Bill Text: IL HB1227 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Creates the Enslavement Era Disclosure and Redress Act. Requires each contractor that participates in a competitive bid with the State to review its records for evidence of the contractor's or a related party's participation in slaveholding or the slave trade and to make certain disclosures with respect to that participation. Contains provisions concerning notice of public hearings following the disclosures. Provides that the Illinois Office of Equity shall appoint an administrator to oversee the program. Provides that each contractor that has disclosed participation in slaveholding or the slave trade shall provide the State with a statement of financial redress at the time of submitting its bid. Contains provisions creating a Redress Fund. Amends the State Finance Act to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 21-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-28 - Removed Co-Sponsor Rep. Jed Davis [HB1227 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HB1227-Introduced.html

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB1227 Introduced , by Rep. Sonya M. Harper SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act
5 ILCS 100/5-45.62 new
30 ILCS 105/5.1030 new
Creates the Enslavement Era Disclosure and Redress Act. Requires each contractor that participates in a competitive bid with the State to review its records for evidence of the contractor's or a related party's participation in slaveholding or the slave trade and to make certain disclosures with respect to that participation. Contains provisions concerning notice of public hearings following the disclosures. Provides that the Illinois Office of Equity shall appoint an administrator to oversee the program. Provides that each contractor that has disclosed participation in slaveholding or the slave trade shall provide the State with a statement of financial redress at the time of submitting its bid. Contains provisions creating a Redress Fund. Amends the State Finance Act to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.
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A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning State government.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Enslavement Era Disclosure and Redress Act.
Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
"Administrator" means the individual appointed by the
Office to oversee, implement, and enforce the provisions of
this Act.
"Awarding authority" means a subordinate or component
entity or person of the State that has the authority to enter
into a contract or agreement for the provision of goods or
services on behalf of the State.
"Company" means any person, firm, corporation,
partnership, or other business entity.
"Contract" means any agreement, franchise, lease, or
concession, including an agreement for any occasional
professional or technical personal services, the performance
of any work or service, the provision of any materials or
supplies, or the rendering of any service to the State of
Illinois or the public that is let, awarded, or entered into
with or on behalf of the State or any awarding authority.
"Contractor" means any company that has submitted a bid or

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is in the process of submitting a bid, whether competitive or
not, to contract with the State or any awarding authority of
the State.
"Descendant" means any living individual who can trace the
individual's lineage or ancestry directly or indirectly to an
enslaved person or persons. "Descendant" includes, but is not
limited to, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and
subsequent generations, whether through biological or adoptive
relationships, as well as individuals with verifiable
genealogical evidence or documentation that establishes a
familial connection to an enslaved person. The term
"descendant" is intended to encompass a broad range of
familial connections, recognizing the historical and societal
impacts of the institution of slavery on the affected
individuals and their families.
"Eligible redress project" means any reparatory project or
program identified by the relevant stakeholders for
reparations in tandem with the Illinois Legislative Black
Caucus.
"Enslaved person" means any person who lived in the United
States or the territories that preceded the establishment of
the United States that became part of the United States:
(1) who was subject to the will of another;
(2) who was deemed by law to be the property of
another;
(3) whose person and services were wholly under the

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control of another in a state of enforced compulsory
service; and
(4) who could not legally leave enforced compulsory
service to another on such person's own volition at any
time during the person's lifetime and during the
Enslavement Era.
"Enslavement Era" means the historical period during which
the institution of slavery was legally recognized, practiced,
and enforced in the United States, spanning from the early
17th Century until the ratification of the 13th Amendment to
the United States Constitution in 1865.
"Investment" means to make use of an enslaved person for
future benefits or advantages.
"Office" means the Illinois Office of Equity.
"Participant" means a person or entity who participated in
slaveholding or participated in the slave trade.
"Participation in slaveholding" means having been a
slaveholder during the Enslavement Era.
"Participation in the slave trade" means having:
(1) issued slavery insurance policies, including, but
not limited to, policies issued to slaveholders for damage
to or death of enslaved persons and policies issued to
insure business transactions and operations related to the
traffic in enslaved persons;
(2) purchased, sold, or held enslaved persons for the
purposes of transferring them;

