HB3121
View on ILGAETHICS-REP CASE AND RECUSAL
What this bill does
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.
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Current stage: In Committee · Last action 550 days ago · STAGNANT
How does a bill become law in Illinois?
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Introduction of Bill
A member of the Senate or the House introduces a bill, which is assigned a unique identifying number (e.g., "H.B. ___" for House bills and "S.B. ___" for Senate bills). If not enacted, it must be reintroduced in the next General Assembly with a new number.
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Committee Work — Hearings
The bill goes to the appropriate committee, which holds hearings to gather expert opinions and determine the need for the legislation.
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Committee Work — Markup, Amendments, Report
The committee may make amendments to the bill. If approved, a committee report endorsing the bill is issued.
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Floor Debate
The bill is debated and can be further amended. The debate transcripts are accessible online for public viewing.
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Passage and Consideration in Second Chamber
If the bill passes in the first chamber, it moves to the second chamber for a similar review process. If both chambers approve, it goes to the governor.
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Gubernatorial Action
The governor can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action (resulting in an automatic law after 60 days). The type of veto can be total or amendatory. Once signed, the bill becomes a Public Act and is assigned a Public Act number.
Sponsor Context
Campaign finance
This is SBE campaign receipts to the people on this bill, not Moneyball and not earmarked to the bill.
Money is campaign receipts to matched candidate committees, not earmarked to this bill. Window 2025-01-01 – 2026-09-13.
Sponsor and voter funding
| Member | Role | Receipts | Total received | Top donors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaine Wilhour | Chief sponsor | 2 | $1,500.00 | Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 ($1,000.00); Illinois Policy PAC ($500.00) |
| Dan Ugaste | Sponsor | 180 | $176,816.93 | Realtor PAC ($16,000.00); IL Bankers PAC ($13,000.00); John Bryan ($7,500.00) |
| Dave Severin | Sponsor | 316 | $285,381.26 | House Republican Organization ($84,760.51); Illinois Republican Party ($15,526.00); Downstate Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC ($12,500.00) |
| David Friess | Sponsor | 37 | $21,800.00 | Sports Betting Alliance ($2,500.00); E.T. Simonds Construction Co ($2,500.00); Ameren PAC ($2,000.00) |
| Travis Weaver | Sponsor | 173 | $515,370.05 | Fortress Bank ($294,651.55); Caterpillar INC PAC ($36,000.00); Realtor PAC ($12,500.00) |
| Charles Meier | Sponsor | 230 | $349,283.37 | House Republican Organization ($115,388.50); Illinois Political Action Committee for Education ($40,000.00); Illinois Farm Bureau ACTIVATOR ($20,143.05) |
| Kevin Schmidt | Sponsor | 141 | $181,200.07 | IPACE ($50,000.00); Illinois Republican Party ($24,159.86); Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor -Management ($8,500.00) |
| Jason R. Bunting | Sponsor | 134 | $67,900.00 | Ameren Illinois ($5,500.00); Roland Gantzert ($2,700.00); Illinois Corn Growers Assn. PAC ($2,500.00) |
Overlapping donors
Donors who gave to more than one sponsor or voter on this bill. Still not earmarked to the bill.
| Donor | Members | Total |
|---|---|---|
| House Republican Organization | Charles Meier, Dave Severin, Kevin Schmidt | $205,304.22 |
| Illinois Republican Party | Charles Meier, Dave Severin, Kevin Schmidt | $47,163.43 |
| Realtor PAC | Dan Ugaste, Travis Weaver | $28,500.00 |
| Realtor Political Action Committee | Charles Meier, Dave Severin, Kevin Schmidt | $27,500.00 |
| Ameren Illinois | Charles Meier, Dave Severin, David Friess, Travis Weaver, Jason R. Bunting | $20,500.00 |
| Ameren | Dan Ugaste, Kevin Schmidt | $14,000.00 |
| Chicago J. Dineen Lodge 7 PAC | Dave Severin, Kevin Schmidt | $13,000.00 |
| Illinois State Medical Society PAC | Charles Meier, Dan Ugaste, Travis Weaver, Jason R. Bunting | $10,500.00 |
| Sports Betting Alliance | Charles Meier, Dave Severin, David Friess, Kevin Schmidt | $10,000.00 |
| IHA PAC | Dan Ugaste, Travis Weaver, Jason R. Bunting | $7,500.00 |
| Community BancPac | Charles Meier, Dave Severin, Travis Weaver, Kevin Schmidt | $7,500.00 |
| Ameren Illinois PAC | Charles Meier, Dave Severin, Travis Weaver | $7,500.00 |
| CAR of Illinois | Dave Severin, Dan Ugaste, Kevin Schmidt, Jason R. Bunting | $7,000.00 |
