Illinois 104th General Assembly Status: Introduced 2 D cosponsors

HB4557      — DIGITAL FORGERIES IN POLITICS

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

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

This bill has been introduced in the House. Introduced January 23, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Not enough signal yet

Not enough signal yet to read this bill's trajectory — we surface a likelihood only once there's real movement (stage, sponsorship, committee, or votes) to point to.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

Creates the Digital Forgeries in Politics Act. Provides that an individual depicted in a digital forgery who is an Illinois resident and a candidate for office in this State has a cause of action against any person who knowingly distributes, or enters into an agreement with another person to distribute, a digital forgery if: (1) the distribution occurs within 90 days before a regular election; and (2) the distribution is reasonably likely to harm the reputation or electoral prospects of a candidate in an election. Sets forth exceptions. Allows a court to issue a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, or permanent injunction ordering the defendant to cease the display or distribution of the digital forgery. Includes additional awards to a prevailing plaintiff.

Bill Text

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

Read HB4557 on the official Illinois source →

Action History

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

  2. Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Elizabeth "Lisa" Hernandez

  3. Assigned to Judiciary - Civil Committee

  4. Referred to Rules Committee

  5. First Reading

  6. Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 1 co-sponsors · 181 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (1)

Not signed on (181)

181 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

Subjects

civil-rights elections technology
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 HB4557      do?
Creates the Digital Forgeries in Politics Act. Provides that an individual depicted in a digital forgery who is an Illinois resident and a candidate for office in this State has a cause of action against any person who knowingly distributes, or enters into an agreement with another person to distribute, a digital forgery if: (1) the distribution occurs within 90 days before a regular election; and (2) the distribution is reasonably likely to harm the reputation or electoral prospects of a candidate in an election. Sets forth exceptions. Allows a court to issue a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, or permanent injunction ordering the defendant to cease the display or distribution of the digital forgery. Includes additional awards to a prevailing plaintiff.
Who sponsors HB4557     ?
HB4557      is sponsored by Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (Democrat) and Elizabeth "Lisa" Hernandez (Democrat).
What is the current status of HB4557     ?
This bill has been introduced in the House. Introduced January 23, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB4557     ?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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