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(3) provided loans to others to facilitate the
purchase, sale, transport, or enslavement of enslaved
persons;
(4) used enslaved persons as collateral for insurance
policies, loans, or other transactions;
(5) facilitated the traffic in enslaved persons by
transporting such persons by boat or rail; or
(6) provided any other services to aid and abet the
traffic in enslaved persons.
"Predecessor entity" means an entity whose ownership,
title, and interest, including all rights, benefits, duties,
and liabilities were acquired in an uninterrupted chain of
succession by the entity.
"Profit" means any economic advantage or financial benefit
derived from the use of enslaved persons.
"Related party" means any parent entity, subsidiary, or
predecessor entity of the contractor or company.
"Slaveholder" means an individual holder of an enslaved
person or an owner of a company that held enslaved persons for
the purpose of labor, purchase, sale, or financing.
"Slavery era insurance" means slavery insurance policies,
including, but not limited to, policies issued to participants
for damage to or death of enslaved persons and policies issued
to insure business transactions and operations related to the
traffic in enslaved persons; evidence of the purchase and sale
of enslaved persons; provision of loans to purchase enslaved

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persons; or the use of enslaved persons as collateral for
insurance policies, loans, or other transactions.
"Slave trade" means: (1) all acts involved in the capture,
acquisition, or disposal of a person with the intent to reduce
that person to slavery; (2) all acts involved in the
acquisition of an enslaved person with a view to selling or
exchanging that enslaved person; and (3) all acts of disposal
by sale or exchange of an enslaved person, including acts
involved in the facilitation of these exchanges through the
provision of financial vehicles or insurance.
Section 10. Purpose.
(a) Numerous American businesses across various
industries, including insurance, banking, tobacco, cotton,
sugar, railroads, and shipping, reaped substantial profits by
exploiting the uncompensated labor of enslaved persons.
Consequently, these businesses and the individuals managing
them directly profited from the labor of enslaved persons and
directly benefited from insurance policies that insured
enslaved persons. This intertwining of economic interests
highlights the extent to which the exploitation of enslaved
persons permeated the foundation of various American
industries. However, very few American industries and the
underlying businesses and individuals have adequately
acknowledged their connection to the Enslavement Era.
(b) The citizens of Illinois, including descendants of

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enslaved persons, are entitled to complete transparency
regarding any involvement or profits acquired through slavery
by companies seeking to conduct business in the State. This
disclosure is essential to ensure that the community is
informed about the historical connections and practices of the
companies operating within its jurisdiction, fostering a
culture of accountability and responsible business practices.
(c) This Act is a call to the companies that participated
in slaveholding and the slave trade to acknowledge and address
the enduring impacts of the Enslavement Era on our society,
and to promote responsible corporate citizenship. It is
essential for companies to recognize their historical
connections to the Enslavement Era and take responsibility for
any past actions that have contributed to the perpetuation of
inequities. By actively engaging in redress efforts,
corporations demonstrate their commitment to fostering a more
just and equitable society. Remedying the harms resulting from
the crimes and atrocities of the Enslavement Era is not only a
moral imperative and an international standard but also a
crucial step toward ensuring a cohesive and inclusive
community. This Act serves to facilitate corporate
transparency and accountability and to encourage the
implementation of concrete measures aimed at alleviating the
long-lasting adverse effects of the slave trade on descendants
of enslaved persons.
(d) The purpose of this Act is to:

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(1) promote the investigation of any participation in
slaveholding, the slave trade, or both by companies or
contractors that do business with the State;
(2) establish a system that (i) makes publicly
available full and accurate disclosure of company or
contractor records related to the participation in
slaveholding, the slave trade, or both, (ii) provides the
opportunity for public notice and comment before the State
contracts with companies or contractors that participated
in slaveholding or the slave trade, and (iii) requires
disclosure, to the extent applicable, of any records
indicating:
(A) whether the company or contractor was a party
to any insurance policy related to slaveholding;
(B) evidence of the purchase, sale, or lease of
enslaved persons by the company or contractor;
(C) evidence of the use by the company or
contractor of enslaved persons as collateral for
insurance policies, loans, or other transactions;
(D) evidence of the provision, or receipt, of
loans by the company or contractor to purchase
enslaved persons;
(E) evidence of insuring transactions for enslaved
persons; and
(F) any other company or contractor records
evidencing participation in slaveholding or

