BUSINESS ASSISTANCE-LICENSING

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB5180

Introduced 2/10/2026, by Rep. Mary Gill

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

20 ILCS 608/5
20 ILCS 608/10
20 ILCS 608/15
20 ILCS 608/16 new
20 ILCS 608/20
20 ILCS 608/25 new

Amends the Business Assistance and Regulatory Reform Act. Provides
that the Office of Business Permits and Regulatory Assistance may
establish a matching grant program to incentivize and assist units of
local government in improving the use of technology tools for permitting
and licensing processes. Sets forth reporting requirements for State
agencies with jurisdiction over business permitting or licensing. Creates
an Interagency Business Permitting and Licensing Reform Advisory Committee
to coordinate business permitting and licensing processes. Sets forth
provisions concerning membership of the advisory committee.
LRB104 18866 SPS 32311 b

A BILL FOR

HB5180
LRB104 18866 SPS 32311 b
1

AN ACT concerning State government.

2

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3
represented in the General Assembly:

4

Section 5.
The Business Assistance and Regulatory Reform
5
Act is amended by changing Sections 5, 10, 15, and 20 and by
6
adding Sections 16 and 25 as follows:

7

(20 ILCS 608/5)
8

Sec. 5.
Goal.
The goal of this Act is to improve the
9
State's business climate by making it easier for businesses to
10
deal with State requirements for doing business. Subject to
11
appropriation, this goal will be achieved through providing
12
detailed reporting, providing
prompt, accurate information
13
about existing requirements, avoiding unnecessary
14
requirements, and increasing the transparency and
15
accessibility of permitting processes by consolidating status
16
updates from State agencies regarding the issuance of permits
17
for covered projects
.
The State shall encourage units of local
18
government to use technology tools and adopt policies that
19
improve local permitting and licensing processes.
20
(Source: P.A. 103-538, eff. 1-1-24
.)

21

(20 ILCS 608/10)
22

Sec. 10.
Executive Office.
There is created an Office of

HB5180
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LRB104 18866 SPS 32311 b
1
Business Permits and Regulatory Assistance (hereinafter
2
referred to as "office") within the Department of Commerce and
3
Community Affairs (now Department of Commerce and Economic
4
Opportunity) which shall provide assistance to businesses in
5
meeting State requirements for doing business and perform
6
other functions specified in this Act. The office shall use
7
information technology tools to track schedules for covered
8
projects and metrics in order to improve transparency and
9
accountability in the permitting
and licensing
process, reduce
10
uncertainty and delays, and reduce costs and risks to
11
taxpayers. The office shall carry out the provisions of this
12
Act, subject to funding through appropriation.
13
(Source: P.A. 103-538, eff. 1-1-24
.)

14

(20 ILCS 608/15)
15

Sec. 15.
Providing Information and Expediting Permit
16
Reviews.
17

(a) The office shall provide an online information system
18
using a website advertised throughout the State. Interested
19
businesses shall be sent, electronically, a basic business
20
kit, describing the basic requirements and procedures for
21
doing business in Illinois.
22

(b) (Blank).
23

(c) Any applicant for permits
or licenses
required for a
24
business activity may confer with the office to obtain
25
assistance in the prompt and efficient processing and review

HB5180
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LRB104 18866 SPS 32311 b
1
of applications. The office shall, subject to appropriation,
2
designate an employee of the office to act as a permit
3
assistance manager to:
4

(1) facilitate contacts for the applicant with
5

responsible agencies;
6

(2) arrange conferences to clarify the requirements of
7

interested agencies;
8

(3) consider with State agencies the feasibility of
9

consolidating hearings and data required of the applicant;
10

(4) assist the applicant in resolution of outstanding
11

issues identified by State agencies; and
12

(5) coordinate federal, State and local regulatory
13

procedures and permit review actions to the extent
14

possible.
15

(d) The office shall publish an online directory of State
16
business permits and State programs to assist businesses.
17

(e) The office shall
attempt to
establish agreements with
18
local governments to allow the office to provide assistance to
19
applicants for permits required by these local governments.
20

(f) (Blank).
21

(f-5) Subject to appropriation, the office may establish a
22
matching grant program to incentivize and assist units of
23
local government in improving the use of technology tools for
24
permitting and licensing processes.

