Bill Text: IL SB1550 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Illinois Library System Act. In provisions concerning State grants, provides that the grants shall include, among other things, planning and construction grants to library systems and public libraries that are members of a library system (rather than planning and construction grants to public libraries and library systems) and grants to improve or enhance security of libraries.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-19 - Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel [SB1550 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-SB1550-Introduced.html

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1550 Introduced 2/4/2025, by Sen. Laura M. Murphy SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
75 ILCS 10/8 from Ch. 81, par. 118
Amends the Illinois Library System Act. In provisions concerning State grants, provides that the grants shall include, among other things, planning and construction grants to library systems and public libraries that are members of a library system (rather than planning and construction grants to public libraries and library systems) and grants to improve or enhance security of libraries.
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A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning local government.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Illinois Library System Act is amended by
changing Section 8 as follows:
(75 ILCS 10/8) (from Ch. 81, par. 118)
Sec. 8. State grants.
(a) There shall be a program of State grants within the
limitations of funds appropriated by the Illinois General
Assembly together with other funds made available by the
federal government or other sources for this purpose. This
program of State grants shall be administered by the State
Librarian in accordance with rules and regulations as provided
in Section 3 of this Act and shall include the following: (i)
annual equalization grants; (ii) Library System grants; (iii)
per capita grants to public libraries; and (iv) planning and
construction grants to public libraries and library systems
and public libraries that are . Libraries, in order to be
eligible for grants under this Section, must be members of a
library system; and (v) grants to improve or enhance security
of libraries.
(b) An annual equalization grant shall be made to all
public libraries for which the corporate authorities levy a

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tax for library purposes at a rate not less than .13% of the
value of all the taxable property as equalized and assessed by
the Department of Revenue if the amount of tax revenue
obtained from a rate of .13% produces less than $17.50 per
capita in property tax revenue from property taxes for Fiscal
Year 2025 and thereafter. In that case, the State Librarian is
authorized to make an equalization grant equivalent to the
difference between the amount obtained from a rate of .13% and
an annual income of $17.50 per capita for grants made in Fiscal
Year 2025 and thereafter. If moneys appropriated for grants
under this Section are not sufficient, then the State
Librarian shall reduce the per capita amount of the grants so
that the qualifying public libraries receive the same amount
per capita, but in no event shall the grant be less than
equivalent to the difference between the amount of the tax
revenue obtained from the current levy and an annual income of
$4.25 per capita. If a library receiving an equalization grant
reduces its tax levy below the amount levied at the time the
original application is approved, it shall be ineligible to
receive further equalization grants.
If a library is subject to the Property Tax Extension
Limitation Law in the Property Tax Code and its tax levy for
library purposes has been lowered to a rate of less than .13%,
the library will qualify for this grant if the library levied a
tax for library purposes that met the requirements for this
grant in the previous year and if the tax levied for library

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purposes in the current year produces tax revenue for the
library that is an increase over the previous year's extension
of 5% or the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index,
whichever is less, and the tax revenue produced by this levy is
less than $17.50 per capita in property tax revenue from
property taxes for the Fiscal Year 2025 and thereafter. In
this case, the State Librarian is authorized to make an
equalization grant equivalent to the difference between the
amount of tax revenue obtained from the current levy and an
annual income of $17.50 per capita for grants made in Fiscal
Year 2025 and thereafter. If moneys appropriated for grants
under this Section are not sufficient, then the State
Librarian shall reduce the per capita amount of the grants so
that the qualifying public libraries receive the same amount
per capita, but in no event shall the grant be less than
equivalent to the difference between the amount of the tax
revenue obtained from the current levy and an annual income of
$4.25 per capita. If a library receiving an equalization grant
reduces its tax levy below the amount levied at the time the
original application is approved, it shall be ineligible to
receive further equalization grants.
(c) Annual Library System grants shall be made, upon
application, to each library system approved by the State
Librarian on the following basis:
(1) For library systems, the sum of $1.46 per capita
of the population of the area served plus the sum of $50.75

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per square mile or fraction thereof of the area served
except as provided in paragraph (4) of this subsection.
(2) If the amounts appropriated for grants are
different from the amount provided for in paragraph (1) of
this subsection, the area and per capita funding shall be
proportionately reduced or increased accordingly.
(3) For library systems, additional funds may be
appropriated. The appropriation shall be distributed on
the same proportional per capita and per square mile basis
as provided in paragraphs (1) and (4) of this subsection.
(4) Per capita and area funding for a multitype
library system as defined in subparagraph (3) of the
definition of "library system" in Section 2 and a public
library system in cities with a population of 500,000 or
more as defined in subparagraph (2) of the definition of
"library system" in Section 2 shall be apportioned with
25% of the funding granted to the multitype library system
and 75% of the funding granted to the public library
system.
(d) The "area served" for the purposes of making and
expending annual Library System grants means the area that
lies within the geographic boundaries of the library system as
approved by the State Librarian, except that grant funding
awarded to a library system may also be expended for the
provision of services to members of other library systems if
such an expenditure is included in a library system's plan of

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service and is approved by the State Librarian. In determining
the population of the area served by the library system, the
Illinois State Library shall use the latest federal census for
the political subdivisions in the area served.
(e) In order to be eligible for a grant under this Section,
the corporate authorities, instead of a tax levy at a
particular rate, may provide an amount equivalent to the
amount produced by that levy.
(Source: P.A. 103-588, eff. 7-1-24.)