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participation in the slave trade;
(3) encourage corporate transparency and
accountability through the establishment of a process
pursuant to which the Office shall develop and fund
eligible redress projects to assist in redress efforts;
and
(4) establish a governance structure to monitor and
enforce the provisions of this Act.
Section 15. Findings.
(a) Insurance policies from the Enslavement Era, which
have been discovered in the archives of several insurance
companies, document insurance coverage to slaveholders for
damage to or death of enslaved persons. In some cases,
existing insurance firms or their predecessor firms issued
these policies.
(b) Records may exist that show that various companies,
either directly or through their parent entities, subsidiaries
or predecessors in interest or otherwise, bought or sold
enslaved persons, used enslaved persons as collateral for
insurance policies or other transactions, provided loans to
purchase enslaved persons, insured those transactions, and
provided related or other services to aid and abet those
transactions.
(c) These insurance policies, loan documents, and other
documents and records provide evidence of ill-gotten profits

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from slavery. Slaveholders and those involved in the slave
trade, in turn, profited from the uncompensated labor of
enslaved persons, even if those profits have long since been
redistributed to shareholders. Industries that profited in
this manner include, but are not limited to, capitalized
insurers, financial service providers, textile companies,
tobacco companies, railroad companies, shipping companies, the
rice industry, the sugar industry, and entities in other
industries whose successors in interest remain in existence
today.
(d) The General Assembly finds and declares that the fact
that slavery was legal in certain parts of the United States at
the time that it occurred does not make the practice any less
repugnant, abhorrent, or deplorable, nor does it in any way
diminish the gravity of these wrongs or the importance of
rectifying and remediating these tragedies.
(e) Many Illinois residents are descendants of enslaved
persons and their ancestors were defined as property,
dehumanized, separated from their families, coerced into
performing labor without appropriate compensation or benefits,
and were assaulted and abused. Enslaved persons were treated
as chattel in every sense of the word, including being used as
collateral for insurance policies, loans, and other
transactions, and, in some instances, their ancestors' owners
were compensated for damages by insurers.
(f) Appropriate compensation to enslaved persons for their

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labor otherwise would have been bequeathed to their
descendants. As a result, companies and individuals who
profited from the labor of enslaved persons were unjustly
enriched.
(g) Residents of Illinois are entitled to the full
disclosure of any and all information regarding the
above-described transactions, and respect and recognition of
the dignity of the enslaved persons and their descendants
requires it.
(h) The General Assembly formally acknowledges the loss of
assets that rightfully should be the property of descendants
in the United States and extends its apologies to descendants
who continue to suffer the legacy of slavery.
(i) The General Assembly finds that full disclosure of the
facts and acknowledgment of the depth and scope of the
participation in slaveholding and the slave trade and public
hearings with respect thereto furthers the public interest by
recognizing the dignity of enslaved persons and descendants
and promotes healing in the State for enslaved persons,
descendants, and those who participated in slaveholding or the
slave trade.
(j) The General Assembly finds that public disclosure and
public hearings based on those disclosures will promote
knowledge of the nature and scope of the slaveholding and
slave trading activities in Illinois and thereby will promote
healing.

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(k) The State of Illinois finds that the establishment of
a fund, to which companies and contractors subject to this Act
shall make monetary contributions, will promote healing and
assist the State of Illinois in rectifying and remedying some
of the shameful legacies of slaveholding and the slave trade,
thereby protecting and promoting the dignity and welfare of
Illinois residents and the Illinois community.
Section 17. Powers of the Administrator. The Administrator
has the authority to take all actions necessary to implement
and enforce this Act, subject to the direction and oversight
of the Office.
Section 20. Compliance.
(a) Each contractor that participates in a competitive
bidding process with the State of Illinois shall complete an
affidavit certifying that, to the knowledge of the contractor,
the contractor has reviewed the records that are in its
possession or control or which, following due inquiry, are
publicly available, including records of any related party,
for evidence of the contractor's or related party's
participation in slaveholding or the slave trade. If the
contractor or any related party to the contractor has
participated in slaveholding or the slave trade, the affidavit
shall, to the extent known to contractor, further disclose the
names and ages of each enslaved person and slaveholder

