Illinois 104th General Assembly Status: Introduced 1 D cosponsors

HB4971      — ILLINOIS MILITARY HISTORY

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 February 04, 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

Amends the Department of Veterans Affairs Act. Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop and implement a statewide military history initiative aimed at preserving Illinois' war and veterans' memorials, monuments, plaques, and historic sites. Creates the Illinois War and Veterans Memorials and Monuments Fund as a special fund in the State treasury to support the preservation and restoration of outdoor memorials, monuments, plaques, and historic sites located within the State that highlight the service and sacrifice of Illinois' military veterans. Provides that, subject to appropriation, moneys in the Fund shall be expended to provide grants to local governments, historic societies, and veterans' organizations seeking to restore, repair, or maintain memorials, monuments, plaques, or historic sites within their communities. Requires the Department to establish criteria on how to identify war and veterans' memorials, monuments, plaques, and historic sites that are in need of preservation or restoration or other forms of aid, and match them with grants and other sources of funding based on the scope of the preservation or restoration project and on the grant applicant's ability to carry out and complete the project. Requires the Department to create and maintain a digital archive of Illinois veterans' records, letters, and oral histories and make such materials readily accessible to the general public and local schools. Requires the Department to partner with State colleges and universities to collect and preserve personal documents, photos, and interviews with Illinois veterans. Amends the State Commemorative Dates Act. Designates April 9 of each year as Illinois Veterans' Legacy Day to be observed throughout the State as a day to recognize and honor the service and sacrifice of Illinois' military veterans with suitable activities designed to teach and preserve Illinois' military history and build social connections between Illinois' veterans population and school-aged youth. Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to prepare and make available to all school boards teaching modules on Illinois' military history for public school students enrolled in grades 6 through 12.

Bill Text

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

Read HB4971 on the official Illinois source →

Action History

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

  2. Assigned to State Government Administration Committee

  3. Referred to Rules Committee

  4. First Reading

  5. Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Dave Vella

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 182 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (182)

182 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 182 →

"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

veterans education
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 HB4971      do?
Amends the Department of Veterans Affairs Act. Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop and implement a statewide military history initiative aimed at preserving Illinois' war and veterans' memorials, monuments, plaques, and historic sites. Creates the Illinois War and Veterans Memorials and Monuments Fund as a special fund in the State treasury to support the preservation and restoration of outdoor memorials, monuments, plaques, and historic sites located within the State that highlight the service and sacrifice of Illinois' military veterans. Provides that, subject to appropriation, moneys in the Fund shall be expended to provide grants to local governments, historic societies, and veterans' organizations seeking to restore, repair, or maintain memorials, monuments, plaques, or historic sites within their communities. Requires the Department to establish criteria on how to identify war and veterans' memorials, monuments, plaques, and historic sites that are in need of preservation or restoration or other forms of aid, and match them with grants and other sources of funding based on the scope of the preservation or restoration project and on the grant applicant's ability to carry out and complete the project. Requires the Department to create and maintain a digital archive of Illinois veterans' records, letters, and oral histories and make such materials readily accessible to the general public and local schools. Requires the Department to partner with State colleges and universities to collect and preserve personal documents, photos, and interviews with Illinois veterans. Amends the State Commemorative Dates Act. Designates April 9 of each year as Illinois Veterans' Legacy Day to be observed throughout the State as a day to recognize and honor the service and sacrifice of Illinois' military veterans with suitable activities designed to teach and preserve Illinois' military history and build social connections between Illinois' veterans population and school-aged youth. Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to prepare and make available to all school boards teaching modules on Illinois' military history for public school students enrolled in grades 6 through 12.
Who sponsors HB4971     ?
HB4971      is sponsored by Dave Vella (Democrat).
What is the current status of HB4971     ?
This bill has been introduced in the House. Introduced February 04, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB4971     ?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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