Illinois 104th General Assembly Status: Introduced Bipartisan · 10 D · 5 R cosponsors

SB4044      — LAND CONSERVATION ACT

Last action — Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Karina Villa

  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced February 06, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Prognosis

Advancing 34% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 15 sponsors

    1 primary, 14 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (10 D · 5 R) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

In plain language

Imposes a fee on converting agricultural land for development purposes to fund conservation efforts.

The bill introduces a fee for converting agricultural land to non-agricultural uses starting in 2027. The fees collected will be used to support agricultural practices, conservation efforts, and related administrative costs.

What this means for you
  • Environment: Funds collected will be used to support initiatives that promote sustainable agricultural practices and conservation efforts.

Summary

Creates the Agricultural Land Conservation Act. Provides that, beginning on January 1, 2027, a Farmland Conversion Fee of $275 per acre shall be paid by the buyer or lessee of a transaction for any agricultural land that will be removed from production for the specific purpose of developing an industrial park, a commercial area, a single-family or multi-family dwelling or for being put to any other use that removes the agricultural land from production. Provides that the fee shall be collected by the Department of Agricultural. Provides for the creation of the Farmland Conversion Fee Fund as a special fund in the State Treasury. Provides that all Farmland Conversion Fees collected by the Department of Agriculture shall be contributed to the Fund. Further provides that moneys in the Fund may be exclusively used for the following purposes: (i) supporting education and programs that support healthy soil clean water, and climate-smart agricultural practices; (ii) supporting operations funding for soil and water conservation districts; (iii) covering costs associated with administering the Act; (iv) any other purposes that the Department of Agriculture determines are consistent with the purposes of the Act. Provides that, before expending moneys for any other purposes, the Department of Agriculture shall, subject to the availability of moneys in the Fund, ensure that during each State fiscal year, $10,000,000 is distributed to soil and water conservation districts, for the purpose of supporting their operations funding. Provides that $500,000 shall be distributed to the Department of Agriculture for the purposes of collecting fees and administering the program created under the Act. Provides for penalties. Effective immediately.

Bill Text

We don't have the full text on file for this bill yet.

Read SB4044 on the official Illinois source →

Action History

  1. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Karina Villa

  2. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments

  3. Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments

  4. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Mike Porfirio

  5. Rule 2-10 Committee/3rd Reading Deadline Established As May 22, 2026

  6. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Donald P. DeWitte

  7. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Dave Syverson

  8. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Chris Balkema

  9. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Michael E. Hastings

  10. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Chapin Rose

  11. Rule 2-10 Committee/3rd Reading Deadline Established As May 15, 2026

  12. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Linda Holmes

  13. Rule 2-10 Committee Deadline Established As April 24, 2026

  14. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Michael W. Halpin

  15. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Paul Faraci

  16. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Laura M. Murphy

  17. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Assignments Refers to Appropriations

  18. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred to Assignments

  19. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Secretary by Sen. David Koehler

  20. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Mark L. Walker

  21. Added as Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Patrick J. Joyce

  22. Added as Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Sally J. Turner

  23. Assigned to Appropriations

  24. Referred to Assignments

  25. First Reading

  26. Filed with Secretary by Sen. David Koehler

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 14 co-sponsors · 168 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (14)

Not signed on (168)

168 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 168 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

environment agriculture
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB4044      do?
Creates the Agricultural Land Conservation Act. Provides that, beginning on January 1, 2027, a Farmland Conversion Fee of $275 per acre shall be paid by the buyer or lessee of a transaction for any agricultural land that will be removed from production for the specific purpose of developing an industrial park, a commercial area, a single-family or multi-family dwelling or for being put to any other use that removes the agricultural land from production. Provides that the fee shall be collected by the Department of Agricultural. Provides for the creation of the Farmland Conversion Fee Fund as a special fund in the State Treasury. Provides that all Farmland Conversion Fees collected by the Department of Agriculture shall be contributed to the Fund. Further provides that moneys in the Fund may be exclusively used for the following purposes: (i) supporting education and programs that support healthy soil clean water, and climate-smart agricultural practices; (ii) supporting operations funding for soil and water conservation districts; (iii) covering costs associated with administering the Act; (iv) any other purposes that the Department of Agriculture determines are consistent with the purposes of the Act. Provides that, before expending moneys for any other purposes, the Department of Agriculture shall, subject to the availability of moneys in the Fund, ensure that during each State fiscal year, $10,000,000 is distributed to soil and water conservation districts, for the purpose of supporting their operations funding. Provides that $500,000 shall be distributed to the Department of Agriculture for the purposes of collecting fees and administering the program created under the Act. Provides for penalties. Effective immediately.
Who sponsors SB4044     ?
SB4044      is sponsored by David Koehler (Democrat), Sally J. Turner (Republican), Patrick J. Joyce (Democrat), Mark L. Walker (Democrat), Laura M. Murphy (Democrat), Paul Faraci (Democrat), Michael W. Halpin (Democrat), Linda Holmes (Democrat), Chapin Rose (Republican), Michael E. Hastings (Democrat), Chris Balkema (Republican), Dave Syverson (Republican), Donald P. DeWitte (Republican), Mike Porfirio (Democrat), and Karina Villa (Democrat).
What is the current status of SB4044     ?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced February 06, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB4044     ?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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