LibGuides: Public Affairs Reporting Research Guide: Illinois Government

Illinois Government

The website of the Illinois General Assembly provides links to legislation & laws, legislative reports, Illinois Register, Illinois Compiled Statutes, Illinois Constitution, senate and house information, and additional resources. Current as well as historical legislation is covered via full text of the Illinois Compiled Statutes and bills and Public Acts from the 90th and subsequent General Assemblies. Transcripts are available for older legislative years.

Below are some additional resources that may help you in your legislative research.

How a Bill Becomes a Law in Illinois
A very useful flowchart describing the legislative process in Illinois.
How to Research Illinois Legislative History
By the Illinois Supreme Court.
Researching Legislative History
Guide by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Illinois Legislative Synopsis and Digest (1985- )
A publication prepared by the Legislative Reference Bureau that includes a summary of legislative documents considered by the General Assembly, a record of all legislative action on the documents, and several indexes. This set also tells you the sponsors, the date it was signed by the Governor, the public act number, and the date the law went into effect.
Commission on Government Forecasting & Accountability
Useful reports on state revenue and budget matters, including monthly briefings.
Legislative Research Unit
Background information on issues like Illinois' tax and fee history and the complete transcripts of the 1970 constitutional convention.

Community Profiles / IL Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
Detailed information on Illinois cities and towns: city services; health & education facilities; transportation; utilities; major employers; wage rates; tax structure, etc. (Must choose profile to get detailed info.)
Crime in Illinois / Illinois State Police
Detailed crime statistics and analyses for the state and counties from the Illinois State Police.
Health Statistics / Illinois Dept. of Public Health
Vital statistics; hospital discharges; county-level health indicators (IPLAN); diseases; etc.
Illinois County Health Rankings
Rates health outcomes & contributing factors for all Illinois counties. Also includes a summary report. A program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation & the U. of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
Illinois Labor Market Information
Occupational wages; unemployment statistics; employment projections; industry employment estimates; quarterly census of employment & wages, etc.
Tax Statistics / IL Dept. of Revenue
Illinois Board of Elections
Lists of candidate filing, election results, and campaign finance going back decades.
Illinois State Board of Education
Information and data about K-12 schooling.
Illinois Secretary of State
List of registered lobbyists.

Electronic Documents of Illinois
Provides permanent public access to official publications of the State of Illinois which have been deposited in electronic form.
Illinois Digital Archives
Digitized documents, photographs, books, speeches, reports, posters, newspapers, etc., on topics such as Lincoln, local history, state highway maps, Illinois State Fair, etc.
Illinois State Archives
Illinois State Archives' searchable online databases, including Illinois statewide marriage & death indexes.

Illinois Blue Book
Biographies of Illinois elected officials in federal and state governments; Illinois courts;state universities; Illinois history; state & local government facts, etc.
Illinois Handbook of Government
State Constitution; major statewide offices; branches of government; state symbols, etc.
State of Illinois Telephone Directory