Bill Text: IL HB2929 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Amends the Substance Use Disorder Act. Establishes an advisory committee to (i) advise and consult with the Department of Human Services on the establishment of an education program for community stakeholders on the benefits of overdose prevention sites (OPS) and (ii) the adoption of rules to authorize the establishment and maintenance of a pilot OPS that shall operate in a municipality with a population greater than 2,000,000. Contains provisions on the committee's membership. Provides that rules adopted by the Department must address the operation standards for the pilot OPS, location requirements and required services, methods of data collection and community outreach, and any other matters for the proper administration of the pilot OPS. Requires the Department to determine at least 3 optional locations within a qualifying municipality for the pilot OPS. Provides that location priority shall be given to communities that have the highest number of fatal and nonfatal overdoses and that specifically target high-risk and socially marginalized drug users. Provides that all proposed optional locations must have municipal approval, and a final administrative decision for the operation of no more than one facility must be approved by rule before the pilot OPS can begin operations. Requires the Department to prepare a report to the General Assembly based on its data collection regarding overdose prevention sites within 12 months after the starting operation date of the pilot OPS. Grants limited immunity to persons employed at or participating in activities related to the creation, maintenance, or use of the pilot OPS. Requires the entity or entities operating the pilot OPS to submit a report to the Department on the number of people who use services provided by the pilot OPS and other information regarding the OPS' operations. Requires the Department to submit a final report, with recommendations, to the General Assembly 4 years after the starting date of the OPS' operations. Effective immediately.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 25)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2026-04-17 - House Floor Amendment No. 4 Rule 19(c) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB2929 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HB2929-Introduced.html

---

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2929 Introduced , by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
20 ILCS 301/5-26 new
Amends the Substance Use Disorder Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to establish a mechanism to collect research and data regarding overdose prevention sites (OPSs) and prepare a report for the General Assembly within 12 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Provides that the report shall contain information on (1) current research on the effectiveness of an OPS as an overdose prevention strategy; (2) OPS best practices for staffing, placement, and activities; and (3) the benefits and challenges of different OPS models - structures and settings. Requires the Department, in collaboration with people with lived experience, to develop a pilot service, subject to available funding, aimed at saving the lives of people who use substances that shall include the establishment of at least one OPS. Requires the pilot OPSs to offer people, who are most likely to use drugs in public, unobserved, high-risk, and unsanitary locations, a safe space to use pre-obtained substances and connect to community supports or other existing treatment and recovery programs, harm reduction services, and health care. Contains provisions concerning certain principles pilot OPSs must abide by; OPS staffing and location requirements; pilot OPS services; and other matters. Permits the Department to approve an entity to operate a pilot program in one or more jurisdictions. Grants criminal and civil immunity to persons who use pilot OPSs services; pilot OPS staff; and any real property owner upon which the OPS site is located or operates. Contains provisions on public awareness outreach; OPS reporting requirements; home rule exemption; and other matters. Effective immediately.
LRB104 12092 KTG 22190 b
A BILL FOR
HB2929 LRB104 12092 KTG 22190 b
AN ACT concerning State government.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Substance Use Disorder Act is amended by
adding Section 5-26 as follows:
(20 ILCS 301/5-26 new)
Sec. 5-26. Harm reduction services.
(a) Legislative findings. The General Assembly finds the
following:
(1) Illinois is experiencing a growing overdose
crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, over 4,000 Illinoisans died from overdoses
between January 2021 and January 2022, a 12.6% increase
from the previous year. Most of those preventable deaths
involved opioids.
(2) A significant reason for the increase in deaths is
a poisoned drug supply, with illicit fentanyl killing
people using street-bought substances. With the increasing
use of potent fentanyl in the illicit substance supply in
Illinois, more lives will continue to be lost.
(3) Nearly all witnessed opioid overdoses are
reversible with the provision of oxygen, naloxone, and
other emergency care. However, many people use drugs alone

