IL
Illinois Senate Bill SB1607

Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois Senate Bill SB1607 Compare Versions

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1+104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1607 Introduced 2/4/2025, by Sen. David Koehler SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: New Act Creates the Illinois Freedom Trails Commission Act. Establishes the Illinois Freedom Trails Commission. Provides that the purpose of the Commission shall be to explore, research, and commemorate the journeys of freedom seekers and the sites and landmarks in the State that became the networks of the Underground Railroad. Provides that the Commission shall implement educational, landmark preservation, and grant programs. Sets forth provisions concerning membership; terms; compensation; administrative support; and staff. Provides that the Commission shall submit an annual report to the Governor and the General Assembly. Effective immediately. LRB104 09512 SPS 19575 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1607 Introduced 2/4/2025, by Sen. David Koehler SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: New Act New Act Creates the Illinois Freedom Trails Commission Act. Establishes the Illinois Freedom Trails Commission. Provides that the purpose of the Commission shall be to explore, research, and commemorate the journeys of freedom seekers and the sites and landmarks in the State that became the networks of the Underground Railroad. Provides that the Commission shall implement educational, landmark preservation, and grant programs. Sets forth provisions concerning membership; terms; compensation; administrative support; and staff. Provides that the Commission shall submit an annual report to the Governor and the General Assembly. Effective immediately. LRB104 09512 SPS 19575 b LRB104 09512 SPS 19575 b A BILL FOR
2+104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1607 Introduced 2/4/2025, by Sen. David Koehler SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
3+New Act New Act
4+New Act
5+Creates the Illinois Freedom Trails Commission Act. Establishes the Illinois Freedom Trails Commission. Provides that the purpose of the Commission shall be to explore, research, and commemorate the journeys of freedom seekers and the sites and landmarks in the State that became the networks of the Underground Railroad. Provides that the Commission shall implement educational, landmark preservation, and grant programs. Sets forth provisions concerning membership; terms; compensation; administrative support; and staff. Provides that the Commission shall submit an annual report to the Governor and the General Assembly. Effective immediately.
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311 1 AN ACT concerning State government.
412 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
513 3 represented in the General Assembly:
614 4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
715 5 Illinois Freedom Trails Commission Act.
8-6 Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
9-7 "Commission" means the Illinois Freedom Trails Commission.
10-8 "Department" means the Department of Natural Resources.
11-9 Section 10. Establishment of Commission.
12-10 (a) The Illinois Freedom Trails Commission is established.
13-11 The purposes of the Commission are to explore, research, and
14-12 commemorate the journeys of freedom seekers and the sites and
15-13 landmarks in this State that became the networks of the
16-14 Underground Railroad.
17-15 (b) The Commission shall consist of a chairperson and 10
18-16 additional members appointed by the Governor. The membership
19-17 may include, but is not limited to, persons who are public
20-18 officials, scholars, and community-based activists who have
21-19 knowledge and interest in promoting the work of the
22-20 Commission. Members shall be broadly representative of the
23-21 State and the variety of groups interested in promoting the
24-22 work of the Commission.
16+6 Section 5. Establishment of Commission.
17+7 (a) The Illinois Freedom Trails Commission is established.
18+8 The purposes of the Commission are to explore, research, and
19+9 commemorate the journeys of freedom seekers and the sites and
20+10 landmarks in this State that became the networks of the
21+11 Underground Railroad.
22+12 (b) The Commission shall consist of a chairperson and 20
23+13 additional members appointed by the Governor with the advice
24+14 and consent of the Senate. The membership may include, but is
25+15 not limited to, persons who are public officials, scholars,
26+16 and community-based activists who have knowledge and interest
27+17 in promoting the work of the Commission. Members shall be
28+18 broadly representative of the State and the variety of groups
29+19 interested in promoting the work of the Commission.
30+20 (c) The terms of the members shall be 4 years. Members
31+21 shall serve until their successors are appointed and
32+22 qualified. Any vacancy in the membership of the Commission
33+23 shall be filled by the Governor with the advice and consent of
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33-1 (c) The terms of the members shall be 4 years. Members
34-2 shall serve until their successors are appointed and
35-3 qualified. Any vacancy in the membership of the Commission
36-4 shall be filled by the Governor for the unexpired term.
37-5 Members shall serve without compensation, but may be
38-6 reimbursed for reasonable expenses.
