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HB 3197

DEFORESTATION FREE IL ACT

104th Regular Session Introduced by Margaret Croke and 4 co-sponsors

Illinois bans tropical hardwoods in state procurement and requires contractors to verify forest‑risk commodities aren’t tied to deforestation.

Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee
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Bill Summary · HB 3197

Summary — HB 3197: Deforestation-Free Illinois Act

Status and timeline
- Bill: HB 3197 (Introduced Feb 21, 2025). Primary sponsor: Rep. Daniel Didech; cosponsors: Margaret Croke, Will Guzzardi, Abdelnasser Rashid, Nabeela Syed.
- Major procedural steps: First reading Feb 18, 2025; assigned to State Government Administration Committee; House Committee Amendment 001 filed Mar 18, 2025 (revises bill by adding Article 54 to the Illinois Procurement Code); Do Pass from committee Mar 20; placed on second reading Mar 21–26; Rule 19(a) / Re‑referred to Rules Committee Apr 11, 2025.
- Companion bills: SB 1570 and HB 125.
- Effective date: the bill states “effective immediately.”

Purpose and intent
- To prevent Illinois state procurement and state-contracted public works from contributing to global deforestation and forest degradation by prohibiting purchase and use of certain tropical hardwoods and by requiring procurement safeguards for “forest‑risk commodities.”

Key provisions
1. Placement in Illinois Procurement Code
- The amendment inserts Article 54, titled the “Deforestation‑Free Illinois Law,” into the Illinois Procurement Code.

  1. Prohibition on tropical hardwoods

    • The State and any state government agency shall not purchase (wholesale or retail) or obtain for any purpose any tropical hardwood or tropical hardwood product.
    • No solicitation, bid proposal, or contract for construction, building maintenance, or improvement for the State or its agencies may require or permit use of any tropical hardwood or tropical hardwood product.

  2. Contractual requirements for forest‑risk commodities

    • Every state contract that includes procurement of any product that is wholly or partly a “forest‑risk commodity” must require the contractor to confirm that the commodity furnished was not extracted from, grown, derived, harvested, reared, or produced on land where deforestation or forest degradation occurred.

  3. Definitions (selected)

    • “Deforestation”: direct human‑induced conversion of forest to agriculture, plantation, or other non‑forest use.
    • “Forest degradation”: structural/ecological changes reducing forest function, including conversion of primary forest to plantations.
    • “Forest‑risk commodity”: commodities commonly linked to deforestation or degradation (including beef, cocoa, coffee, leather, logs, lumber, palm oil, paper, soy, rubber, wood pulp, etc.) and products derived from them. The Director of Central Management Services may further define by rule.
    • Exclusions: wood pulp/paper made entirely from recovered fiber, salvaged wood, and composite products made entirely from recycled material are excluded; partial cases subject to rule-based verification.

  4. Other definitions and thresholds

    • Defines “Illinois State product” (over 51% by weight/volume from in‑state raw materials), “industrial contractor” (annual revenue ≥ $100,000,000), medium business, peat/peatlands, and “free, prior, and informed consent” (relating to Indigenous peoples’ rights).

Implementation and enforcement
- The bill requires contract language and contractor confirmation but does not in the text of the amendment specify civil penalties or enforcement mechanisms beyond procurement disallowance and rulemaking authority vested in the Director of Central Management Services to define terms and verification procedures.
- Agencies and contractors will be affected at procurement and contracting stages; suppliers in affected supply chains (domestic and international) may face new documentation/verifications to participate in state contracts.

Who is affected
- State agencies, departments, and quasi‑governmental entities conducting procurement or contracting.
- Contractors, vendors, and suppliers bidding on public works, maintenance, goods, or services for the State.
- Producers and supply chains of listed forest‑risk commodities (domestic and international exporters).

Potential impacts (practical)
- Limits use of tropical hardwoods in public construction and maintenance.
- Introduces sourcing verification requirements for many commodities used in state contracts, potentially increasing due‑diligence and documentation burdens on contractors and suppliers.
- Aims to reduce Illinois government contribution to commodity-driven deforestation and to encourage deforestation‑free supply chains.

For full legislative text, see the introduced bill and House Amendment 001 (Article 54 of the Illinois Procurement Code).

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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