How a Bill REALLY Becomes a Law
By Ben Schwarm
Deputy Executive Director
IL Association of School Boards (IASB)
What you learned in your school classroom will only get you so far in Springfield. Take an insider look at how the system really works from start to finish… and all the shenanigans that can happen along the way.
For the most part, the legendary (at least for folks my age) “I’m Just a Bill” skit from Schoolhouse Rock in the 1970’s is pretty accurate here in Illinois. A bill must make it through two legislative chambers and be signed into law by the Chief Executive whether in Congress in Washington, D.C. or in the Illinois General Assembly in Springfield. But, oh, the shenanigans that can happen on the way. That Schoolhouse Rock bill never came to Springfield to get mugged by a Rules Committee, stuffed into a “shell bill” and tacked onto a provision in a 1,000 page “BIMP” bill that was voted on virtually sight unseen.