---
type: "Bill"
title: "ELECTIONS-NURSING HOMES"
description: "Amends the Election Code. Provides that a person admitted to a hospital, nursing home, or rehabilitation center (now, hospital) 5 or fewer days before an election is entitled to personal delivery of an absentee ballot. Effective immediately."
jurisdiction: "us/states/il"
legislature: "Illinois General Assembly"
session: "94th"
identifier: "HB 203"
citation: "Illinois HB 203 (94th)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: []
version_count: 3
action_count: 46
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2005-01-13"
last_action: "2005-06-14"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/bd33825a-6e4f-4b16-9a6d-c825d1b83d13"
source_url: "http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=203&GAID=8&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=14416&SessionID=50&GA=94"
source_hash: "ce482eed23bc55118178a2898d39191fb7b177db2b5832cc91de739ead192d13"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-il"]
---

# Illinois HB 203 (94th) — ELECTIONS-NURSING HOMES

Amends the Election Code. Provides that a person admitted to a hospital, nursing home, or rehabilitation center (now, hospital) 5 or fewer days before an election is entitled to personal delivery of an absentee ballot. Effective immediately.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09400HB0203&GA=94&SessionId=50&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=14416&DocNum=203&GAID=8&Session=&print=true)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09400HB0203eng&GA=94&SessionId=50&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=14416&DocNum=203&GAID=8&Session=&print=true)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09400HB0203enr&GA=94&SessionId=50&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=14416&DocNum=203&GAID=8&Session=&print=true)

## Votes

- Third Reading — **115–0** (pass) · lower
- Third Reading — **58–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Gary Forby — cosponsor (person)
- Ira I. Silverstein — cosponsor (person)
- Mattie Hunter — cosponsor (person)
- Pamela J. Althoff — cosponsor (person)
- Richard P. Myers — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2005-01-13** Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Richard P. Myers `filing`
- **2005-01-13** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2005-01-13** Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2005-01-26** Assigned to Elections & Campaign Reform Committee `referral-committee`
- **2005-02-01** Do Pass / Short Debate Elections & Campaign Reform Committee; 007-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2005-02-02** Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate
- **2005-02-02** Second Reading - Short Debate `reading-2`
- **2005-02-02** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate
- **2005-02-03** Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 115-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2005-02-03** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Patrick J Verschoore
- **2005-02-03** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Jack McGuire
- **2005-02-03** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Jack D. Franks
- **2005-02-03** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia
- **2005-02-03** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Michael P. McAuliffe
- **2005-02-03** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. John A. Fritchey
- **2005-02-03** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Wyvetter H. Younge
- **2005-02-10** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. William Davis
- **2005-02-15** Arrive in Senate `introduction`
- **2005-02-15** Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading February 16, 2005 `reading-1`
- **2005-02-17** Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. John M. Sullivan
- **2005-02-17** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Patricia Bailey
- **2005-02-24** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2005-02-24** Referred to Rules `referral-committee`
- **2005-03-03** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Brandon W. Phelps
- **2005-03-08** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Pamela J. Althoff
- **2005-03-09** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Robin Kelly
- **2005-03-09** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Deborah L. Graham
- **2005-03-16** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Michael K. Smith
- **2005-03-16** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. John D'Amico
- **2005-03-17** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Susana A Mendoza
- **2005-04-13** Assigned to Local Government `referral-committee`
- **2005-04-20** Do Pass Local Government; 009-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2005-04-20** Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading April 21, 2005
- **2005-05-04** Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2005-05-04** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading May 5, 2005
- **2005-05-11** Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Martin A. Sandoval
- **2005-05-11** Third Reading - Passed; 058-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2005-05-11** Passed Both Houses
- **2005-05-28** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Ira I. Silverstein
- **2005-05-29** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Mattie Hunter
- **2005-05-30** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Gary Forby
- **2005-06-09** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2005-06-09** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2005-06-14** Governor Approved `executive-signature`
- **2005-06-14** Effective Date June 14, 2005
- **2005-06-14** Public Act . . . . . . . . . 94-0018 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/bd33825a-6e4f-4b16-9a6d-c825d1b83d13`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Illinois legislature records).