39-7 (d) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall provide
40-8 administrative and other support to the Commission.
41-9 (e) Subject to appropriation, the Commission shall hire a
42-10 full-time professional staff to implement Commission projects.
43-11 (f) At its first meeting and annually thereafter, the
44-12 Commission shall elect from among its members a chairperson
45-13 and other officers it considers necessary or appropriate.
46-14 After its first meeting, the Commission shall meet at the call
47-15 of the chairperson or if requested by 7 or more members.
48-16 (g) A majority of the members of the Commission constitute
49-17 a quorum for the transaction of business at a meeting of the
50-18 Commission. A majority of the members present and serving is
51-19 required for official action of the Commission.
52-20 (h) All business that the Commission is authorized to
53-21 perform shall be conducted at a public meeting of the
54-22 Commission, held in compliance with the Open Meetings Act.
55-23 (i) A writing prepared, owned, used, in the possession of,
56-24 or retained by the Commission in the performance of an
57-25 official function is subject to the Freedom of Information
58-26 Act.
37+104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1607 Introduced 2/4/2025, by Sen. David Koehler SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
38+New Act New Act
39+New Act
40+Creates the Illinois Freedom Trails Commission Act. Establishes the Illinois Freedom Trails Commission. Provides that the purpose of the Commission shall be to explore, research, and commemorate the journeys of freedom seekers and the sites and landmarks in the State that became the networks of the Underground Railroad. Provides that the Commission shall implement educational, landmark preservation, and grant programs. Sets forth provisions concerning membership; terms; compensation; administrative support; and staff. Provides that the Commission shall submit an annual report to the Governor and the General Assembly. Effective immediately.
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69-1 Section 15. Duties of Commission. The Commission shall
70-2 have the following duties:
71-3 (1) to provide resources for individuals and local
72-4 entities seeking to learn more about the Underground
73-5 Railroad in Illinois, including:
74-6 (A) an online resource website, including, but not
75-7 limited to maps of journeys, historical sites, and
76-8 conductor cemetery markers;
77-9 (B) a calendar of related events in this State;
78-10 (C) research sources and bibliographies;
79-11 (D) videos and links to videos; and
80-12 (E) pictures, brief histories, and other materials
81-13 developed locally and at the State level;
82-14 (2) collaborate with organizations focusing on the
83-15 Underground Railroad, including:
84-16 (A) local and regional Underground Railroad
85-17 groups;
86-18 (B) county and regional historical societies;
87-19 (C) museums, especially museums that focus on
88-20 slavery and the African American experience;
89-21 (D) academic programs, especially African American
90-22 Studies at the college level and history departments;
91-23 and
92-24 (E) organizations in African American communities;
93-25 (3) to create a grant funding program;
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104-1 (4) to work with the National Park Service's Network
105-2 to Freedom program and serve as a liaison between the
106-3 National Park Service and local entities;
107-4 (5) to explore heritage tourism opportunities
108-5 connecting the locations of freedom seeker journeys and
109-6 Underground Railroad sites, working with the Illinois
110-7 Office of Tourism and regional tourism agencies; and
111-8 (6) to connect freedom seekers and Underground
112-9 Railroad stories to the range of freedom stories across
113-10 and throughout the history of Illinois.
114-11 Section 20. Online database and educational programs.
115-12 (a) The Commission shall create a publicly available
116-13 website that includes educational material concerning freedom
117-14 seekers' journeys on the portions of the Underground Railroad
118-15 in this State, including:
119-16 (1) an updated database of freedom seekers and their
120-17 journeys to and through Illinois;
121-18 (2) an updated map of the geography of the Underground
122-19 Railroad in Illinois; and
123-20 (3) a biographical dictionary of key persons
124-21 identified with the Underground Railroad in Illinois,
125-22 including freedom seekers, abolitionist allies, and
126-23 pro-slavery antagonists.
127-24 (b) The Commission, in collaboration with the State Board
128-25 of Education, shall develop and implement an educational
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68+1 the Senate for the unexpired term. Members shall serve without
69+2 compensation, but may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses.
70+3 (d) The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
71+4 shall provide administrative and other support to the
72+5 Commission.
73+6 (e) Subject to appropriation, the Commission shall hire a
74+7 full-time professional staff to implement Commission projects.
