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SB2895

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HEALING THROUGH HISTORY ACT

What this bill does

Creates the Healing Through History Act. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to provide prospective adoptive families, no less than 30 days prior to adoption finalization, with a complete, unredacted copy of the child's full case record, including, but not limited to: (i) all placement histories and foster home records; (ii) all caseworker notes and observations; (iii) all educational, psychological, and behavioral reports; (iv) all therapy or counseling notes, subject to certain federal requirements; and (v) all medical records in full, including historical records. Provides that former foster youth aged 18 or older are entitled to receive the same information and records at no cost in both physical and digital form. Contains provisions concerning ongoing record access post-adoption or post-emancipation; the development of Department protocols and infrastructure necessary to collect, preserve, and transmit full child records; exemption and confidentiality protections; federal disclosure requirements; and other matters. Effective January 1, 2026.

Sponsor: Darby A. Hills Chamber: Senate Introduced: 2026-01-16
Stuck
P(Advance)
3.0%
Chance it ever reaches a milestone (committee, floor, etc.). Not “next step.”
P(Law)
0.0%
Chance it becomes law given where it is now (stage, momentum).
Confidence: 97%

Calculating prediction drivers...

Pipeline Progress

Current stage: In Committee · Last action 143 days ago · SLOW

How does a bill become law in Illinois?
  1. 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.

  2. Committee Work — Hearings

    The bill goes to the appropriate committee, which holds hearings to gather expert opinions and determine the need for the legislation.

  3. Committee Work — Markup, Amendments, Report

    The committee may make amendments to the bill. If approved, a committee report endorsing the bill is issued.

  4. Floor Debate

    The bill is debated and can be further amended. The debate transcripts are accessible online for public viewing.

  5. 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.

  6. 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

Hearings

This bill has not been scheduled for a committee hearing.

Action History

7 actions recorded. Last action: 2026-02-18 — Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred toAssignments. Each action's meaning and outcome signal are classified automatically.

2026-01-16 Introduction & Filing
Filed with Secretary bySen. Darby A. Hills Rule 2-7(b)
Bill officially submitted to the Senate Secretary during the session.
2026-01-16 Introduction & Filing
First Reading Senate Rule 5-1(d)/5-2; House Rule 37(d)/38
Formal introduction — title read into the official record. Required procedural step; bill now exists in the system.
2026-01-16 Committee Assignment
Referred toAssignments Senate Rule 3-8(a); House Rule 18(a)
Sent to a committee (usually Rules in the House, Assignments in the Senate). The gatekeeping step — Rules/Assignments decides which substantive committee hears the bill.
2026-02-03 Committee Assignment
Assigned toChild Welfare Senate Rule 3-8(a); House Rule 18(b)
Sent to a substantive committee (e.g., Transportation, Revenue). This is where the bill gets a real hearing and evaluation.
2026-02-11 Co-Sponsorship Mild +
Added as Co-SponsorSen. Mary Edly-Allen Senate Rule 5-1(a); House Rule 37(a)
A legislator added as co-sponsor.
2026-02-18 Amendment Actions
Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Secretary bySen. Darby A. Hills
[Amendment] Bill officially submitted to the Senate Secretary during the session.
2026-02-18 Amendment Actions
Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred toAssignments
[Amendment] Sent to a committee (usually Rules in the House, Assignments in the Senate). The gatekeeping step — Rules/Assignments decides which substantive committee hears the bill.

All actions (table)

Date Chamber Action Category Signal
2026-01-16 Senate Filed with Secretary bySen. Darby A. Hills Rule 2-7(b) Introduction & Filing —
2026-01-16 Senate First Reading Senate Rule 5-1(d)/5-2; House Rule 37(d)/38 Introduction & Filing —
2026-01-16 Senate Referred toAssignments Senate Rule 3-8(a); House Rule 18(a) Committee Assignment —
2026-02-03 Senate Assigned toChild Welfare Senate Rule 3-8(a); House Rule 18(b) Committee Assignment —
2026-02-11 Senate Added as Co-SponsorSen. Mary Edly-Allen Senate Rule 5-1(a); House Rule 37(a) Co-Sponsorship Mild +
2026-02-18 Senate Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Secretary bySen. Darby A. Hills Amendment Actions —
2026-02-18 Senate Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred toAssignments Amendment Actions —