Kane County Reporter

Maura Hirschauer introduced HB2934 in the Illinois House on Feb. 5, 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 Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that, on and after October 1, 2025, the default speed limit is 20 (instead of 30) miles per hour within an urban district, and 10 (instead of 15) miles per hour in an alley within an urban district. Requires, by September 1, 2025, the Secretary of State to communicate the speed limit change to every licensed driver in the State via direct postal mail and a broad statewide communications campaign. Provides that a county, municipality, or township with speed enforcement authority may only issue warnings for violations during the first 60 days after the change of the speed limit is enacted. Effective immediately."

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 Illinois Vehicle Code to lower speed limits within urban districts starting Oct. 1, 2025. The maximum speed limit will be reduced from 30 to 25 miles per hour on arterial streets, from 30 to 20 miles per hour on residential streets, and from 15 to 10 miles per hour in alleys. By Sept. 1, 2025, the Secretary of State must inform all licensed drivers in Illinois of these changes through direct mail and a statewide communications campaign. During the first 60 days after implementation, only warnings may be issued for speed violations under the new limits. The bill takes effect immediately upon becoming law.

Maura Hirschauer has proposed another 19 bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Hirschauer graduated from Colby College with a BA.

Maura Hirschauer is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 49th House District. She replaced previous state representative Karina Villa in 2021.