25

(g) In addition to its responsibilities in connection with
26
permit assistance, the office shall provide general regulatory

HB5180
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LRB104 18866 SPS 32311 b
1
information by directing businesses to appropriate officers in
2
State agencies to supply the information requested.
3

(h) The office shall help businesses to locate and apply
4
to training programs available to train current employees in
5
particular skills, techniques or areas of knowledge relevant
6
to the employees' present or anticipated job duties. In
7
pursuit of this objective, the office shall provide businesses
8
with pertinent information about training programs offered by
9
State agencies, units of local government, public universities
10
and colleges, community colleges, and school districts in
11
Illinois.
12

(i) The office shall help businesses to locate and apply
13
to State programs offering to businesses grants, loans, loan
14
or bond guarantees, investment partnerships, technology or
15
productivity consultation, or other forms of business
16
assistance.
17

(j) To the extent authorized by federal law, the office
18
shall assist businesses in ascertaining and complying with the
19
requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
20

(k) The office shall provide confidential on-site
21
assistance in identifying problems and solutions in compliance
22
with requirements of State and federal environmental
23
regulations. The office shall work through and contract with
24
the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center to provide
25
confidential on-site consultation audits that (i) assist
26
regulatory compliance and (ii) identify pollution prevention

HB5180
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LRB104 18866 SPS 32311 b
1
opportunities.
2

(k-5)
Until July 1, 2012, the office shall provide
3
confidential on-site assistance, including, but not limited
4
to, consultation audits, to identify problems and solutions
5
regarding compliance with the requirements of the federal
6
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
On and after
7
July 1, 2012, the Department of Labor shall provide
8
confidential on-site assistance, including, but not limited
9
to, consultation audits, to identify problems and solutions
10
regarding compliance with the requirements of the federal
11
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
12

(l) The office shall provide information on existing loan
13
and business assistance programs provided by the State.
14

(m) Each State agency having jurisdiction to approve or
15
deny a permit shall have the continuing power heretofore or
16
hereafter vested in it to make such determinations. The
17
provisions of this Act shall not lessen or reduce such powers
18
and shall modify the procedures followed in carrying out such
19
powers only to the extent provided in this Act.
20

(n) (1) Each State agency shall, subject to appropriation,
21
fully cooperate with the office in providing information,
22
documentation, personnel or facilities requested by the
23
office.
24

(2) Each State agency shall annually provide the office
25
with processes and timelines for all permits
and licenses over
26
which it has jurisdiction
.

HB5180
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LRB104 18866 SPS 32311 b
1

(o) (1) The office shall, subject to appropriation,
2
identify and track metrics for the timeline of permit reviews,
3
permit decisions, and project outcomes for covered projects
4
and any additional projects deemed feasible
.
5

The office shall, subject to appropriation, administer and
6
expand the use of online transparency tools providing:
7

(i) tracking and reporting metrics;
8

(ii) posting of regulatory timelines for permit
9

reviews and permit decisions; those timelines shall be
10

provided to the office by each State agency having
11

jurisdiction over permits
and licenses
;
12

(iii) the sharing of best practices relating to
13

efficient project permitting and reviews; those best
14

practices shall be provided to the office by each State
15

agency having jurisdiction over permits
and licenses
;
and
16

(iv) a visual display of relevant geospatial data to
17

support the permitting process
;

.
18

(v) a distributable, individualized, and electronic
19

assessment of the permit or license applicant's position
20

in the queue for project authorization, as applicable; and
21

(vi) a web-based dashboard or portal that compiles all
22

relevant information from this subsection in an accessible
23

format available at no additional cost to permit or
24

license applicants.

