---
type: "Bill"
title: "SOS MERIT CODE-VETERAN VISITS"
description: "Amends the Secretary of State Merit Employment Code. Grants veteran employees 4 (rather than 2) days per year to visit a veterans hospital for examination of a military service connected disability. Effective immediately."
jurisdiction: "us/states/il"
legislature: "Illinois General Assembly"
session: "97th"
identifier: "HB 5006"
citation: "Illinois HB 5006 (97th)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: []
version_count: 3
action_count: 40
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2012-02-07"
last_action: "2012-08-13"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/59e1e1c5-7cb2-4980-8ba0-e920f99f38f6"
source_url: "http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=5006&GAID=11&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=64941&SessionID=84&GA=97"
source_hash: "0d8c7506583cfa8e83d7d2204ae9ebf4fc41959648bf6895911d9598bb0978e3"
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 5006 (97th) — SOS MERIT CODE-VETERAN VISITS

Amends the Secretary of State Merit Employment Code. Grants veteran employees 4 (rather than 2) days per year to visit a veterans hospital for examination of a military service connected disability. 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=09700HB5006&GA=97&SessionId=84&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=64941&DocNum=5006&GAID=11&Session=&print=true)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09700HB5006eng&GA=97&SessionId=84&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=64941&DocNum=5006&GAID=11&Session=&print=true)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09700HB5006enr&GA=97&SessionId=84&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=64941&DocNum=5006&GAID=11&Session=&print=true)

## Votes

- Third Reading — **58–0** (pass) · upper
- Third Reading — **112–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Derrick Smith — primary (person)
- Martin A. Sandoval — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2012-02-07** Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Derrick Smith `filing`
- **2012-02-07** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2012-02-07** Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2012-02-15** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Jehan A. Gordon
- **2012-02-15** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. John E. Bradley
- **2012-02-15** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Michelle Mussman
- **2012-02-15** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Jerry F. Costello, II
- **2012-02-15** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Keith Farnham
- **2012-02-21** Assigned to Veterans' Affairs Committee `referral-committee`
- **2012-03-01** Do Pass / Short Debate Veterans' Affairs Committee; 021-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2012-03-01** Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate
- **2012-03-01** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Lisa M. Dugan
- **2012-03-01** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Constance A. Howard
- **2012-03-01** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Rita Mayfield
- **2012-03-01** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Donald L. Moffitt
- **2012-03-01** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Marlow H. Colvin
- **2012-03-06** Second Reading - Short Debate `reading-2`
- **2012-03-06** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate
- **2012-03-08** Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 112-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2012-03-08** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Al Riley
- **2012-03-08** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. André M. Thapedi
- **2012-03-08** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Anthony DeLuca
- **2012-03-08** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Kelly Burke
- **2012-03-21** Arrive in Senate `introduction`
- **2012-03-21** Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading `reading-1`
- **2012-03-21** Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. Mike Jacobs
- **2012-03-21** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2012-03-21** Referred to Assignments `referral-committee`
- **2012-04-11** Assigned to State Government and Veterans Affairs `referral-committee`
- **2012-04-19** Do Pass State Government and Veterans Affairs; 007-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2012-04-19** Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading April 24, 2012
- **2012-05-02** Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2012-05-02** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading May 3, 2012
- **2012-05-22** Third Reading - Passed; 058-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2012-05-22** Passed Both Houses
- **2012-05-31** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Martin A. Sandoval
- **2012-06-20** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2012-08-13** Governor Approved `executive-signature`
- **2012-08-13** Effective Date August 13, 2012
- **2012-08-13** Public Act . . . . . . . . . 97-0949 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/59e1e1c5-7cb2-4980-8ba0-e920f99f38f6`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Illinois legislature records).