SB 2528 — Summary (Introduced version)
Status: Died in Committee (did not become law)
Introduced: 2025-02-25 by Sen. Elgie R. Sims, Jr.
Subject areas: Appropriations; Universities and Colleges
Note: The bill title listed ("Reconnect Grant Program; create.") does not match the body of the introduced text. The text provided is an appropriations bill allocating funds for the Illinois Department of Agriculture for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025.
Purpose / Intent
To appropriate funds for the ordinary and contingent expenses of the Illinois Department of Agriculture for FY 2026, and to make targeted investments in agricultural programs, extension services, fairs, inspection programs, and several grant/initiative accounts.
Overall funding
The bill, as introduced, appropriated a total of $232,099,000 across funding sources:
- General Funds: $38,190,000
- Other State Funds: $114,383,700
- Federal Funds: $79,525,300
Key provisions and notable line items
(Amounts shown are "or so much thereof as may be necessary" from the specified fund.)
- Administrative Services (General Revenue Fund): total $2,373,200, including Personal Services $1,893,300 and related employer contributions and contractual services.
- Crop Insurance Rebate Initiative (General Revenue Fund): $660,000.
- Agriculture Equity Commission (General Revenue Fund): $100,000.
- Agency operations support (General Revenue Fund): $1,696,400.
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives (General Revenue Fund): $125,000.
- Agricultural Premium Fund:
- Food Safety Modernization Initiative: $100,000.
- Deposit to State Cooperative Extension Service Trust Fund: $10,000,000 (total $10,100,000 from this fund).
- Future Farmers of America (FFA) support:
- Grants from Future Farmers of America Fund: $100,000.
- Fairs & Exposition Fund for FFA membership fees: $550,000.
- Wholesome Meat Fund: detailed operating items (personal services, retirement, contractual, commodities, equipment, etc.); total $874,400.
- Partners for Conservation Fund: deposits to Cooperative Extension Trust Fund $994,700 and $2,449,200 for University of Illinois Cook County Cooperative Extension operational expenses (total shown $3,443,900).
- Tourism Promotion Fund: $3,733,100 for operational expenses of Springfield and Du Quoin State Fairs (excludes personal services).
- Agriculture Federal Projects Fund: $27,000,000 for various federal projects (including prior-year costs); separate smaller federal projects appropriation listed at $520,000.
- Computer services: Electronic data processing $1,499,400 and contractual services $218,300 (General Revenue Fund).
- Agriculture Regulation (General Revenue Fund): $3,987,700 total, including Personal Services $1,810,000 and Contractual Services $1,998,700.
- Regulatory/inspection funds:
- Fertilizer Control Fund: $1,915,300 (agricultural products inspection).
- Feed Control Fund: $2,820,800 (feed control program).
- Marketing (truncated in available text): included Personal Services $2,331,000 and related items.
Who would be affected
- Illinois Department of Agriculture (operations and program implementation)
- University Cooperative Extension services (including University of Illinois Cook County CES)
- Farmers and agricultural producers (via crop insurance rebate initiative, inspections, and federal projects)
- FFA and agricultural education programs
- State fair operations and related local vendors
- Food/meat industry participants subject to inspection and compliance programs
Procedural/timeline notes
- Filed and introduced Feb 25, 2025; read first time and referred to committees (Assignments; Universities and Colleges; Appropriations).
- Legislative actions list the bill as "Died In Committee" (date entries contain inconsistencies). As listed, the bill did not advance to passage or enactment.
Impact summary
If enacted, SB 2528 would have authorized roughly $232 million in FY 2026 appropriations across state and federal funds to sustain Department of Agriculture operations, extend funding for inspection and regulatory programs, support extension services and fairs, and fund targeted initiatives (crop insurance rebate, equity and DEI efforts, and FFA support). Because it died in committee, these appropriations were not adopted through this bill.
