---
type: "Bill"
title: "UNIV-TECH ENTREPRENEUR CENTERS"
description: "Creates the University Technology Entrepreneur Center Act. Authorizes the board of trustees of each public university in this State to create a technology entrepreneur center for each campus of the university. Requires a center to provide material and personal infrastructure to selected innovators who possess an inventive concept that has not yet been offered for sale in the private-sector market, with the goal being to develop a concept to the point where it can become a business venture. Provides that a center may offer mentors, workshops, contacts with potential private-sector investors, and a structured course or courses of work-study to bring an innovation from conception to market. Provides that the work-study program, if offered, may offer business instruction, engineering instruction, or a structured combination of both forms of knowledge."
jurisdiction: "us/states/il"
legislature: "Illinois General Assembly"
session: "97th"
identifier: "HB 1876"
citation: "Illinois HB 1876 (97th)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: []
version_count: 3
action_count: 40
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2011-02-16"
last_action: "2011-07-25"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e47d67e5-c164-435e-9d7f-7036d13eed2f"
source_url: "http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=1876&GAID=11&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=59065&SessionID=84&GA=97"
source_hash: "479a4abf1e02d26f01c35c7519936c06b4b6e2839a6483b4e870b54c8f5effa4"
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 1876 (97th) — UNIV-TECH ENTREPRENEUR CENTERS

Creates the University Technology Entrepreneur Center Act. Authorizes the board of trustees of each public university in this State to create a technology entrepreneur center for each campus of the university. Requires a center to provide material and personal infrastructure to selected innovators who possess an inventive concept that has not yet been offered for sale in the private-sector market, with the goal being to develop a concept to the point where it can become a business venture. Provides that a center may offer mentors, workshops, contacts with potential private-sector investors, and a structured course or courses of work-study to bring an innovation from conception to market. Provides that the work-study program, if offered, may offer business instruction, engineering instruction, or a structured combination of both forms of knowledge.

## 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=09700HB1876&GA=97&SessionId=84&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=59065&DocNum=1876&GAID=11&Session=&print=true)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09700HB1876eng&GA=97&SessionId=84&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=59065&DocNum=1876&GAID=11&Session=&print=true)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09700HB1876enr&GA=97&SessionId=84&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=59065&DocNum=1876&GAID=11&Session=&print=true)

## Votes

- Third Reading — **116–0** (pass) · lower
- Third Reading — **57–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Ira I. Silverstein — cosponsor (person)
- Tom Cross — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2011-02-16** Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Tom Cross `filing`
- **2011-02-16** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2011-02-16** Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2011-02-22** Assigned to Higher Education Committee `referral-committee`
- **2011-03-01** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Mike Fortner
- **2011-03-01** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Jil Tracy
- **2011-03-02** Do Pass / Short Debate Higher Education Committee; 011-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2011-03-03** Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate
- **2011-03-03** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Daniel V. Beiser
- **2011-03-03** House Floor Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Tom Cross `amendment-introduction`
- **2011-03-03** House Floor Amendment No. 1 Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2011-03-07** House Floor Amendment No. 1 Rules Refers to Higher Education Committee
- **2011-03-08** Second Reading - Short Debate `reading-2`
- **2011-03-08** Held on Calendar Order of Second Reading - Short Debate `reading-2`
- **2011-03-09** House Floor Amendment No. 1 Recommends Be Adopted Higher Education Committee; 011-000-000 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2011-03-17** Second Reading - Short Debate `reading-2`
- **2011-03-17** House Floor Amendment No. 1 Adopted by Voice Vote `amendment-passage`
- **2011-03-17** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate
- **2011-03-24** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Dwight Kay
- **2011-03-30** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Franco Coladipietro
- **2011-03-30** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Michael G. Connelly
- **2011-03-30** Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 116-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2011-03-31** Arrive in Senate `introduction`
- **2011-03-31** Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading April 6, 2011 `reading-1`
- **2011-04-04** Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. Linda Holmes
- **2011-04-06** Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Matt Murphy
- **2011-04-07** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2011-04-07** Referred to Assignments `referral-committee`
- **2011-04-27** Assigned to Higher Education `referral-committee`
- **2011-05-05** Do Pass Higher Education; 008-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2011-05-05** Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading May 6, 2011
- **2011-05-06** Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2011-05-06** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading May 10, 2011
- **2011-05-12** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Ira I. Silverstein
- **2011-05-12** Third Reading - Passed; 057-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2011-05-12** Passed Both Houses
- **2011-06-10** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2011-07-25** Governor Approved `executive-signature`
- **2011-07-25** Effective Date January 1, 2012
- **2011-07-25** Public Act . . . . . . . . . 97-0196 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/e47d67e5-c164-435e-9d7f-7036d13eed2f`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Illinois legislature records).