HB2929 - 2 - LRB104 12092 KTG 22190 b
or use them with people who do not have naloxone and are
not trained in overdose response.
(4) Overdose prevention sites can save lives. Overdose
prevention sites provide individuals with a safe, hygienic
space to consume pre-obtained drugs and access to other
harm reduction, treatment, recovery, and ancillary support
services.
(5) The goals of overdose prevention sites are:
(A) Saving lives by quickly providing emergency
care to persons experiencing an overdose.
(B) Reducing the spread of infectious diseases,
such as HIV and hepatitis.
(C) Reducing public injection of substances and
discarded syringes in surrounding areas.
(D) Linking those with substance use disorders to
behavioral and physical health supports.
(b) Definitions. As used in this Section:
"Entity" means (i) any community-based organization that
provides educational, health, harm reduction, housing, or
social services and (ii) any hospital, medical clinic or
office, health center, community-based mental health center,
or other similar entity that provides medical care.
"Harm reduction" refers to a philosophical framework and
set of strategies designed to reduce harm and promote dignity
and well-being among persons and communities who engage in
substance use.

HB2929 - 3 - LRB104 12092 KTG 22190 b
"Overdose prevention sites" means hygienic locations where
individuals may safely consume pre-obtained substances.
"Participant" means an individual who seeks to utilize,
utilizes, or has utilized services provided at an overdose
prevention site established in accordance with this Section.
(c) The Department shall establish a mechanism to collect
research and data regarding overdose prevention sites (OPSs)
and prepare a report for the General Assembly within 12 months
after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th
General Assembly. The Department may identify collaborators
across other Departments and State universities. The report
shall contain information on:
(1) The current research on the effectiveness of an
OPS as an overdose prevention strategy.
(2) OPS best practices for staffing, placement, and
activities.
(3) The benefits and challenges of different OPS
models - structures and settings.
(d) The Department, in collaboration with people with
lived experience, shall develop a pilot service, subject to
available funding, aimed at saving the lives of people who use
substances that shall include the establishment of at least
one OPS. Pilot OPSs shall offer people, who are most likely to
use drugs in public, unobserved, high-risk, and unsanitary
locations, a safe space to use pre-obtained substances and
connect to community supports or other existing treatment and

HB2929 - 4 - LRB104 12092 KTG 22190 b
recovery programs, harm reduction services, and health care.
(e) Pilot OPSs shall abide by the following principles:
(1) Nothing About Us Without Us: OPS programs and
services shall be formulated with transparency, community
involvement, and direct input by people who use
substances.
(2) Equity: OPS staff and programs shall provide equal
support, services, and resources to all participants and
ensure accessibility to the greatest extent possible.
(3) Harm Reduction: OPS shall prioritize individual
dignity and autonomy in decision-making while encouraging
people to reduce high-risk behaviors.
(4) OPS shall affirm the humanity and dignity of
people who use substances and shall be operated in a way
that is safe, clean, inclusive, and welcoming to reduce
stigma and build trust.
(5) OPS shall prioritize relationship-building and
trust among staff and participants in order to create safe
spaces and provide increased opportunities to connect with
additional services that promote health and well-being.
(f) Staffing.
(1) OPS staff, at a minimum, shall consist of trained
peers with lived experience of substance use or overdose,
along with other necessary professionals such as community
health workers, behavioral health professionals,
physicians, nurses, or medical personnel who have been

HB2929 - 5 - LRB104 12092 KTG 22190 b
trained in overdose responses.
(2) A majority of the OPS staff shall include peers.
(3) Staffing decisions must ensure that participants
utilize the service, feel safe, and are connected to
resources.
(4) The Department may not prohibit persons with
criminal records from frontline, management, or executive
positions within entities that operate an OPS.
(g) Location. Pilot OPSs shall be established in physical
locations with high need determined by rates of overdoses and
substance use; and as a natural development or extension of
existing harm reduction and outreach programming. Priority
shall be given to communities that have the highest number of
fatal and non-fatal overdoses as determined by public health
data from the Department of Public Health. Pilot OPSs shall
specifically target high-risk and socially marginalized drug
users in a municipality with a population greater than
2,500,000, not to exceed 12 months from implementation.
(h) Pilot OPS features. Pilot OPSs shall at a minimum:
(1) provide a hygienic space where participants may
consume their pre-obtained substances;
(2) maintain a supply of naloxone and oxygen on-site,
together with the necessary equipment to administer
naloxone and oxygen;
(3) monitor participants for potential overdose;
(4) employ staff trained to administer first aid to

