Dupage Policy Journal

Seth Lewis introduced SB1270 in the Illinois Senate on Jan. 28, 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 Local Government Chairperson Term Limit Review Act. Provides that, no later than December 31, 2025, and no less than every 2 years thereafter, a governmental unit that is governed by an elected governing body that has not enacted term limits for the board's chairperson by ordinance or resolution shall consider and decide, by verbal or written vote, ordinance, resolution, or referendum of the electors of the governmental unit, whether to impose term limits for the chairperson of the governing body. Defines "governmental unit" as a unit of local government or school district. Provides that, if a governmental unit has a term limit policy for the chairperson of its governing body, before a person may be elected chairperson, the governmental unit's clerk or secretary shall determine which members of the governing body are eligible to serve as chairperson of the governing body based upon the term limit policy. Provides that the clerk or secretary shall submit an eligibility report to the governing body listing those members who are eligible and ineligible before the meeting at which the chairperson is to be elected. Limits the concurrent exercise of home rule powers. Effective immediately."

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

In essence, the bill establishes the Local Government Chairperson Term Limit Review Act, requiring that by Dec. 31, 2025, and at least every two years thereafter, local governmental units or school districts governed by elected bodies without chairperson term limits must review and decide by vote or referendum whether to impose such limits. If a term limit policy exists, the unit's clerk or secretary must assess and report on which members are eligible to serve as chairperson before election meetings. The bill limits home rule units from regulating term limits inconsistently with these provisions. The act is effective immediately upon becoming law.

Seth Lewis has proposed another five bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Lewis graduated from the University of Iowa in 1991 with a BS.

Seth Lewis is currently serving in the Illinois State Senate, representing the state's 24th Senate District. He replaced previous state senator Suzy Glowiak 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
SB1270	01/28/2025	Creates the Local Government Chairperson Term Limit Review Act. Provides that, no later than December 31, 2025, and no less than every 2 years thereafter, a governmental unit that is governed by an elected governing body that has not enacted term limits for the board's chairperson by ordinance or resolution shall consider and decide, by verbal or written vote, ordinance, resolution, or referendum of the electors of the governmental unit, whether to impose term limits for the chairperson of the governing body. Defines "governmental unit" as a unit of local government or school district. Provides that, if a governmental unit has a term limit policy for the chairperson of its governing body, before a person may be elected chairperson, the governmental unit's clerk or secretary shall determine which members of the governing body are eligible to serve as chairperson of the governing body based upon the term limit policy. Provides that the clerk or secretary shall submit an eligibility report to the governing body listing those members who are eligible and ineligible before the meeting at which the chairperson is to be elected. Limits the concurrent exercise of home rule powers. Effective immediately.
SB1271	01/28/2025	Amends Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a legacy tax credit for businesses that are headquartered in the State. Creates an employee tax credit and a collective bargaining employee tax credit. Effective immediately.
SB0233	01/22/2025	Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act. Provides that, except as otherwise authorized by the Act, any person who knowingly possesses 15 grams or more but less than 100 grams of fentanyl is guilty of a Class 1 felony and, if sentenced to a term of imprisonment, shall be sentenced to not less than 4 years and not more than 15 years.
SB0234	01/22/2025	Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that violation of an order of protection is a Class 4 felony if the defendant has any prior conviction violation of a civil no contact order, violation of a stalking no contact order, or any prior conviction under the law of another jurisdiction for an offense that could be charged in the State as violation of a civil no contact order or violation of a stalking no contact order. Provides that violation of a civil no contact order is a Class 4 felony if the defendant has any prior conviction for violation of an order of protection, violation of a civil no contact order, or violation of a stalking no contact order, or any prior conviction under the law of another jurisdiction for an offense that could be charged in the State as a violation of an order of protection, violation of a civil no contact order, or violation of a stalking no contact order. Provides that violation of a stalking no contact order is a Class 4 felony if the defendant has any prior conviction under the Code for a violation of an order of protection, violation of a stalking no contact order, or violation of a civil no contact order, or any prior conviction under the law of another jurisdiction for an offense that could be charged in the State as a violation of an order of protection, violation of a civil no contact order, or violation of a stalking no contact order.
SB0235	01/22/2025	Amends the Counties Code. Removes a provision limiting a special investigator appointed by a State's Attorney to carrying a firearm only in the performance of the special investigator's assigned duties (currently, a special investigator shall not carry firearms except with permission of the State's Attorney and only while carrying appropriate identification indicating the special investigator's employment and in the performance of the special investigator's assigned duties).
SB0236	01/22/2025	Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. In the identity theft statute, changes several references to "individuals" to references to "persons".
SB0054	01/13/2025	Amends the Election Code. Provides that all election authorities shall provide regular updates to the State Board of Elections concerning votes tabulated by that election authority. Provides that the State Board of Elections shall make this information available to the public at least every 48 hours. Provides that, no later than January 1, 2026, the State Board of Elections shall adopt standards concerning how election authorities release information about the total number of vote by mail ballots that have been tabulated by the election authority. Provides that, beginning with the 2026 primary election and all primary, consolidated, general and special elections thereafter, all election authorities shall adhere to the standards adopted by the State Board of Elections. Effective immediately.