McHenry Times

Craig Wilcox introduced SB0160 in the Illinois Senate on Jan. 17, 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 Township Code. Provides that a township may regulate commercial wind energy facilities, commercial solar energy facilities, or both. Provides that a township may use any of its zoning powers in the regulation of commercial wind energy facilities and commercial solar energy facilities and may prohibit commercial wind energy facilities, commercial solar energy facilities, or both. Provides that a township's regulations over commercial wind energy facilities and commercial solar energy facilities shall prevail over county regulations but not over municipal regulations. Defines terms. Amends the Renewable Energy Facilities Agricultural Impact Mitigation Act making conforming changes. 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 Township Code to allow townships in Illinois to regulate commercial wind and solar energy facilities, including the authority to prohibit their operation. Township regulations will take precedence over county regulations but yield to municipal regulations. It defines "commercial solar energy facility" and "commercial wind energy facility" and amends the Renewable Energy Facilities Agricultural Impact Mitigation Act to require these facilities to enter into agricultural impact mitigation agreements. These agreements will address construction and deconstruction standards to preserve agricultural land integrity and require a deconstruction plan and financial assurances for solar facilities. The bill becomes effective immediately upon enactment.

Craig Wilcox has proposed another three bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Wilcox graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1989 with a BS.

Craig Wilcox is currently serving in the Illinois State Senate, representing the state's 32nd Senate District. He replaced previous state senator Pamela Althoff in 2018.

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
SB0160	01/17/2025	Amends the Township Code. Provides that a township may regulate commercial wind energy facilities, commercial solar energy facilities, or both. Provides that a township may use any of its zoning powers in the regulation of commercial wind energy facilities and commercial solar energy facilities and may prohibit commercial wind energy facilities, commercial solar energy facilities, or both. Provides that a township's regulations over commercial wind energy facilities and commercial solar energy facilities shall prevail over county regulations but not over municipal regulations. Defines terms. Amends the Renewable Energy Facilities Agricultural Impact Mitigation Act making conforming changes. Effective immediately.
SB0137	01/17/2025	Amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. Provides that, if the retailer or serviceman reports less than $50,000 in sales during the month for which the return is filed, then the vendor's discount for that retailer or serviceman shall be 3.5% (currently, 1.75%) of the amount collected or $5 per calendar year, whichever is greater. Effective immediately.
SB0140	01/17/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates an income tax deduction for gratuities that are included in the taxpayer's federal adjusted gross income. Effective immediately.
SB0171	01/17/2025	Amends the Business Enterprise for Minorities, Women, and Persons with Disabilities Act. Modifies the provisions of the Act to apply to veterans and veteran-owned businesses. Modifies a Section concerning the short title. Changes the title of the Act to the Business Enterprise for Minorities, Women, Veterans, and Persons with Disabilities Act, and makes conforming changes throughout various statutes referencing the title of the Act. Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Removes a provision concerning procurement preferences for veterans and veteran-owned businesses. Applies administrative penalties for falsely certified businesses to minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, veteran-owned businesses, and businesses owned by persons with a disability. Defines terms. Makes conforming changes in various statutes concerning minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, veteran-owned businesses, and businesses owned by persons with a disability. Effective immediately.