HB2929 - 6 - LRB104 12092 KTG 22190 b
participants who are experiencing an overdose;
(5) provide sterile injection or other substance use
supplies, collect used hypodermic needles and syringes,
and provide secure hypodermic needle and syringe disposal
services in compliance with the Overdose Prevention and
Harm Reduction Act and any applicable rules adopted by the
Department of Public Health;
(6) provide safer smoking and safer snorting kits;
(7) provide naloxone;
(8) encourage drug checking or the use of fentanyl
test strips;
(9) provide education on safe consumption practices,
the proper disposal of hypodermic needles and syringes,
and overdose prevention;
(10) provide referrals to substance use disorder and
mental health treatment, medication-assisted treatment or
recovery, and other services which address social
determinants of health which include Housing First
programs;
(11) offer a quiet and comfortable space for
participants to stay safely sheltered and supervised after
consuming substances; and
(12) train staff members and volunteers to deliver
services offered at the overdose prevention site, and
maintain an adequate staff of health care professionals or
other trained staff or volunteers. Trainings shall be

HB2929 - 7 - LRB104 12092 KTG 22190 b
conducted and partnered with established harm reduction
professionals.
(i) Other OPS program design and implementation shall be
informed by the target community and the report submitted to
the General Assembly.
(j) The Department may approve an entity to operate a
pilot program in one or more jurisdictions upon satisfaction
of the requirements set forth in this Section. The Department
shall establish standards for program approval and training.
(k) Immunity provided. Notwithstanding the Illinois
Controlled Substances Act, the Drug Paraphernalia Control Act,
or any other provision of law to the contrary, the following
persons shall not be arrested, charged, or prosecuted for any
criminal offense or violation of parole, mandatory supervised
release, probation, or conditional discharge, or be subject to
any civil or administrative penalty, including seizure or
forfeiture of assets or real property or disciplinary action
by a professional licensing board, or be denied any right or
privilege solely for participation or involvement at an
overdose prevention site approved by the Department under this
Act:
(1) any individual who seeks to utilize, utilizes, or
has utilized services provided at an overdose prevention
site established in accordance with this Section;
(2) a staff member or administrator of an overdose
prevention site, including a healthcare professional,

HB2929 - 8 - LRB104 12092 KTG 22190 b
manager, employee, or volunteer; and
(3) an individual who owns real property at which an
overdose prevention site is located or operates.
Notwithstanding any other law, ordinance, or regulation,
any entity licensed as an OPS Harm Reduction Services provider
may operate an overdose prevention site as authorized by the
Department.
(l) The Department shall help educate local communities
and public and private entities, such as public safety
organizations, social service groups, school districts, faith
communities, and businesses, about overdose prevention sites
and the evidence regarding the benefits of overdose prevention
sites.
(m) Reporting. An entity operating an overdose prevention
site in accordance with this Section shall, within the time
frame specified by the Department, submit a report to the
Department that shall include:
(1) the number of participants who have received or
are receiving services at the overdose prevention site;
(2) aggregate information regarding the
characteristics of those participants reported under
paragraph (1);
(3) the number of hypodermic needles, syringes, and
harm reduction supplies distributed for use on-site;
(4) the number of overdoses experienced and the number
of overdoses reversed on-site;

HB2929 - 9 - LRB104 12092 KTG 22190 b
(5) the number of participants directly and formally
referred to other services and the type of services.
In compiling the report required under this subsection, an
entity operating an overdose prevention site shall exclude all
personally identifiable information and adhere to all federal
regulations concerning the confidentiality of substance use
disorder patient records under Part 2, Subchapter A, Chapter
1, Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations as that Part
existed on December 20, 2024.
(n) Home rule preemption. A home rule unit may not
prohibit the establishment or operation of an overdose
prevention site as provided in this Section. This Section is a
denial and limitation of home rule powers and functions under
subsection (g) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois
Constitution.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.