The spring session of the Illinois Legislature ended on May 31, 2021. AIA Illinois was able to pass a number of important bills that are now on the way to the Governor’s desk for signature. These include, a HB 247 CMS-Bird Safe State Buildings to require bird-friendly building materials and solutions to be used on all Illinois buildings (both new construction and renovations); renewal of the River Edge Redevelopment Zone (RERZ) Historic Tax Credit for another five years, this vital historic preservation incentive for our river communities in Aurora, East St. Louis, Elgin, Peoria and Rockford was set to sunset at the end of 2021; as well as legislation on procurement reforms.
Equally important was that AIA Illinois was able to stop a very damaging bill HB 680 that would have introduced monetary bidding into the initial Qualification Based Selection (QBS) process. Had this bill gone through, it would have effectively eliminated QBS as a process in Illinois.
Also on a broader scale, some ethics reform was passed by the legislature as was approval of new state legislative maps for next year’s elections. The state budget was also approved. Lastly, the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) did not pass, but it appears a deal has been struck which may bring the legislature back in a few weeks for a special session to potentially pass a version of this AIA Illinois backed climate change and comprehensive clean energy bill.
We THANK our Industry Coalition partners as well as Landmarks Illinois for their joint advocacy and leadership on our legislative efforts. We couldn't do it without them!
As always, our EVP Stacey Pfingsten and legislative team of Nekritz/Amdor and Steve Andersson, will continue to advocate for, and protect, the interest of AIA Illinois members.
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