Illinois 104th Regular Session Status: Passed Senate Bipartisan · 10 R · 9 D cosponsors

SB 2895 — HEALING THROUGH HISTORY ACT

Last action — Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee

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

This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced January 16, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 74% · high confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Moderate

How often bills like it became law.

  • Passed Senate

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 19 sponsors

    2 primary, 17 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (10 R · 9 D) — cross-party backing.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 2 recorded votes so far.

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

The bill updates adoption information disclosure requirements in Illinois.

This bill amends the Adoption Act to ensure adoptive parents receive detailed non-identifying information about biological parents and the adoptee's history, while protecting identifying details. It also allows adoptees over 18 to request this information.

What this means for you
  • Families: This means families adopting children will receive more detailed background information about the child's biological parents.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

86 added · 114 removed

Plain-language change summary

The recent amendment to Bill SB 2895 makes significant changes to how information is shared with adoptive parents. The updated version now requires that adoptive families receive a comprehensive, unredacted copy of their child's full case record at least 30 days before the finalization of the adoption. This means families will have access to crucial details like placement histories and medical records, which can help them better understand the child's background and needs. This change is important as it promotes transparency and helps ensure that adoptive parents are well-informed about the children they are bringing into their homes.

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*LRB10415319KTG28473b* SB2895 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois and 2026 SB2895 Introduced 1/16/2026, by Sen.
SB2895 Engrossed LRB104 15319 KTG 28473 b AN ACT concerning State government.
Darby A.
Hills SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act Creates the Healing Through History Act.
Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to provide prospective adoptive families, no less than 30 days prior to adoption finalization, with a complete, unredacted copy of the child's full case record, including, but not limited to:
(i) all placement histories and foster home records;
(ii) all caseworker notes and observations;
(iii) all educational, psychological, and behavioral reports;
(iv) all therapy or counseling notes, subject to certain federal requirements;
and (v) all medical records in full, including historical records.
Provides that former foster youth aged 18 or older are entitled to receive the same information and records at no cost in both physical and digital form.
Contains provisions concerning ongoing record access post-adoption or post-emancipation;
the development of Department protocols and infrastructure necessary to collect, preserve, and transmit full child records;
exemption and confidentiality protections;
federal disclosure requirements;
and other matters.
Effective January 1, 2026.
LRB104 15319 KTG 28473 b A BILL FOR SB2895 LRB104 15319 KTG 28473 b AN ACT concerning State government.
Section 1.
Short title.
This Act may be cited as the Healing Through History Act.
Legislative purpose and findings.
The Adoption Act is amended by changing Section 18.4 as follows:
(a) The General Assembly finds that:
(750 ILCS 50/18.4) (from Ch.
(1) Children in the foster care system often experience multiple placements and interactions with State agencies, medical providers, schools, caseworkers, and foster families.
40, par.
(2) Comprehensive records of a child's time in foster care, including case notes, foster home history, behavioral reports, educational documents, therapy notes, and placement disruptions, are maintained by the State but not consistently disclosed.
1522.4) Sec.
(3) Upon adoption or upon a youth aging out of care, these records are critical to ensuring the child or adoptive family has full knowledge of the child's experiences, medical history, trauma, and needs.
18.4.
(4) The current standard practice in Illinois of releasing limited records (primarily basic medical information and biological parent history) fails to meet SB2895 - 2 - LRB104 15319 KTG 28473 b the informational needs of adoptive families and former foster youth.
Information provided to adoptive parents.
(5) Withholding of these records can impede trauma-informed care, continuity of medical and mental health services, and overall well-being.
(a) The agency, Department of Children and Family Services, Court Supportive Services, Juvenile Division of the Circuit Court, or the Probation Officers of the Circuit Court involved in the adoption proceedings shall give in writing the following non-identifying information, if known, to the adoptive parents not later than the date of placement with the petitioning adoptive parents:
(b) It is the intent of this Act to ensure that all available case files, documents, and information pertaining to a child in foster care are made accessible in full to adoptive families at the time of adoption, and to former foster youth who age out of the system.
(i) age of biological parents;
Section 10.
(ii) their race, religion and ethnic background;
Disclosure requirements.
(iii) general physical appearance of biological parents;
(a) Mandatory full disclosure prior to adoption finalization.
(iv) their education, occupation, hobbies, interests and talents;
The Department of Children and Family Services shall provide prospective adoptive families, no less than 30 days prior to adoption finalization, with a complete, unredacted copy of the child's full case record, including, but not limited to:
(v) existence of any other children born to the biological parents;
(1) All placement histories and foster home records.
(vi) information about biological grandparents;
(2) All caseworker notes and observations.
reason for emigrating into the United States, if applicable, and country of origin;
(3) All educational, psychological, and behavioral reports.
(vii) relationship between biological parents;
(4) All therapy or counseling notes (with licensed provider approval if required under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).
(viii) detailed medical and mental health histories of the child, the biological parents, and their immediate relatives;
(5) All medical records in full, including historical SB2895 - 3 - LRB104 15319 KTG 28473 b records.
SB2895 Engrossed - 2 - LRB104 15319 KTG 28473 b (ix) the actual date and place of birth of the adopted person;