25

(2) The office may conduct or cause to be conducted a
26
thorough review of any agency's permit requirements and the

HB5180
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LRB104 18866 SPS 32311 b
1
need by the State to require such permits. The office shall
2
draw on the review, on its direct experience, and on its
3
statistical analyses to prepare recommendations regarding how
4
to:
5

(i) eliminate unnecessary or antiquated permit
6

requirements;
7

(ii) consolidate duplicative or overlapping permit
8

requirements;
9

(iii) simplify overly complex or lengthy application
10

procedures;
11

(iv) expedite time-consuming agency review and
12

approval procedures; or
13

(v) otherwise improve the permitting processes in the
14

State.
15

The office shall submit copies of all recommendations
16
within 5 days of issuance to the affected agency, the
17
Governor, the General Assembly, and the Joint Committee on
18
Administrative Rules.
19

(p) The office may review State forms to ascertain the
20
burden, if any, of complying with those forms. If the office
21
determines that a form is unduly burdensome to business, it
22
may recommend to the agency issuing the form either that the
23
form be eliminated or that specific changes be made in the
24
form.
25

(q) Not later than March 1 of each year, beginning March 1,
26
1995, the office shall submit an annual report of its

HB5180
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LRB104 18866 SPS 32311 b
1
activities during the preceding year to the Governor and
2
General Assembly. The report shall describe the activities of
3
the office during the preceding year and shall contain
4
statistical information on the permit assistance activities of
5
the office.
6

(q-5) Nothing in this Section shall preclude the office or
7
the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity from using
8
technology tools to assist, identify, and track metrics for
9
permits and licenses for projects outside the scope of a
10
covered project.

11

(r) All provisions of this Section are subject to
12
adequate appropriation for the purpose of carrying out
13
provisions of this Section.
14
(Source: P.A. 103-538, eff. 1-1-24
.)

15

(20 ILCS 608/16 new)
16

Sec. 16.
Business permitting and licensing digitalization
17
pilot program.
The office, in coordination with each State
18
agency having jurisdiction over business permitting or
19
licensing, shall administer a business permitting and
20
licensing digitalization pilot program. Under the pilot
21
program, the office shall create an online aggregator and
22
repository that contains applicant data and resources for
23
businesses applying for a permit or a license under the
24
jurisdiction of a State agency.

HB5180
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LRB104 18866 SPS 32311 b
1

(20 ILCS 608/20)
2

Sec. 20.
Review of rules and regulations; reporting.
3

(a) As used in this Section:
4

"Small business" means a corporation or a concern,
5
including its affiliates, that is independently owned and
6
operated, not dominant in its field, and employs fewer than 50
7
full-time employees or has gross annual sales of less than
8
$4,000,000. For purposes of a specific rule, an agency may
9
define small business to include employment of 50 or more
10
persons if it finds that such a definition is necessary to
11
adapt the rule to the needs and problems of small businesses
12
and organizations.
13

"State agencies" means all officers, boards, commissions,
14
and agencies of the executive branch, including all officers,
15
departments, boards, commissions, agencies, institutions,
16
authorities, universities, and bodies politic and corporate
17
thereof; and administrative units or corporate outgrowths of
18
the State government which are created by or pursuant to
19
statute, other than units of local government and their
20
officers, school districts and boards of election
21
commissioners; all administrative units and corporate
22
outgrowths of the above and as may be created by executive
23
order of the Governor.
24

(b) Each State agency shall scrutinize its rules,
25
administrative regulations, and permitting processes as they
26
pertain to small businesses in order to identify those rules,

HB5180
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LRB104 18866 SPS 32311 b
1
regulations, and processes that are unreasonable, unduly
2
burdensome, duplicative, or onerous to small businesses. The
3
goal of this review is for each State agency to:
4

