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HB 3122

Relating to Owyhee Lake Road.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Mark Gamba and 1 co-sponsor

HB 3122 stops new General Assembly members from enrolling in GARS after Jan 1, 2026, effectively freezing eligibility and ending future enrollments.

In committee upon adjournment.
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Bill Summary · HB 3122

HB 3122 — Relating to Owyhee Lake Road (Amendment to Illinois Pension Code)

Note: Despite the short title referencing Owyhee Lake Road, the bill amends the General Assembly Article of the Illinois Pension Code to restrict enrollment in the General Assembly Retirement System (GARS).

Quick facts

  • Bill: HB 3122
  • Sponsor: Rep. Blaine Wilhour
  • Filed/Introduced: February 2025 (introduced Feb. 18, 2025; filed Feb. 20, 2025)
  • Code sections amended: 40 ILCS 5/2-101 and 40 ILCS 5/2-105 (Ch. 108 1/2, pars. 2-101, 2-105)
  • Current status: In committee upon adjournment (6/28/2025)
  • Effective date: Upon becoming law (immediate effect)

Purpose and intent

The bill’s stated purpose is to stop future members of the Illinois General Assembly from becoming participants in the General Assembly Retirement System (GARS). It “freezes” membership eligibility for legislators as of a fixed cutoff date.

Key provisions

  • Adds a participation cutoff: participation in GARS by members of the General Assembly is limited to persons who became participants before January 1, 2026.
  • Prohibits new legislative enrollments: beginning January 1, 2026, the System shall not accept any new participants who are members of the General Assembly.
  • Amends the statutory definition of “member” to state that a person who is a member of the General Assembly is not considered a member of GARS for purposes of the Article unless they became a participant before January 1, 2026.
  • Other existing provisions in the sections (e.g., elective membership for certain clerks or references to statewide officers) remain in the text but are subject to the new cutoff insofar as they relate to General Assembly members.

Who is affected

  • Directly affected: Members of the Illinois General Assembly elected or otherwise taking office on or after January 1, 2026 — they would not be able to become participants in GARS.
  • Indirectly affected: The General Assembly Retirement System’s membership pipeline and administrative processes; existing members of GARS are grandfathered (those already participants before Jan 1, 2026 retain eligibility).
  • The bill’s text centers on “members of the General Assembly”; participation rules for other listed offices (Governor, Secretary of State, etc.) are not explicitly changed by the cutoff wording.

Procedural timeline and next steps

  • Introduced and assigned to committee in early 2025; public hearing and work session were held in February 2025.
  • Last recorded status: “In committee upon adjournment” as of June 28, 2025.
  • If enacted, the change is effective immediately upon the Governor’s signature.

Potential implications to note

  • Short term: administrative updates to cease enrollment of new legislative participants after the cutoff.
  • Long term: the change could reduce future GARS membership growth and future liabilities for that system, while requiring alternative retirement arrangements (statutory or private) for legislators elected after the cutoff. Fiscal impacts would depend on subsequent policy choices and actuarial effects; the bill text itself does not include fiscal analysis or transition mechanisms.

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

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