Bill
SJR 17
Designate a segment of Illinois Route 15 in Wayne County as the Pfc. Kenny Kays Memorial Highway and have IDOT install plaques to honor Army medic Kenny Kays.
Note on materials provided
- The documents you supplied include several different measures labelled “SJR 17” from different jurisdictions (notably an Arkansas constitutional amendment titled the “Arkansas Taxpayer Bill of Rights” and other states’ resolutions). The summary below focuses on the Illinois joint resolution (LRB104 05708 LAW 15738 r / SJ0017) titled “Pfc. Kenny Kays Memorial Highway,” which matches the bill title you specified.
Purpose and intent
- Designate a portion of Illinois Route 15 in Wayne County in honor of Private First Class Kenny Kays, an Army medic who received the Medal of Honor for heroic actions in Vietnam.
- Recognize and memorialize Pfc. Kays’ service and sacrifice, and request appropriate signage to mark the designation.
Key provisions
- Designation: Illinois Route 15, from the western edge of Fairfield west to the intersection with County Highway 10, shall be designated the “Pfc. Kenny Kays Memorial Highway.”
- Signage: Requests that the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) erect appropriate plaques or signs at suitable locations consistent with state and federal regulations to display the memorial name.
- Presentation: Directs that suitable copies of the resolution be presented to Pfc. Kays’ family, the Mayor of Fairfield, and the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Who/what is affected
- Illinois Department of Transportation: asked to install signs/plaques and to ensure compliance with applicable regulatory standards.
- Local community: Fairfield and Wayne County will host the designated memorial stretch and associated signage.
- Family and community stakeholders: intended beneficiaries of the honor and official recognition.
Fiscal and administrative impact
- Minimal fiscal impact: costs consist mainly of materials and installation of highway signs/plaques. The resolution does not appropriate funds; usual practice is for IDOT to absorb sign costs within existing sign programs or through state/local cooperation.
- No policy or regulatory changes to traffic operations are proposed.
Procedural/timeline aspects and current status
- Introduced (filed) November 12, 2024 (per materials).
- According to the materials, the resolution was read and referred (e.g., read first time 02/03/2025 and referred to Criminal Justice). Some entries in the file indicate subsequent actions (including enactment and transmission to the Governor), but the packet contains mixed records from multiple jurisdictions and conflicting status entries.
- Recommendation: check the official Illinois General Assembly website or the Secretary of the Senate for the authoritative current status and any final enactment.
Primary sponsors (from provided materials)
- Senate sponsor: Senator Cyndi Carrasco (authored)
- House sponsor: Representative Gregory Steuerwald (listed as House sponsor)
- Additional named co-sponsors/cosigners in materials: Representatives Michelle Davis, Ethan Lawson (verify on official site for full sponsor list).
If you’d like, I can:
- Verify the current official status on the Illinois General Assembly website and update this summary with final passage/enactment details; or
- Prepare a separate, similarly formatted summary of the Arkansas “Arkansas Taxpayer Bill of Rights” SJR 17 included in the packet.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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