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
HB2934	02/05/2025	Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that, on and after October 1, 2025, the default speed limit is 20 (instead of 30) miles per hour within an urban district, and 10 (instead of 15) miles per hour in an alley within an urban district. Requires, by September 1, 2025, the Secretary of State to communicate the speed limit change to every licensed driver in the State via direct postal mail and a broad statewide communications campaign. Provides that a county, municipality, or township with speed enforcement authority may only issue warnings for violations during the first 60 days after the change of the speed limit is enacted. Effective immediately.
HB2762	02/05/2025	Amends the Employment of Teachers Article of the School Code. Provides that in fixing the salaries of employees, a school board or the governing board of a joint agreement shall pay to employees an hourly rate of not less than (i) $20 for the 2026-2027 school year, (ii) $21 for the 2027-2028 school year, and (iii) $22 for the 2028-2029 school year. Provides that the minimum hourly rate for each school year thereafter shall equal the minimum salary rate for the previous school year increased by a percentage equal to the percentage increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers for all items published by the United States Department of Labor for the previous school year. Provides that "employee" means any employee of a school district or joint agreement who provides educational support services to the district or joint agreement, including, but not limited to, custodial employees, transportation employees, food service providers, classroom assistants, administrative staff, or paraprofessional educators. Provides that an employee's salary shall include any amount paid by the school district or joint agreement on behalf of the employee, as employee contributions, to the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund. Effective immediately.
HB2558	02/04/2025	Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. In provisions concerning provider reimbursement rates for services provided to medically fragile and technology dependent children, provides that by December 31, 2025, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall conduct a rate evaluation to study the soundness of the rate paid for private duty nursing services. Requires the Department to contract with an outside entity to conduct this study or utilize one of its existing contractors to conduct this evaluation. Provides that the contractor shall consult with Department-enrolled private duty providers to ensure the accuracy of this study as it is being created. Requires the study to include, at a minimum, a comparison of rates paid by other states for similar services and the cost of providing similar care in an institutional setting. Effective immediately.
HB2453	02/03/2025	Amends the Gender Violence Act. Provides that "gender-related violence" includes sexual contact between a sexual organ of one person and an intimate part of another person in which a "sexually protective device" has been intentionally removed by the defendant without the consent of the plaintiff or unintentionally removed but the defendant continues to engage in sexual conduct without getting the consent of the unaware plaintiff. Defines "sexually protective device" as any of the following that is intended to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection: internal or external condom; spermicide; diaphragm; cervical cap; contraceptive sponge; dental dam; or another physical device intended to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection.
HB2454	02/03/2025	Amends the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act. Provides that a person operating a bicycle is deemed to be an intended user of every roadway and portion of roadway on which bicyclists are permitted to ride.
HB2455	02/03/2025	Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Adds the Secretary of Early Childhood or his or her designee as a member of the Advisory Council on the Education of Children with Disabilities. Provides that the Council shall establish a committee charged with ensuring that all children aged 3 to 5 with disabilities have access to high-quality, inclusive, early-childhood services, provided in the least restrictive environment, across all early learning settings. Effective immediately.
HB2520	02/03/2025	Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that, for the purpose of the Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption, the term "household" includes only the applicant and the applicant's spouse (currently, the applicant, the spouse of the applicant, and all persons using the residence of the applicant as their principal place of residence). Effective immediately.
HB2419	01/31/2025	Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that, when determining whether certain local siting review criteria have been met, the county board of the county or the governing body of the municipality, as applicable, shall consider, among other things, vehicle emissions and the potential cumulative impacts created by the addition of the facility to the existing pollution sources, the disparate impacts created by the addition of the facility to existing pollution sources, and the potential disparate impacts on nearby communities. Requires the local siting decisions of the Pollution Control Board to include a written statement describing whether the procedures were conducted by the county board or governing body in a manner that is accessible to the public, including individuals with disabilities and individuals who are not native speakers of English.
HB2420	01/31/2025	Amends the Smart Start Illinois Act. Sets forth eligibility requirements for Smart Start Workforce Grants. Provides that a grant applicant must: (i) be a licensed day care home, day care center, or group day care home as of the month prior to the applicant submitting an application and maintain the applicable license for the duration of the grant; (ii) regularly provide year-round child care; (iii) meet minimum enrollment levels for children whose care is paid for by the Child Care Assistance Program, child care subsidies for foster child care, or military child care subsidies. Provides that if an applicant does not meet the minimum enrollment requirements under the Child Care Assistance Program, the applicant may qualify if the applicant maintains specified enrollment levels for children with an individualized education program or children who are English learners. Sets forth the eligibility requirements for licensed day care centers applying for a Smart Start Workforce Grant. Effective July 1, 2025.
HB2354	01/30/2025	Amends the Counties Code. Provides that the lease of real estate is permitted when a vacant property, structure, or facility owned by the county can be used in the interest of the public or for the benefit and enjoyment of residents of the county.
HB2355	01/30/2025	Amends the Counties Code. Provides that the lease of real estate is permitted when a property, structure, or facility owned by Kane County can be used for athletic purposes in the interest of the public or for the benefit and enjoyment of residents of the county if the property, structure, or facility acquired by Kane County was being used for athletic purposes prior to the county acquiring the property, structure, or facility. For leases entered into under this provision after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the lease must require (i) the lessee to allow any organization that used the land at the time the lease is executed to continue to use the land for the leased purposes during the term of the lease and (ii) the lessor to continue, during the term of the lease, to employ, in the same capacity, any persons who provided services on the land at the time the lease is executed.
HB1786	01/27/2025	Amends the Election Code. Creates the Ranked-Choice Voting in State and Local Elections Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall study the possibility of implementing ranked-choice voting for State and local elections. Directs the Task Force (1) to engage election officials, interested groups, and members of the public for the purpose of assessing the adoption and implementation of ranked-choice voting in State and local elections beginning in the 2029 consolidated election; (2) to review standards used to certify or approve the use of a voting system, including the standards adopted by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and the State Board of Elections; (3) to advise whether the voting system used by this State's election authorities would be able to accommodate alternative methods of voting, including, but not limited to, ranked-choice voting; and (4) to make recommendations or suggestions for changes to the Election Code or administrative rules for certification of voting systems in Illinois to accommodate alternative methods of voting, including ranked-choice voting. Provides that, on or before June 30, 2027, the Task Force shall publish a final report of its findings and recommendations and other specified information. Sets forth provisions concerning membership and administrative support. Dissolves the Task Force and repeals the provision on July 1, 2027. Effective immediately.
HB1787	01/27/2025	Amends the School Safety Drill Act. Requires a school district to provide training on school evacuation drills and law enforcement lockdown drills to all school personnel serving in a substitute capacity.
HB1790	01/27/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates an income tax credit for the eligible purchase of a firearm safety device. Effective immediately.
HB1698	01/24/2025	Amends the Election Code. Provides that, upon receiving an election authority's request, if a school district demonstrates to the election authority that the use of a school as a polling place would interfere with scheduled programming or pose a threat to the safety of staff or students, the election authority and the school district shall work cooperatively to find an alternative location to serve as a polling place. Provides that, if the school district and the election authority are unable to identify a mutually agreeable alternative location, the school district and the election authority shall submit a report to the Board of County Commissioners that includes specified information. Provides that, after receiving the report, the Board of County Commissioners shall determine a location to be used as a polling place as soon as practicable to avoid further delay in determining a polling place.
HB1609	01/23/2025	Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that, for the purposes of assessment, property registered in perpetuity with the register of areas under the Illinois Natural Areas Preservation Act is considered to be encumbered by a public easement and shall be depreciated to a level at which its value is $5 per acre, and any improvement, dwelling, or other appurtenant structure present on that land shall be valued at 33 1/3% of its fair cash value. Provides that a conservation right on land preserving a habitat for plant and animal species that are native to Illinois (currently, State or federal endangered or threatened species or federal candidate species) is considered to provide a demonstrated public benefit. Provides that a conservation right on land located adjacent to a park, conservation area, nature preserve, or other land or water area that is publicly owned or otherwise permanently protected for conservation purposes is considered to provide a demonstrated public benefit if the conservation right on that land furthers the conservation purposes of the adjacent protected area. Effective immediately.
HB1610	01/23/2025	Amends the Housing Authorities Act. Requires every housing authority to post on its official website in a downloadable, printable format sample rental or lease agreements that are written in the 3 most common non-English languages spoken in the city, village, incorporated town, or county for which the housing authority was created.
HB1398	01/16/2025	Amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Requires the Department of Public Health to ensure that pediatricians ask about the presence of guns in homes and distribute safe gun storage information to individuals with guns in a home with a child. Effective January 1, 2026.
HB1399	01/16/2025	Amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Requires the Department of Public Health to ensure that safe gun storage information is available at all Secretary of State driver services facilities. Provides that the Department may use existing public or private programs to implement these provisions. Requires the Department to disseminate safe gun storage information on its website and in Department facilities. Effective January 1, 2026.
HB1312	01/14/2025	Amends the State Commemorative Dates Act. Provides that the Governor shall annually designate by official proclamation the third Friday of September in each year as POW/MIA Recognition Day (rather than the third Friday of September in each year is designated as POW/MIA Recognition Day) to be observed in honor and remembrance of the men and women who, as POWs, have suffered captivity in foreign countries while in active service with the United States armed forces or who, as MIAs, have been recognized as missing in action in a time of war or during a period of hostilities (rather than who were recognized as POWs or MIAs in a time of war or during a period of hostilities). Provides that the Governor shall request, in the Governor's annual designation by official proclamation, that some portion of the third Friday of September be used for solemn contemplation on the plight of members of the United States armed forces who have been held prisoners of war and members of the United States armed forces who have been missing in action and the resolve of families and friends who continue to seek the fullest possible accounting for missing loved ones. Effective immediately.