| Associated Beer Distributors of IL PAC | Charles Meier, Dan Ugaste, Travis Weaver, Jason R. Bunting | $6,500.00 |
| IMHA PAC | Dan Ugaste, Travis Weaver | $6,500.00 |
| TRK-PAC | Charles Meier, Dan Ugaste, Travis Weaver | $5,500.00 |
| NRG Energy | Dave Severin, Dan Ugaste, Travis Weaver | $4,750.00 |
| Chempac | Charles Meier, Dan Ugaste | $4,000.00 |
| Marquis Energy LLC | Dave Severin, Dan Ugaste | $4,000.00 |
| J & J Ventures Gaming LLC | Dave Severin, Jason R. Bunting | $4,000.00 |
| Accel Entertainment Gaming, LLC | Charles Meier, Dave Severin, Jason R. Bunting | $4,000.00 |
| Citizens for Patrick Windhorst | Charles Meier, Dave Severin | $4,000.00 |
| Illinois Association of Aggregate Producers | Dave Severin, Dan Ugaste, David Friess, Kevin Schmidt | $3,750.00 |
| Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC | Dave Severin, Travis Weaver | $3,720.00 |
| Illinois American Water Company PAC | Dave Severin, Dan Ugaste | $3,500.00 |
Top donors across these members
| Donor | Occupation | Employer | Receipts | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fortress Bank | — | — | 4 | $294,651.55 |
| House Republican Organization | — | — | 51 | $205,304.22 |
| IPACE | — | — | 3 | $50,000.00 |
| Illinois Republican Party | — | — | 6 | $47,163.43 |
| Illinois Political Action Committee for Education | — | — | 1 | $40,000.00 |
| Caterpillar INC PAC | — | — | 3 | $36,000.00 |
| Realtor PAC | — | — | 10 | $28,500.00 |
| Realtor Political Action Committee | — | — | 13 | $27,500.00 |
| Ameren Illinois | — | — | 8 | $20,500.00 |
| Illinois Farm Bureau ACTIVATOR | — | — | 13 | $20,143.05 |
| Ameren | — | — | 10 | $14,000.00 |
| Illinois Corn Growers Assn PIF | — | — | 2 | $14,000.00 |
| IL Bankers PAC | — | — | 2 | $13,000.00 |
| Chicago J. Dineen Lodge 7 PAC | — | — | 2 | $13,000.00 |
| Downstate Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC | — | — | 2 | $12,500.00 |
| Illinois State Medical Society PAC | — | — | 10 | $10,500.00 |
| Sports Betting Alliance | — | — | 4 | $10,000.00 |
| illinois chiropractic society | — | — | 5 | $8,500.00 |
| Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor -Management | — | — | 6 | $8,500.00 |
| Illinois Farm Bureau ACTIVATOR Political Involvement Fund | — | — | 9 | $8,498.65 |
| Marquis Energy - LLC | — | — | 1 | $8,000.00 |
| IHA PAC | — | — | 7 | $7,500.00 |
| John Bryan | President | Geneva Construction | 2 | $7,500.00 |
| Community BancPac | — | — | 6 | $7,500.00 |
| Ameren Illinois PAC | — | — | 4 | $7,500.00 |
Hearings
This bill has not been scheduled for a committee hearing.
Witness slips
2 slips filed. Proponent / opponent / no position as filed with the committee.
| Name | Organization | Representing | Position | Hearing committee | Hearing date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dean Fletcher | na | Proponent | Ethics & Elections | 2025-03-11 | |
| Michael Luebbers | Illinois Freedom Civic Coalition dba Illinois Freedom Alliance | On behalf of IFCC dba IFA | Proponent | Ethics & Elections | 2025-03-11 |
Action History
12 actions recorded. Last action: 2025-04-08 — Added Co-SponsorRep. Jason R. Bunting. Each action's meaning and outcome signal are classified automatically.
All actions (table)
| Date | Chamber | Action | Category | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-02-06 | House | Filed with the Clerk byRep. Blaine Wilhour House Rule 6(b) | Introduction & Filing | — |
| 2025-02-18 | House | First Reading Senate Rule 5-1(d)/5-2; House Rule 37(d)/38 | Introduction & Filing | — |
| 2025-02-18 | House | Referred toRules Committee Senate Rule 3-8(a); House Rule 18(a) | Committee Assignment | — |
| 2025-03-04 | House | Assigned toEthics & Elections Senate Rule 3-8(a); House Rule 18(b) | Committee Assignment | — |
| 2025-03-20 | House | Added Co-SponsorRep. Dave Severin Senate Rule 5-1(a); House Rule 37(a) | Co-Sponsorship | Mild + |
| 2025-03-20 | House | Added Co-SponsorRep. David Friess Senate Rule 5-1(a); House Rule 37(a) | Co-Sponsorship | Mild + |
| 2025-03-21 | House | Rule 19(a) / Re-referred toRules Committee House Rule 19(a); Senate analog: Rule 3-9(a) | Deadlines & Re-referrals | Mild − |
| 2025-03-25 | House | Added Chief Co-SponsorRep. Dan Ugaste Senate Rule 5-1(a); House Rule 37(a) | Co-Sponsorship | Mild + |
| 2025-03-25 | House | Added Co-SponsorRep. Travis Weaver Senate Rule 5-1(a); House Rule 37(a) | Co-Sponsorship | Mild + |
| 2025-03-26 | House | Added Co-SponsorRep. Charles Meier Senate Rule 5-1(a); House Rule 37(a) | Co-Sponsorship | Mild + |
| 2025-03-26 | House | Added Co-SponsorRep. Kevin Schmidt Senate Rule 5-1(a); House Rule 37(a) | Co-Sponsorship | Mild + |
| 2025-04-08 | House | Added Co-SponsorRep. Jason R. Bunting Senate Rule 5-1(a); House Rule 37(a) | Co-Sponsorship | Mild + |