Bill
SB 2537
SB 2537 allocates about $29.6 million to fund the Illinois Department of Human Rights for operations and targeted anti-bias/hate-crime programs, including a $5 million grants fund
Note on source discrepancy
- The bill information provided includes a title about high‑school athlete transfers, but the text and introduced version of SB 2537 (as filed by Sen. Elgie R. Sims, Jr.) are an appropriation bill for the Illinois Department of Human Rights. This summary describes the actual introduced text (appropriations). If you intended the transfer/eligibility bill, please supply the correct text or bill version.
Purpose and intent
- SB 2537 (as introduced) is an appropriation act that funds the ordinary and contingent expenses of the Illinois Department of Human Rights for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025. It also directs several specified grants and fund transfers targeted at hate‑crimes/bias incident prevention and related administrative activities.
Key provisions and dollar amounts
- Aggregate appropriations (as shown in the bill header):
- General Funds: $19,247,900
- Other State Funds: $5,600,000
- Federal Funds: $4,794,800
- Total: $29,642,700
- Section-by-section highlights:
- Section 5: Appropriates $17,697,900 from the General Revenue Fund for Department of Human Rights operational expenses.
- Section 10: Appropriates $50,000 from the General Revenue Fund for costs associated with the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.
- Section 15: Appropriates $100,000 from the Department of Human Rights Training and Development Fund for administrative/ training expenses.
- Section 20: Appropriates $4,794,800 from the Special Projects Division Fund for the Department’s operational expenses.
- Section 25: Appropriates $500,000 from the Department of Human Rights Special Fund for filing‑related expenses.
- Section 30: Appropriates $5,000,000 from the Hate Crimes and Bias Incident Prevention and Response Fund for grants and for expenses related to preventing and responding to hate crimes and bias incidents.
- Section 40: Reappropriates up to $1,500,000 (unexpended at June 30, 2025, from a prior appropriation) from the General Revenue Fund as a grant to the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Midwest Region Office (Chicago) to operate a mobile museum bus for tolerance.
- Section 99: Effective date — July 1, 2025.
Who would be affected
- Primary: Illinois Department of Human Rights (funding for operations, special projects, training, filing).
- Secondary: Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes; organizations receiving grants from the Hate Crimes and Bias Incident Prevention and Response Fund; Simon Wiesenthal Center (mobile museum bus grant); and entities or communities served by the Department’s programs addressing hate crimes and bias incidents.
Procedural status and timeline
- Introduced (per bill text): Feb 25, 2025, by Sen. Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (some records show receipt/filed on Mar 13, 2025).
- Legislative actions in the provided record include referral to committees (Assignments, Education, Finance) and a first reading.
- The provided status indicates: Died in Committee. (The chronological entries in the record contain inconsistencies; consult the official Illinois General Assembly website or legislative clerk for authoritative status and dates.)
Potential fiscal and policy impact
- Provides roughly $29.6 million in combined funding streams to sustain Department of Human Rights operations and targeted anti‑bias/hate‑crime efforts for FY beginning July 1, 2025.
- A notable targeted grant (up to $1.5 million reappropriated) supports a public education/outreach project (mobile museum bus) run by the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
If you want, I can:
- Verify the official status/dates in the Illinois General Assembly database, or
- Prepare a brief comparing this appropriation to the Department’s prior-year budget.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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