(6) All safety plans, incident reports, and notes from removal or intervention episodes.
and (x) the reason or reasons the birth parent or parents stated for placing the child for adoption, how and why the adoptive parent or parents were selected and who selected the adoptive parent or parents, and whether the birth parent or parents requested or agreed to post-adoption contact with the child at the time of placement, and, if so, the frequency and type of contact;
(7) All communications or concerns from previous foster placements.
and (xi) whether the child was placed in foster care before adoption, and if so, available information about significant developmental milestones observed or documented that occurred while the child was placed under the custody and guardianship of the Department.
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(b) Mandatory full disclosure to youth aging out of care.
This information may include, but is not limited to, the child's first steps, first words, toilet training, and other notable developmental progress.
Any youth who ages out of the Illinois foster care system at age 18 or older shall be entitled to receive the same full and complete record outlined in subsection (a), provided at no cost, in both physical and digital form.
However, no information provided under this subsection shall disclose the name or last known address of the biological parents, grandparents, the siblings of the biological parents, the adopted person, or any other relative of the adopted person.
(c) Ongoing record access.
Disclosure under this subsection is subject to applicable State or federal confidentiality laws.
If additional documents are created or discovered post-adoption or post-emancipation, the Department must notify and make them available to the adoptive family or former foster youth.
On or before January 1, 2027, the Department of Children and Family Services shall adopt any rules necessary to implement the changes made to this subsection by this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly.
Section 15.
(b) Any adoptee 18 years of age or over shall be given the information in subsection (a) upon request.
Implementation and enforcement.
SB2895 Engrossed - 3 - LRB104 15319 KTG 28473 b (c) The Illinois Adoption Registry shall release any non-identifying information listed in (a) of this Section that appears on the certified copy of the original birth certificate or the Certificate of Adoption to an adopted person, adoptive parent, or legal guardian who is a registrant of the Illinois Adoption Registry.
(a) The Department of Children and Family Services shall develop protocols and infrastructure necessary to collect, preserve, and transmit full child records in a timely and secure manner.
(d) The Illinois Adoption Registry shall release the actual date and place of birth of an adopted person who is 21 years of age or over to the birth parent if the birth parent is a registrant of the Illinois Adoption Registry and has completed a Medical Information Exchange Authorization.
(b) A dedicated point of contact shall be established within the Department of Children and Family Services to manage compliance with this Act.
(e) The Illinois Adoption Registry shall release information regarding the date the adoption was finalized and the county in which the adoption was finalized to a certified confidential intermediary upon submission of a court order.
(c) Failure to comply with these provisions may be subject to administrative penalties and entitle adoptive families or former foster youth to seek redress or file a complaint.
(f) In cases where the Illinois Adoption Registry possesses information indicating that an adopted person who is 21 years of age or over was adopted in a state other than Illinois or a country other than the United States, the Illinois Adoption Registry shall release the name of the state or country where the adoption was finalized and, if available, the agency involved in the adoption to a registrant of the Illinois Adoption Registry, provided the registrant is not the subject of a Denial of Information Exchange and the registrant has completed a Medical Information Exchange Authorization.
SB2895 - 4 - LRB104 15319 KTG 28473 b Section 20.
(g) Any of the above available information for any SB2895 Engrossed - 4 - LRB104 15319 KTG 28473 b adoption proceedings completed before the effective date of this Act shall be supplied to the adoptive parents or an adoptee 18 years of age or over upon request.
Exemptions and confidentiality protections.
(h) The agency, Department of Children and Family Services, Court Supportive Services, Juvenile Division of the Circuit Court, the Probation Officers of the Circuit Court and any other governmental bodies having any of the above information shall retain the file until the adoptee would have reached the age of 99 years.
(a) Sensitive personal information of third parties, such as other foster children and unrelated individuals, may be redacted to protect privacy, provided it does not compromise the integrity of the child's case record.
(Source:
(b) All disclosures must comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, and any other applicable federal laws, though such regulations shall not be interpreted to prevent full disclosure to legal guardians or to the youth themselves upon emancipation.
P.A.
Section 99.
99-832, eff.
Effective date.
1-1-17.)
This Act takes effect January 1, 2026.
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Amendments

1 amendment

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Action History

  1. Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee

  2. Committee Deadline Extended-Rule 9(b) May 15, 2026

  3. Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. Katie Stuart

  4. Assigned to Executive Committee

  5. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford

  6. Referred to Rules Committee

  7. First Reading

  8. Chief House Sponsor Rep. Natalie A. Manley

  9. Arrived in House

  10. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Mike Simmons

  11. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Craig Wilcox

  12. Added as Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Sara Feigenholtz

  13. Third Reading - Passed; 056-000-000

  14. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Sally J. Turner

  15. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Erica Harriss

  16. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Seth Lewis

  17. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Jil Tracy

  18. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Neil Anderson

  19. Added as Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Jason Plummer

  20. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Chris Balkema

  21. Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading March 10, 2026

  22. Second Reading

  23. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Li Arellano, Jr.