75+8 Section 10. Duties of Commission. The Commission shall
76+9 have the following duties:
77+10 (1) to provide resources for individuals and local
78+11 entities seeking to learn more about the Underground
79+12 Railroad in Illinois, including:
80+13 (A) an online resource website, including, but not
81+14 limited to maps of journeys, historical sites, and
82+15 conductor cemetery markers;
83+16 (B) a calendar of related events in this State;
84+17 (C) research sources and bibliographies;
85+18 (D) videos and links to videos; and
86+19 (E) pictures, brief histories, and other materials
87+20 developed locally and at the State level;
88+21 (2) collaborate with organizations focusing on the
89+22 Underground Railroad, including:
90+23 (A) local and regional Underground Railroad
91+24 groups;
92+25 (B) county and regional historical societies;
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139-1 program to be made available to every public school in this
140-2 State. The educational program shall include instruction on:
141-3 (1) events of African American history, including the
142-4 African slave trade, slavery in the United States, and the
143-5 vestiges of slavery in this country;
144-6 (2) the journeys of freedom seekers and the
145-7 Underground Railroad in Illinois; and
146-8 (3) additional resources and activities to be used in
147-9 February as part of Black History Month.
148-10 (c) The Commission shall identify scholars in higher
149-11 education and community-based organizations to engage in
150-12 research and to be recruited into a speakers' bureau on the
151-13 Underground Railroad and anti-slavery activity in Illinois.
152-14 (d) The Commission shall support and publicize local
153-15 activities in this State that focus on the Underground
154-16 Railroad, including offering exhibits at meetings of
155-17 organizations open to spreading knowledge about abolitionism
156-18 and the Underground Railroad. The Commission shall focus on
157-19 supporting organizations in African American communities,
158-20 including assisting members of those communities undertake
159-21 research related to the history of their communities.
160-22 Section 25. Historic site and landmark recognition and
161-23 preservation.
162-24 (a) The Commission shall develop statewide guidelines for
163-25 the evaluation of freedom seeker journeys and Underground
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103+1 (C) museums, especially museums that focus on
104+2 slavery and the African American experience;
105+3 (D) academic programs, especially African American
106+4 Studies at the college level and history departments;
107+5 and
108+6 (E) organizations in African American communities;
109+7 (3) to create a grant funding program;
110+8 (4) to work with the National Park Service's Network
111+9 to Freedom program and serve as a liaison between the
112+10 National Park Service and local entities;
113+11 (5) to explore heritage tourism opportunities
114+12 connecting the locations of freedom seeker journeys and
115+13 Underground Railroad sites, working with the Illinois
116+14 Office of Tourism and regional tourism agencies; and
117+15 (6) to connect freedom seekers and Underground
118+16 Railroad stories to the range of freedom stories across
119+17 and throughout the history of Illinois.
120+18 Section 15. Online database and educational programs.
121+19 (a) The Commission shall create a publicly available
122+20 website that includes educational material concerning freedom
123+21 seekers' journeys on the portions of the Underground Railroad
124+22 in this State, including:
125+23 (1) an updated database of freedom seekers and their
126+24 journeys to and through Illinois;
127+25 (2) an updated map of the geography of the Underground
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174-1 Railroad sites and landmarks in the State. The Commission
175-2 shall use the guidelines to determine and maintain a list of
176-3 freedom seeker journeys and Underground Railroad sites and
177-4 landmarks and make the list available to the public. The
178-5 Commission shall include a contact person who represents the
179-6 site or landmark for each site or landmark included on the
180-7 list.
181-8 (b) The Commission shall develop standards and guidelines
182-9 for historic markers, signage, and other commemorative tools
183-10 and activities for sites and landmarks listed under subsection
184-11 (a). The Commission shall also assist sites and landmarks
185-12 listed under subsection (a) that are threatened with
186-13 demolition or deterioration.
187-14 (c) The Commission shall assist individuals and historic
188-15 preservation organizations in assessing freedom seeker
189-16 journeys and Underground Railroad sites and landmarks and
190-17 shall collaborate with the University of Illinois Extension
191-18 Master Gardener program, the Department, and other partners
192-19 concerning opportunities for the development of freedom seeker
193-20 journeys and Underground Railroad sites and landmarks.
