infrastructure in consultation with the Director of the Illinois State Police. Provides that the Governor may consult with the Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to assess a threat to critical infrastructure under the Act. Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Provides that a governmental entity may not enter into a contract or other agreement relating to critical infrastructure in the State with a company that is associated with China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or another designated county.
HB3112	02/06/2025	Amends the Property Owned By Noncitizens Act. Provides that, beginning on the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Governor shall take such actions as may be necessary to prohibit the purchase of public or private real estate located in Illinois by any noncitizens. Provides that the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability shall submit to the General Assembly a report that details the history of purchases of public and private real estate located in the State by noncitizens; provides more information on the percentage of real estate located in the State that is owned by noncitizens; and offers recommendations to make it easier for citizens and harder for noncitizens to purchase real estate located in the State, including farmland. Repeals the provisions 5 years after the effective date of the Act. Makes conforming changes.
HB3113	02/06/2025	Amends the General Provisions Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Defines "eligible Tier 2 member" as a member who first became a member under a retirement system or pension fund established under the Code on or after January 1, 2011 and whose service under the applicable Article is not eligible for Social Security coverage. Defines "hypothetical Social Security benefit" as the value of the Social Security benefit an eligible Tier 2 member would receive if the eligible Tier 2 member's service had been eligible for Social Security coverage. Provides that if an eligible Tier 2 member would receive a pension benefit that is less than the eligible Tier 2 member's hypothetical Social Security benefit, then the eligible Tier 2 member's pension benefit shall be increased to the amount of the hypothetical Social Security benefit plus $1. Provides that the determination shall be made on an annual basis, and the amount of the pension benefit shall be adjusted annually. In the State Employees, State Universities, and Downstate Teachers Articles, provides that any benefit increase that results from the amendatory Act is excluded from the definition of "new benefit increase". Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement by the State.
HB3114	02/06/2025	Creates the Efficient School District Commission. Provides for the membership and support of the Commission. Requires the Commission to make recommendations to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the electorate on the number of school districts in this State and where reorganization and realignment of school districts into unit districts would be beneficial. Sets forth what areas the recommendations must focus on, including drafting recommendations to reduce the statewide total number of school districts through the reorganization of school districts into unit districts. Provides that, on or before May 1, 2027, the Commission must vote on its recommendations and file a report with the Governor and the General Assembly. Provides that if the Commission adopts the recommendations by an affirmative vote of at least 13 of its members, then the Commission's specific recommendations for reorganization of school districts into unit districts shall be filed with the appropriate regional superintendent of schools. Sets forth the regional superintendent's and State Superintendent of Education's duties with respect to the recommendations. Repeals these provisions on January 31, 2028. Effective immediately.
HB3115	02/06/2025	Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Provides that any member of the General Assembly, person whose appointment to office is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate, or head of a department, commission, board, division, bureau, authority, or other administrative unit within the government of this State who takes office on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act shall not, within a 3-year period immediately following termination of that person's most recent term of office, register as a lobbyist and engage in lobbying with members of the General Assembly. Effective immediately.
HB3116	02/06/2025	Amends the University of Illinois Act. Beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year, provides that the Board of Trustees shall give priority admission to residents of this State. Based upon academic year, sets forth the percentage of the University's freshman class of undergraduate students that must be State residents. Effective immediately.
HB3117	02/06/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a deduction in an amount equal to the capital gains realized by the taxpayer from the taking of property by eminent domain to the extent that those gains are included in the taxpayer's federal taxable income. Effective immediately.
HB3118	02/06/2025	Amends the Illinois Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Act. Provides that no tax shall be imposed under the Act for persons dying on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act or for transfers made on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act.
HB3120	02/06/2025	Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that the owner or operator of any large GHG-emitting unit in the State, including the owner or operator of an EGU in the State, may petition the Commission for a waiver of any one or more specified emission limitations. Provides that, if the Commission determines, following a hearing, that compliance with any one or more of the emission limitations will either threaten the reliability or adequacy of electricity supplies in the State or will create a significant economic hardship for electricity users in the State, the Commission may enter a written order waiving the operation of those limitations for a period to be specified by the Commission. Provides that, if at any time the Illinois Commerce Commission believes that an impending plant closure would threaten the reliability or adequacy of electricity supplies in the State or create a significant economic hardship for electricity users, the Illinois Commerce Commission shall enter a written order waiving the operation of those limitations for any large GHG-emitting units in the State for a period to be specified by the Commission. Provides that, if there is a conflict between the terms of the Act and an order entered by the Commission, the Commission's order shall control. Effective immediately.
HB3121	02/06/2025	Amends the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act. Modifies the definition of "representation case" to include matters before units of local government. Provides that no legislator or employee of a governmental entity may accept or participate in any way in any representation case if the State or unit of local government is an adverse party or if the result is an adverse effect on State or local revenue, State or local finances, or the health, safety, welfare, or relative tax burden of any State resident. Prohibits (rather than allows) participation in a representation case by a person with whom a legislator maintains a close economic association. Provides that no legislator or employee of a governmental entity may derive any income, compensation, or other tangible benefit from providing opinion evidence as an expert against the interests of the State or a unit of local government in any judicial or quasi-judicial proceeding before any administrative agency or court. Provides that a legislator shall officially recuse himself or herself from any legislative matter in which the legislator or his or her spouse or immediate family member has a financial interest and shall include in the recusal a written explanation for the recusal. Makes conforming and other changes.
HB3122	02/06/2025	Amends the General Assembly Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Restricts participation in the General Assembly Retirement System by members of the General Assembly to persons who become participants before January 1, 2026 and provides that, beginning on that date, the System shall not accept any new participants who are members of the General Assembly. Makes related changes. Effective immediately.
HB3123	02/06/2025	Amends the Deposit of State Moneys Act and the Public Funds Investment Act. Prohibits the investment of State moneys and public funds in certain investments or institutions tied to the Chinese Communist Party or the People's Republic of China. Amends the Procurement Code. Provides that each bid or offer submitted for a State contract shall include a disclosure of whether or not the bidder, offeror, or any of its corporate parents or subsidiaries, within the 24 months before submission of the bid or offer had business operations that involved contracts with or provision of supplies or services to the Chinese Communist Party and certain other companies tied to the Chinese Communist Party. Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that the State-funded retirement systems shall not invest moneys in Chinese Communist Party sovereign debt, Chinese Communist Party-backed securities, any investment instrument issued by an entity that is domiciled or has its principal place of business in the People's Republic of China, or any investment instrument issued by a company that is subject to Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies Sanctions. Provides that as soon as practicable, each State-funded retirement system shall instruct its investment advisors to sell, redeem, divest, or withdraw all direct holdings of Chinese Communist Party sovereign debt and direct holdings of Chinese Communist Party-backed securities. Requires the Illinois Investment Policy Board to make its best efforts to identify all companies that are domiciled or have their principal place of business in the People's Republic of China and companies subject to Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies Sanctions and to include those companies in the list of restricted companies. Makes other changes. Amends the Board of Higher Education Act. Provides that the Board of Higher Education shall require a public institution of higher education to disclose to the Board any endowment or other donation given to the institution from a source associated with any company that is domiciled or has its principal place of business in the People's Republic of China and is on the list of restricted companies developed by the Illinois Investment Policy Board. Makes other changes.
HB3124	02/06/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as the Reshore Our Supply Chains Tax Reform Act. In specified provisions concerning base income, provides that a taxpayer may claim a depreciation deduction for federal income tax purposes.
HB3147	02/06/2025	Reenacts the Invest in Kids Act and makes the Act permanent. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.