Rockford Sun

Maurice A. West, II introduced HB1187 in the Illinois House on Jan. 9, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Toll Highway Act. Allows an individual who is a veteran or active duty member of the United States Armed Forces to use any toll highway in the State without paying the toll if the veteran or active duty member of the United States Armed Forces displays a military license plate offered by the Secretary of State while using the toll highway."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Toll Highway Act to allow veterans and active duty members of the United States Armed Forces to use any toll highway in Illinois without paying the toll. To qualify, individuals must display a military license plate provided by the Secretary of State. Additionally, the bill stipulates that certain emergency vehicles, such as those belonging to law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and ambulance services—with proper permits or identification—are not required to pay tolls when performing necessary duties on toll highways. The Toll Highway Authority is responsible for maintaining a public list of those authorized to use toll highways without charge for official business.

Maurice A. West, II has proposed another seven bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

West graduated from Illinois College at Jacksonville in 2007 with a BS.

Maurice A. West II is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 67th House District. He replaced previous state representative Litesa Wallace in 2019.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
HB1187	01/09/2025	Amends the Toll Highway Act. Allows an individual who is a veteran or active duty member of the United States Armed Forces to use any toll highway in the State without paying the toll if the veteran or active duty member of the United States Armed Forces displays a military license plate offered by the Secretary of State while using the toll highway.
HB1088	01/09/2025	Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that a committed person may make a request to be transferred to another institution or facility every 6 months. Provides that a committed person, or the committed person's parent or guardian, may make a request to be transferred to another institution or facility of the Department of Juvenile Justice at any time.
HB1089	01/09/2025	Creates the Illinois Container Fee and Deposit Act. Provides for a deposit value of 10 cents to be paid by consumers on each beverage container sold in the State by a dealer for consumption. Provides that, upon the return to a dealer or person operating a redemption center, the dealer or redemption center shall pay the value of the deposit back to the consumer as a refund. Sets forth requirements for administration of the program. Provides certain exemptions to the program. Requires that the refund value be clearly indicated on all beverage containers sold in the State. Provides for the Environmental Protection Agency to certify redemption centers. Prohibits snap-top beverage containers. Provides that persons violating the Act shall be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor. Prohibits the manufacture of certain beverage containers. Prohibits the disposal of beverage containers at sanitary landfills. Provides that deposits not passed on to the consumer through bottle redemption shall be distributed as follows: 75% to the Agency for environmental and conservation-related programs and 25% to each distributor in proportion to the number of beverage containers sold by each distributor in the State. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Illinois Container Fee and Deposit Fund. Effective immediately.
HB1091	01/09/2025	Amends the Property Tax Code. In a Section regarding property tax exemptions for charitable purposes, provides that property held by a charitable organization for the purpose of constructing or rehabilitating residences for eventual transfer to qualified low-income families through sale, lease, or contract for deed is exempt from property tax as a charitable purpose. Provides that the exemption commences on the day title to the property is transferred to the organization and continues to the end of the levy year in which the organization transfers title to the property to a qualified low-income family. Effective immediately.
HB1151	01/09/2025	Amends the Grocery Initiative Act. Provides that the definition of "grocery store" includes a mobile grocer that satisfies specified requirements.
HB1152	01/09/2025	Appropriates $3,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for administrative costs and grants associated with capital improvements to the City of Rockford Family Peace Center. Effective July 1, 2025.
HB1169	01/09/2025	Amends the Lobbyist Registration Act. Directs the Secretary of State to grant a waiver of the lobbyist registration fee for any not-for-profit entity with an annual budget of less than $5,000,000 that is classified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, including a waiver for any lobbyist that exclusively lobbies on behalf of such an entity.
HB1179	01/09/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates an income tax credit of $250 for taxpayers who make 4 or more qualified donations of human whole blood or human blood components during the taxable year. Effective immediately.
HB1188	01/09/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that an employer with 250 or fewer full-time equivalent employees during the reporting period may claim a credit against the withholding payments for each qualified employee. Provides that a qualified employee is an employee who receives a raise from an employer, whose post-raise annual salary attributable to that employer is not less than $31,200, and who continues to be employed by the employer during the reporting period for which the credit is taken.