  24. Added as Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Lakesia Collins

  25. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Adriane Johnson

  26. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Elgie R. Sims, Jr.

  27. Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading March 5, 2026

  28. Do Pass as Amended Child Welfare; 008-000-000

  29. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Adopted

  30. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Assignments Refers to Child Welfare

  31. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred to Assignments

  32. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Secretary by Sen. Darby A. Hills

  33. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Mary Edly-Allen

  34. Assigned to Child Welfare

  35. Referred to Assignments

  36. First Reading

  37. Filed with Secretary by Sen. Darby A. Hills

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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2 sponsors · 17 co-sponsors · 164 not signed on

Sponsors (2)

Co-sponsors (17)

Not signed on (164)

164 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"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

Votes

Third Reading

Passed 56 Yea · 0 Nay · 3 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 3000
Democrat 33003
Republican 19000
Total 55003
% of votes cast 95%0%0%5%
How each member voted (58)
Member Party Vote
Simmons — Yea
Glowiak Hilton — Yea
Loughran Cappel — Yea
Bill Cunningham Democrat Yea
Celina Villanueva Democrat Yea
Christopher Belt Democrat Not Voting
Cristina Castro Democrat Yea
David Koehler Democrat Yea
Doris Turner Democrat Yea
Elgie R. Sims, Jr. Democrat Yea
Emil Jones, III Democrat Yea
Graciela Guzmán Democrat Yea
Gregg Johnson Democrat Yea
Javier L. Cervantes Democrat Yea
Julie A. Morrison Democrat Yea
Karina Villa Democrat Yea
Kimberly A. Lightford Democrat Yea
Lakesia Collins Democrat Yea
Laura Ellman Democrat Yea
Laura Fine Democrat Yea
Laura M. Murphy Democrat Yea
Linda Holmes Democrat Yea
Mark L. Walker Democrat Yea
Mary Edly-Allen Democrat Yea
Mattie Hunter Democrat Yea
Michael E. Hastings Democrat Yea
Michael W. Halpin Democrat Yea
Mike Porfirio Democrat Not Voting
Napoleon Harris III Democrat Yea
Omar Aquino Democrat Yea
Patrick J. Joyce Democrat Yea
Paul Faraci Democrat Yea
Rachel Ventura Democrat Yea
Ram Villivalam Democrat Yea
Robert F. Martwick Democrat Yea
Robert Peters Democrat Not Voting
Sara Feigenholtz Democrat Yea
Steve Stadelman Democrat Yea
Willie Preston Democrat Yea
Andrew S. Chesney Republican Yea
Chapin Rose Republican Yea
Chris Balkema Republican Yea
Craig Wilcox Republican Yea
Dale Fowler Republican Yea
Darby A. Hills Republican Yea
Dave Syverson Republican Yea
Donald P. DeWitte Republican Yea
Erica Harriss Republican Yea
Jason Plummer Republican Yea
Jil Tracy Republican Yea
John F. Curran Republican Yea
Li Arellano, Jr. Republican Yea
Neil Anderson Republican Yea
Sally J. Turner Republican Yea
Seth Lewis Republican Yea
Steve McClure Republican Yea
Sue Rezin Republican Yea
Terri Bryant Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Child Welfare

Passed 8 Yea · 0 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democrat 6001
Republican 2001
Total 8002
% of votes cast 80%0%0%20%
How each member voted (10)
Member Party Vote
Adriane L. Johnson Democrat Yea
Doris Turner Democrat Yea
Elgie R. Sims, Jr. Democrat Yea
Lakesia Collins Democrat Yea
Mary Edly-Allen Democrat Yea
Mike Porfirio Democrat Yea
Rachel Ventura Democrat Not Voting
Darby A. Hills Republican Yea
Sally J. Turner Republican Not Voting
Seth Lewis Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

civil-rights healthcare
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

Who sponsors SB 2895?
SB 2895 is sponsored by Darby A. Hills (Republican), Lakesia Collins (Democrat), Jason Plummer (Republican), Sara Feigenholtz (Democrat), Mary Edly-Allen (Democrat), Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (Democrat), Adriane L. Johnson (Democrat), Li Arellano, Jr. (Republican), Chris Balkema (Republican), Neil Anderson (Republican), Jil Tracy (Republican), Seth Lewis (Republican), Mike Simmons (Democrat), Erica Harriss (Republican), Sally J. Turner (Republican), Craig Wilcox (Republican), Kimberly A. Lightford (Democrat), Natalie A. Manley (Democrat), and Katie Stuart (Democrat).
What is the current status of SB 2895?
This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced January 16, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track SB 2895?
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