Bill Text: IL HB5579 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Creates the Local Referendum Neutrality and Taxpayer Protection Act. Provides that a public body may only expend public funds related to a local referendum for specified purposes. Provides for the designation of an official committee in favor and the official committee opposed to the local referendum. Provides for the preparation of arguments in favor of or in opposition to the local referendum by the committees. Provides that an election authority shall review the arguments and publish the arguments in a voter information package. Sets forth provisions concerning conduct by public employees and public bodies. Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Provides that activities intended to influence voter support for or opposition to a referendum or potential referendum, when conducted using public funds, public facilities, or employee compensated time, constitute prohibited political activity. Effective immediately.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2026-03-27 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB5579 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HB5579-Introduced.html

---

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026HB5579 Introduced , by Rep. Jennifer Sanalitro SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act
5 ILCS 430/5-15.5 new
Creates the Local Referendum Neutrality and Taxpayer Protection Act. Provides that a public body may only expend public funds related to a local referendum for specified purposes. Provides for the designation of an official committee in favor and the official committee opposed to the local referendum. Provides for the preparation of arguments in favor of or in opposition to the local referendum by the committees. Provides that an election authority shall review the arguments and publish the arguments in a voter information package. Sets forth provisions concerning conduct by public employees and public bodies. Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Provides that activities intended to influence voter support for or opposition to a referendum or potential referendum, when conducted using public funds, public facilities, or employee compensated time, constitute prohibited political activity. Effective immediately.
LRB104 19468 SPS 32916 b
A BILL FOR
HB5579 LRB104 19468 SPS 32916 b
AN ACT concerning elections.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Local
Referendum Neutrality and Taxpayer Protection Act.
Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Section:
"Advocacy" means any communication or activity reasonably
designed to influence voter support in favor of or in
opposition to a referendum or potential referendum.
"Election authority" means the county clerk or board of
election commissioners having jurisdiction over the election
in which the local referendum will appear on the ballot.
"Local referendum" means any ballot proposition initiated
by or on behalf of a unit of local government, school district,
or special district that authorizes a tax increase, tax
extension, levy, or bond issuance.
"Neutral explanatory statement" means factual, descriptive
information limited to the legal effect, duration, and
standardized fiscal impact of a referendum, presented without
advocacy, persuasive framing, value judgments, or
exhortations.
Section 10. Permitted communications.

HB5579 - 2 - LRB104 19468 SPS 32916 b
(a) A public body may only expend public funds related to a
local referendum for the following purposes:
(1) preparation of a neutral explanatory statement
describing the legal effect and operation of the
referendum, prepared by the election authority or its
legal counsel;
(2) preparation of a standardized fiscal impact
statement using uniform assumptions prescribed by the
election authority;
(3) publication of the ballot language as certified;
and
(4) distribution of the argument in favor and argument
in opposition submitted in accordance with subsection (c).
(b) Any referendum-related communications not authorized
by subsection (a) using public funds, public facilities, or
employee compensated time are prohibited.
(c) If one or more political committees are properly
registered under the Election Code for or against a local
referendum, the election authority shall designate as the
official committee in favor and the official committee opposed
whichever committee on each side submits the most verified
voter endorsements from registered voters residing in the
jurisdiction of the public body submitting the referendum.
Section 15. Voter endorsement requirements. A voter
endorsement considered under subsection (c) of Section 10

HB5579 - 3 - LRB104 19468 SPS 32916 b
shall be considered valid only if it:
(1) is submitted by a natural person registered to
vote in the jurisdiction;
(2) includes the voter's name and residential address;
and
(3) contains the following attestation: "I am a
registered voter residing in this jurisdiction and I
designate this committee as the official author of the
argument in favor of [or opposition to] the proposed
referendum for purposes of the official voter
information".
Section 20. Limitations on endorsements and committee
participation.
(a) A voter may endorse only one committee in favor or one
committee opposed to a referendum.
(b) No person may simultaneously participate in, direct,
or act on behalf of both a committee in favor and committee in
opposition.
(c) No officer, employee, contractor, or agent of the
public body submitting the referendum may participate in,
direct, or act on behalf of either the committee in favor or
the committee in opposition.
Section 25. Endorsement collection period. The election
authority shall establish an endorsement collection period of

