WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

SB 1851

EMERGENCY CO-RESPONSE GRANTS

104th Regular Session Introduced by Mary Edly-Allen and 1 co-sponsor

Requires McHenry County Sheriff’s Office to establish a co‑responder unit and updates select municipalities to include co‑responders, clarifying duties and timelines.

Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 1851

Summary — SB1851 (Emergency Co‑Response Grants)

Status: Enacted (signed by Governor 5/24/2025; effective 9/1/2025)
Primary sponsor: Sen. Mary Edly‑Allen; Chief cosponsor: Sen. Ram Villivalam
Related/companion: HB 4097

Overview

SB1851 was introduced as the "Emergency Co‑Response Grant Act," proposing a statewide grant program to support law enforcement co‑response units (teams pairing officers with clinicians or trained civilians dispatched to likely behavioral‑health crises). During floor/committee consideration the bill was substantially amended (Senate Amendment No. 1) to instead require a specific local implementation and to modify existing municipal code provisions. The amended bill was passed and signed into law, effective September 1, 2025.

Original bill (introduced version) — primary elements

Note: this describes the bill as introduced before the floor amendment.

  • Created the Emergency Co‑Response Grant Act and an Emergency Co‑Response Grant Fund in the State treasury.
  • Directed the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA), subject to appropriation, to award grants to law enforcement departments to establish or maintain co‑response units.
  • Defined “co‑response unit” as a de‑escalation team including at least one law enforcement officer plus at least one clinician or trained civilian dispatched to emergency calls likely involving behavioral‑health crises.
  • Required grant application contents (goals, personnel, hours of operation, 9‑1‑1/9‑8‑8 integration, training, policies/procedures, data standards, follow‑up and community consultation).
  • Allowed fund moneys to be used for planning, implementation, staffing (with licensure/scope compliance), facilities, and related activities.
  • Required participating departments to submit a programmatic/fiscal report (due after 7/1/2031 and before 1/1/2032) summarizing savings, populations served, benefits, and policy recommendations to guide scaling and permanent implementation.
  • Required joint rules for implementation and included a sunset/repeal of the Act on January 1, 2033 (as introduced).

Senate Amendment No. 1 / Enacted changes

Senate Amendment No. 1 substantially replaced the introduced text and, as enacted, focuses on local statutory changes:

  • Adds Section 3‑6043 to the Counties Code directing the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office to establish a co‑responder unit under Division 1.5 of Article 11 of the Illinois Municipal Code.
  • Amends sections of the Illinois Municipal Code (Division 1.5) to expressly include the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and the Skokie Police Department in the list of entities covered by existing co‑responder unit provisions, and clarifies unit duties, social‑worker roles, victim‑assistance focus, and timelines.
  • Requires the named departments (including McHenry County Sheriff’s Office) to establish co‑responder units subject to appropriation no later than 6 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly.
  • The amendment retains many operational duties and definitions from the existing Division 1.5 framework (victim services, follow‑up, networking with social‑service agencies, confidentiality rules, training and on‑call responsibilities).

Who is affected

  • McHenry County Sheriff’s Office (explicitly required to establish a co‑responder unit).
  • Police departments listed in Division 1.5 (East St. Louis, Peoria, Springfield, Waukegan, Skokie) whose statutory co‑responder provisions are updated.
  • Clinicians, licensed social workers, trained civilian co‑responders (peer support staff, recovery coaches).
  • Local communities served by co‑responder units — especially people experiencing behavioral‑health crises, victims of crime, and other vulnerable populations identified in the bill’s purpose language.

Timeline / procedural notes

  • Final enacted law effective September 1, 2025.
  • The amendment required McHenry County to stand up its unit within 6 months after the effective date, subject to available funding/appropriation.
  • Because the floor amendment replaced the original statewide grant program language, many of the ICJIA grant‑program provisions in the introduced bill were not enacted in the form shown in the original text.

Potential impact

  • Creates a statutory requirement for a McHenry County co‑responder team and clarifies/expands the statutory framework for co‑responder units in several municipalities.
  • If implemented and funded, could increase clinician‑law enforcement co‑responses, strengthen victim services and follow‑up, and formalize roles and data collection—but actual scope depends on appropriations and local implementation.

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

Sign in to ask a question.