(1) recommend changes that will lessen the reporting
5

and paper work requirements on small businesses while
6

still achieving the intent of the underlying statute;
7

(2) eliminate unnecessary or antiquated permit
8

requirements;
9

(3) consolidate duplicative or overlapping permit
10

requirements;
11

(4) simplify overly complex or lengthy application
12

procedures; and
13

(5) expedite time-consuming agency review and approval
14

procedures.
15

(c) Each State agency must conduct its initial review of
16
its rules, regulations, and permitting processes under
17
subsection (b) of this Section within one year of the
18
effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General
19
Assembly, and every 5 years thereafter. At the conclusion of
20
each review, each State agency must issue a report containing
21
the results from its review and any recommendations to the
22
Office of Business Permits and Regulatory Assistance, the
23
Governor, and the General Assembly.
24

(d) Each State agency having jurisdiction over business
25
permitting or licensing shall conduct an annual review and
26
prepare a permitting and licensing performance report

HB5180
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LRB104 18866 SPS 32311 b
1
containing the following:

2

(1) a complete list of all types of permits or
3

licenses issued by the State agency;
4

(2) the statute and specific program under which each
5

permit or license is issued;
6

(3) the time frame when the State agency must issue
7

each permit or license;
8

(4) the average time frame, quantified in business
9

days, within which each permit is actually issued;
10

(5) the number of permits or licenses applied for and
11

issued within the calendar year;
12

(6) the number of businesses or individuals served;
13

(7) the number of complaints or grievances filed by
14

individuals or businesses during the permitting or
15

licensing process;
16

(8) the number of complaints or grievances resolved;
17

(9) a description of any efforts undertaken to
18

procure, improve, or procure and improve the use of
19

technology tools for permitting and licensing during the
20

calendar year; and
21

(10) any additional information deemed necessary by
22

the office.

23

No later than December 31, 2027, and each year thereafter,
24
the State agencies subject to this subsection shall submit the
25
permitting and licensing performance report to the office, the
26
Governor, and the General Assembly.

HB5180
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LRB104 18866 SPS 32311 b
1
(Source: P.A. 99-370, eff. 1-1-16
.)

2

(20 ILCS 608/25 new)
3

Sec. 25.
Interagency Business Permitting and Licensing
4
Reform Advisory Committee.
5

(a) An Interagency Business Permitting and Licensing
6
Reform Advisory Committee is established under the office to
7
coordinate business permitting and licensing processes,
8
consider more efficient, transparent, and functional business
9
permitting and licensing processes, and share relevant data
10
that may bring about increased efficiency, transparency, and
11
functionality in the State's business permitting and licensing
12
processes.
13

(b) The advisory committee shall consist of the following
14
members:

15

(1) the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
16

or the Director's designee, who shall serve as chairperson
17

of the advisory committee;
18

(2) the Director of the Environmental Protection
19

Agency or the Director's designee;
20

(3) the Secretary of Transportation or the Secretary's
21

designee;
22

(4) the Director of Natural Resources or the
23

Director's designee;
24

(5) the Chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission
25

or the Chairman's designee;

HB5180
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LRB104 18866 SPS 32311 b
1

(6) the State Fire Marshal or the State Fire Marshal's
2

designee;
3

(7) the Director of Public Health or the Director's
4

designee;
5

(8) the Secretary of State or the Secretary of State's
6

designee;
7

(9) the Secretary of Financial and Professional
8

Regulation or the Secretary's designee; and
9

(10) the administrator of any other State agency
10

deemed necessary by the office to comply with this Section
11

or the administrator's designee.
12

(c) The Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity may
13
appoint other stakeholders to the advisory committee,
14
including, but not limited to:

15

(1) representatives of businesses that are frequent
16

applicants for State permits or licenses;
17

(2) representatives of organized labor;
18

(3) representatives of municipal or county governments
19

with permitting or licensing authority;
20

(4) attorneys or compliance professionals with
21

experience in administrative law, environmental
22

permitting, or occupational licensing; and
23

(5) experts in data analytics or permitting and
24

licensing technology systems.

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