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described in the records or information, as well as the
evidence of transactions whereby the contractor, its parent
entities, subsidiaries, or predecessors entities benefited or
profited from participation in slaveholding or participation
in the slave trade.
Beginning 30 days after the effective date of this Act,
all contractors that participate in a competitive bidding
process with the State of Illinois shall submit a completed
affidavit to the Office by no later than 30 days before the
submission of the bid to contract with the State. If
additional time is needed for investigation or review, the
contractor shall submit a request for extension to the Office
no later than 30 days before the submission of the bid. The
request for extension shall provide an overview of the scope
and nature of the investigation or review and an explanation
of why additional time is needed to complete the disclosure.
The contractor shall provide updates regarding completion of
the affidavit to the Office every 30 days as necessary.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the contractor shall submit a
completed affidavit no later than 90 days after the
contractor's submission of a bid.
(b) All records disclosed in each contractor's affidavit
shall be reviewed by the Administrator to determine whether
the contractor or any related party to the contractor
participated in slaveholding or the slave trade.
(c) The Administrator, after consultation with the Office,

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shall publish, within 90 days after submission of the
affidavit, a public report based on the disclosures in the
affidavit of each contractor that is found to have
participated in slaveholding or the slave trade. The report
shall summarize the nature of the contractor's or related
party's participation in slaveholding and the slave trade,
including all relevant information and records disclosed in
each contractor's affidavit.
(d) The Administrator, after consultation with the Office,
shall hold a public hearing to discuss the report within 45
days of its delivery to the Governor and General Assembly. The
Administrator shall make the report publicly available no
later than 10 business days before the scheduled date of the
public hearing. A representative for the contractor shall
attend the public hearing and answer any and all questions
from Illinois officials and members of the public. The public
hearing shall be held in an accessible public facility,
accommodate virtual participation, and be recorded and
published publicly.
(e) The Administrator shall provide notice of the public
hearing to the public no later than 7 business days before the
scheduled date of the public hearing and provide notice of the
public hearing to a representative of the contractor that is
the subject of the report no later than 10 business days before
the scheduled date of the public hearing.
(f) Following the public hearing, the Administrator shall

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provide annual reports regarding further findings or
disclosures on the part of any company or contractor found to
have participated in slaveholding and the slave trade, if any.
(g) Hard copies of the initial and each annual report
shall be maintained at all University of Illinois Campus
libraries and shall be made available for public inspection
upon request.
(h) A link to a webpage titled "Enslavement Disclosure and
Redress" shall be placed on the State of Illinois Internet
homepage. This Act, and all information pertaining to this
Act, including names of all contractors who participated in
slaveholding and the slave trade, affidavits, reports, public
hearings, contracts, and redress actions, shall be publicly
accessible through that link.
Section 25. Redress Fund; eligible redress projects.
(a) The Redress Fund is hereby established as a special
fund in the State treasury. Moneys in the Fund shall be used by
the Administrator for the purposes described in this Section.
Moneys in the Fund shall be used for purposes, including, but
not limited to, providing educational support and support for
economic development in the economically depressed areas of
Illinois subjected to Jim Crow (apartheid) federal and State
actions, such as redlining, or where a significant proportion
of private property was seized or otherwise directly impacted
in relation to projects conducted under the auspices of United

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States Department of Housing and Urban Development grants for
urban renewal programs.
(b) The Administrator, after consultation with the Office,
shall prepare guidelines for the use of moneys in the Fund and
present those guidelines to the Illinois Legislative Black
Caucus for approval no later than April 30, 2026. Thereafter,
the Administrator shall make funding decisions in accordance
with the guidelines and provide an annual report to the Office
identifying the recipients of funds and the amount of funds
contributed to each recipient.
(c) Each contractor who has disclosed participation in
slaveholding or the slave trade shall provide the State of
Illinois with a statement of financial redress at the time of
submitting its bid. The statement of redress shall include a
description of any amounts committed to the Redress Fund to
date or programs developed or funded, or to be developed or
funded, by the contractor.
(d) The contractor shall provide its financial
contributions to the Redress Fund within 30 days after the
effective date of its contract.
(e) The Administrator, after consultation with the Office
and the State Treasurer, shall monitor all contractors that
are subject to this Act in submitting their statements of
redress. The Administrator, after consultation with the Office
and the State Treasurer, shall prepare a report on
contributions to and expenditures from the Redress Fund and

