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Bill Summary · HJR 7

Summary — HJR 7: Joint Session — Budget Message

Status: Adopted by both houses (Joint Resolution)
Primary action: Sets date/time for Governor’s FY 2026 budget message to the General Assembly
Related: HJR 6 (companion), HJR 1 (companion)
Statutory authority cited: Chapter 15, Section 20/50-5, Illinois Compiled Statutes

Main purpose

HJR 7 is a procedural joint resolution that schedules a Joint Session of the Illinois House and Senate for the purpose of receiving the Governor’s Budget Message for Fiscal Year 2026. It directs the two Houses to convene in Joint Session on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, at 12:00 noon for Governor J.B. Pritzker to present the required budget message.

Key provisions and text highlights

  • Establishes date and time for the Joint Session: Wednesday, February 19, 2025, at 12:00 p.m.
  • States the purpose explicitly: hearing the Governor’s Budget Message for FY 2026, as required under Chapter 15, Section 20/50-5 of the Illinois Compiled Statutes.
  • The resolution is procedural in nature and does not enact policy changes or appropriate funds.

Additional/embedded language and amendments

The public record for HJR 7 contains additional inserted language and several amendment filings (H‑1026, H‑1043, H‑1092, etc.) that relate to a proposed constitutional amendment concerning wildlife management (references to hunting, fishing, trapping as preferred wildlife-management tools and a non‑liability clause regarding habitat access). That material appears to be separate substantive language carried in amendment text at various stages. Key amendment actions included:
- H-1026: minor wording change (adds “pursuant thereto”).
- H-1043: adds a clause that the section “shall not establish grounds for a claim or cause of action…based upon the quality, quantity, or access to habitat for hunting or fishing.”
- H-1092: replaces the word “maintain” with “enhance.”

(Note: these substantive provisions are distinct from the core scheduling function of this joint-session resolution and appear to reflect separate proposed constitutional amendment language considered during amendment activity.)

Who is affected

  • The Illinois General Assembly (House and Senate) — schedules a required joint occurrence.
  • The Governor — designated to present the FY 2026 Budget Message at the specified joint session.
  • No direct change to state programs, budgets, or private rights; primarily affects legislative procedure and scheduling.

Procedural timeline and disposition

  • Multiple committee references, amendments, and readings occurred between February and July 2025 according to the record.
  • Resolution was adopted by both Houses (record shows adoption on 2025-02-19) and subsequent legislative processing (enrollment, amendments, recorded votes).
  • Legislative record indicates the resolution was later signed by the Governor (record entry dated 2025-07-23).

Impact summary

HJR 7 is a non‑substantive, procedural resolution that formally schedules the constitutionally expected Joint Session for the Governor’s budget address. It does not itself change law, appropriate funds, or create new obligations beyond setting the time and purpose for the Joint Session. The legislative history also shows ancillary amendment activity containing substantive constitutional amendment language on wildlife management; those provisions would follow a separate constitutional amendment process if advanced.

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

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