194-21 Section 30. Grant program. Subject to appropriation, the
195-22 Commission may award grants for the following purposes:
196-23 (1) to research and identify freedom seeker journeys
197-24 and Underground Railroad sites and landmarks;
198-25 (2) to develop heritage tourism and promotional
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138+1 Railroad in Illinois; and
139+2 (3) a biographical dictionary of key persons
140+3 identified with the Underground Railroad in Illinois,
141+4 including freedom seekers, abolitionist allies, and
142+5 pro-slavery antagonists.
143+6 (b) The Commission, in collaboration with the State Board
144+7 of Education, shall develop and implement an educational
145+8 program to be made available to every public school in this
146+9 State. The educational program shall include instruction on:
147+10 (1) events of African American history, including the
148+11 African slave trade, slavery in the United States, and the
149+12 vestiges of slavery in this country;
150+13 (2) the journeys of freedom seekers and the
151+14 Underground Railroad in Illinois; and
152+15 (3) additional resources and activities to be used in
153+16 February as part of Black History Month.
154+17 (c) The Commission shall identify scholars in higher
155+18 education and community-based organizations to engage in
156+19 research and to be recruited into a speakers' bureau on the
157+20 Underground Railroad and anti-slavery activity in Illinois.
158+21 (d) The Commission shall support and publicize local
159+22 activities in this State that focus on the Underground
160+23 Railroad, including offering exhibits at meetings of
161+24 organizations open to spreading knowledge about abolitionism
162+25 and the Underground Railroad. The Commission shall focus on
163+26 supporting organizations in African American communities,
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209-1 activities on the Underground Railroad, including
210-2 exhibits, lectures, symposiums, and online materials; and
211-3 (3) to support an Underground Railroad cemetery marker
212-4 program.
213-5 Section 35. Annual report. The Commission shall submit a
214-6 report to the Governor and the General Assembly by July 1,
215-7 2026, and each year thereafter. The report shall include, at a
216-8 minimum, a description of the programs administered by the
217-9 Commission.
218-10 Section 40. Rulemaking. After consultation with and
219-11 written approval by the Department, the Commission may adopt
220-12 administrative rules as may be necessary to carry out the
221-13 provisions of this Act in accordance with the Illinois
222-14 Administrative Procedure Act.
223-15 Section 45. Repeal. This Act is repealed on January 1,
224-16 2037.
225-17 (20 ILCS 3405/22 rep.)
226-18 Section 90. The Historic Preservation Act is amended by
227-19 repealing Section 22.
228-20 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
229-21 becoming law.
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174+1 including assisting members of those communities undertake
175+2 research related to the history of their communities.
176+3 Section 20. Historic site and landmark recognition and
177+4 preservation.
178+5 (a) The Commission shall develop statewide guidelines for
179+6 the evaluation of freedom seeker journeys and Underground
180+7 Railroad sites and landmarks in the State. The Commission
181+8 shall use the guidelines to determine and maintain a list of
182+9 freedom seeker journeys and Underground Railroad sites and
183+10 landmarks and make the list available to the public. The
184+11 Commission shall include a contact person who represents the
185+12 site or landmark for each site or landmark included on the
186+13 list.
187+14 (b) The Commission shall develop standards and guidelines
188+15 for historic markers, signage, and other commemorative tools
189+16 and activities for sites and landmarks listed under subsection
190+17 (a). The Commission shall also assist sites and landmarks
191+18 listed under subsection (a) that are threatened with
192+19 demolition or deterioration.
193+20 (c) The Commission shall assist individuals and historic
194+21 preservation organizations in assessing freedom seeker
195+22 journeys and Underground Railroad sites and landmarks and
196+23 shall collaborate with the University of Illinois Extension
197+24 Master Gardener program, the Department of Natural Resources,
198+25 and other partners concerning opportunities for the
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209+1 development of freedom seeker journeys and Underground
210+2 Railroad sites and landmarks.
211+3 Section 25. Grant program. Subject to appropriation, the
212+4 Commission may award grants for the following purposes:
213+5 (1) to research and identify freedom seeker journeys
214+6 and Underground Railroad sites and landmarks;
215+7 (2) to develop heritage tourism and promotional
216+8 activities on the Underground Railroad, including
217+9 exhibits, lectures, symposiums, and online materials; and
218+10 (3) to support an Underground Railroad cemetery marker
219+11 program.
220+12 Section 30. Annual report. The Commission shall submit a
221+13 report to the Governor and the General Assembly by July 1,
222+14 2026, and each year thereafter. The report shall include, at a
223+15 minimum, a description of the programs administered by the
224+16 Commission.
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