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each project funded by this Act, including the name of each
project, the cost of each project, the goal of each project,
and the authorized redress entities carrying out each project.
The report shall be submitted to the Governor, the General
Assembly, and the public as required under this Act.
Section 30. Administration. The Administrator, after
consultation with the Office, shall:
(1) adopt rules to implement this Act within 60 days
after the effective date of this Act;
(2) develop a form disclosure statement and affidavit
within 60 days after the effective date of this Act;
(3) adopt rules that specify the form and content of
the report required in instances where a company or
contractor has participated in slaveholding or the slave
trade;
(4) administer the requirements of this Act and
monitor compliance through the Administrator, including
investigation of alleged violations;
(5) publish and make open for public review annual
reports detailing the compliance and noncompliance of
relevant companies or contractors; and
(6) hold at least one public hearing each year to
discuss implementation efforts, annual reports, materials
generated by compliance with this Act, and other relevant
matters.

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Section 35. Enforcement.
(a) Failure to comply with the requirements of this Act
shall result in the following sanctions:
(1) Any contractor who fails to submit the required
affidavit within the specified timeframe shall be debarred
from participation in the then current bid with the State
of Illinois.
(2) Any contractor who willfully or negligently
submits a false affidavit or other statement, or neglects
to submit the required disclosure, shall be debarred from
participation in the then current bid with the State of
Illinois.
(3) The State of Illinois reserves the right to debar
the contractor from participation in the then current bid
by providing notice of termination to any contractor after
discovering the deficiency in the contractor's disclosure.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a contractor may cure any
false or materially false statement, or misstatement by
submitting an amended disclosure within 30 days of receipt
of the notice of debarment of the contractor. Failure to
cure any false or materially false statements within the
specified timeframe shall result in the contractor's
debarment from participating in the current bid with the
State of Illinois and termination of the contractor's
contract with the State of Illinois no later than 60 days

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after such failure to cure.
(4) Any contractor who fails to contribute to the
Redress Fund within the specified timeframe shall be
subject to automatic termination of its contract with the
State of Illinois, provided that the contractor receives
notice from the State of Illinois of termination after
discovering the contractor's failure to contribute to the
Redress Fund. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a contractor
may cure such failure to contribute by making the
committed contribution to the Redress Fund within 30 days
of receipt of the notice of termination of the contract.
(5) The following parties may bring an action under
this Act against a company or contractor subject to this
Act to enforce its provisions:
(A) the Office; and
(B) any Illinois resident.
(b) Relief under this Act shall include, but shall not be
limited to, an injunction to mandate the necessary disclosure
required under this Act or to correct any misstatement, as
well as reasonable attorney's fees and costs. All or a portion
of any damages awarded shall be payable to the Redress Fund.
Section 97. Severability. The provisions of this Act are
severable under Section 1.31 of the Statute on Statutes.
Section 900. The Illinois Administrative Procedure Act is

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amended by adding Section 5-45.62 as follows:
(5 ILCS 100/5-45.62 new)
Sec. 5-45.62. Emergency rulemaking; Enslavement Era
Disclosure and Redress Act. To provide for the expeditious and
timely implementation of the Enslavement Era Disclosure and
Redress Act, emergency rules implementing the Enslavement Era
Disclosure and Redress Act may be adopted in accordance with
Section 5-45 by the Illinois Office of Equity. The adoption of
emergency rules authorized by Section 5-45 and this Section is
deemed to be necessary for the public interest, safety, and
welfare.
This Section is repealed one year after the effective date
of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly.
Section 905. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
Section 5.1030 as follows:
(30 ILCS 105/5.1030 new)
Sec. 5.1030. The Redress Fund.