Basic Legal Research

The best evidence for Illinois legislative history is the House and Senate floor debates. All debates back to 1971 are now available online at the Illinois General Assembly Home Page.  (Debates were not transcribed prior to 1971.) However, not all of the finding tools may be available online for all dates. This guide walks you through how to find the text of House and Senate floor debates online and in print and microfiche formats.

Step 1: Determine which Public Act added the language in which you are interested

• Online:  use the ILCS database in Westlaw. 
• Print:  see the historical & statutory notes in West's Smith-Hurd Illinois Compiled Statutes Annotated,  KFI 1230 1993 A4.

Step 2: Determine the original bill number of the Public Act

• Online:  at the General Assembly website.
  • For acts prior to the 94th General Assembly (2003-2004) use the link to the Public Act to Bill Number Conversion Table for that General Assembly.
• Print:  Laws of Illinois, KFI 1225 A24.
  • For recent Public Acts (less than one year old), try looking in the Legislative Service pamphlets shelved at the end of both annotated code sets:
    • Smith-Hurd Illinois Compiled Statutes Annotated (KFI 1230 1993 A4) or 
    • Illinois Compiled Statutes Annotated ("Michie")(KFI 1230 1993 A42).

Step 3: Look up the bill number in the Legislative Synopsis & Digest (LSD)

The Legislative Synopsis & Digest (LSD) will tell you everything that has happened to the bill, what amendments were proposed and what those amendments said. Use the LSD to determine the dates of relevant debates (see the box at the bottom of this column, Readings relevant to legislative history).

• Print: For General Assemblies prior to the 90th (1997), use the LSD print set at KFI 1215 I35.
  • The University of Illinois has scanned LSD volumes back to 1985.  Those can be found on the U of I Library Legislative and Synopsis Digest page.
  • Prior to 1985 print is the only option.
• Online: From the 90th General Assembly on (1997-) the LSD is available online at the General Assembly website:
  • Click "Public Acts."
  • Click "Public Acts/Leg. From Previous General Assemblies."
  • Select the relevant General Assembly and click "Go!"
  • Under the Legislation & Laws section, click "Listing."
  • Select the bill number range for your bill.
  • Select the bill.  You will be shown a page with the same information as in the print LSD. (Note: for older sessions the page layout may be inconsistent. You may need to click on links labeled "Bill Status" and/or "View All Actions" to see the full information.)

Step 4: Locate the text of the relevant debates

The table below is an overview of the path a bill takes through the Illinois General Assembly. All of the following refer to House Bill 1 (H.B. 1).

• If a bill begins in the House, it retains its House bill number even when it moves to the Senate.
• Conversely, if a bill begins in the Senate, it retains its Senate bill number when it moves to the House.

1. Recordings of House Committee meetings available 1975-date. See 'How to find the text of House & Senate floor debates' under the Home tab at the top of the page.

2. Transcripts of House & Senate floor debates available 1971-date. See 'How to find the text of House & Senate floor debates' under the Home tab at the top of the page.

3. There are no recordings or transcripts available for Senate Committee meetings.

• First readings (debates) are not important.
   
• Second readings are only important if the language in which you are interested came from an amendment to the bill after it was introduced in the House or Senate. Then the second reading in the chamber in which the amendment was introduced is relevant -- but only in the chamber in which the amendment was introduced.
   
• The third reading is generally relevant from both chambers unless only an amendment from the second chamber to consider the bill is of interest. In that case, the third reading in the chamber of origin would be irrelevant.
   
• If a bill is introduced and passes through the first chamber without any changes, then moves on to the second chamber and is amended, the concurrence in the first chamber to the second chamber's amendment is also relevant (in addition to the second and third Readings in the second chamber).