HB5579 - 4 - LRB104 19468 SPS 32916 b
not less than 30 days after the certification of the
referendum question. The election authority shall only
consider endorsements submitted during this period.
Section 30. Tie resolution. If 2 or more committees on the
same side submit an equal number of verified endorsements, the
election authority shall resolve the tie by conducting a
public lottery.
Section 35. Absence of endorsements. If no committee
submits endorsements on one side of the referendum, the
election authority shall solicit volunteers from registered
voters residing in the jurisdiction and select committee
members by random draw. If no volunteers come forward, the
voter information package shall state: "No argument was
submitted in favor of [or in opposition to] this proposition".
Section 40. No exclusive speech rights; scope of
designation. Designation or nondesignation of a committee
under this Section shall not be construed to confer any
exclusive right to speak, campaign, fundraise, associate, or
otherwise advocate for or against a referendum. This Section
only controls participation in the official voter information
package prepared and distributed by the election authority.
Section 45. Personal-capacity advocacy by public

HB5579 - 5 - LRB104 19468 SPS 32916 b
employees. Nothing in this Section shall prohibit an officer,
employee, contractor, or agent of a public body from engaging
in referendum advocacy in a personal capacity, provided that
no public funds, public facilities, public resources, or
employee compensated time are used for the advocacy.
Section 50. Prohibited conduct. No public body shall
expend public funds, use public facilities, or use employee
compensated time to engage in any activity reasonably designed
to influence voter support for or opposition to a referendum
or potential referendum, including, but not limited to:
(1) public opinion polling or surveying of voters
regarding support, opposition, tax tolerance, or message
receptivity;
(2) message testing, scenario testing, or framing of
funding levels for electoral viability;
(3) development, production, or dissemination of
promotional materials highlighting benefits of passage or
defeat without equal presentation of opposing
considerations;
(4) strategic communications planning related to a
referendum campaign;
(5) social media advocacy, targeted outreach, or
audience segmentation related to a referendum;
(6) press releases, presentations, speeches, websites,
newsletters, or public messaging advocating for passage or

HB5579 - 6 - LRB104 19468 SPS 32916 b
defeat;
(7) engagement of consultants whose services include
referendum campaign strategy, voter persuasion, opposition
research, or campaign management;
(8) internal planning or coordination intended to
transition public resources, data, or messaging to a
political committee advocating passage or defeat; and
(9) organizing, facilitating, funding, or conducting
polling, focus groups, listening sessions, message
testing, or other voter research activities intended to
refine messaging, assess electoral viability, identify
supporters or opponents, shape narratives, or otherwise
plan, develop, or support referendum campaign strategy or
infrastructure.
Section 55. Timing requirements.
(a) An election authority shall designate the official
committee in favor and the official committee opposed no later
than 80 days before the election at which the referendum will
appear.
(b) The official committee in favor and committee in
opposition shall have a protected writing period of not less
than 14 days after the final designation. The official
argument in favor and argument in opposition shall be
submitted to the election authority no later than the
statutory deadline for certification of ballot questions

HB5579 - 7 - LRB104 19468 SPS 32916 b
applicable to that election, as provided in this Code. No
argument submitted after the certification deadline shall be
accepted or published.
Section 60. Review and publication. The election authority
may review the argument in favor and argument in opposition
solely for compliance with uniform formatting requirements,
equal word limits, and prohibitions on obscenity or libel. No
substantive edits to advocacy arguments shall be made. All
materials shall be certified and published as a single voter
information package.
Section 65. Enforcement and official misconduct.
(a) Any elector residing in the jurisdiction of the
referendum may seek declaratory or injunctive relief to
enforce this Act.
(b) Any officer, employee, or agent of a public body who
knowingly authorizes, directs, or participates in a violation
of this Act commits an act in excess of lawful authority for
the purposes of Section 33-3 of the Criminal Code of 2012.
Section 90. The State Officials and Employees Ethics Act
is amended by adding Section 5-15.5 as follows:
(5 ILCS 430/5-15.5 new)
Sec. 5-15.5. Referendum-related political activity. Public

HB5579 - 8 - LRB104 19468 SPS 32916 b
opinion polling, voter surveying, message testing, strategic
communications, or other activities intended to influence
voter support for or opposition to a referendum or potential
referendum, when conducted using public funds, public
facilities, or employee compensated time, constitute
prohibited political activity. Nothing in this Section limits
investigation or prosecution under Section 33-3 of the
Criminal Code of 2012 or any other applicable law.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.