---
type: "Bill"
title: "COUNTIES CD-FOREST PRESERVES"
description: "Amends the Counties Code. Authorizes a county to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with any forest preserve district that exempts the district from compliance with county zoning ordinances. Effective immediately."
jurisdiction: "us/states/il"
legislature: "Illinois General Assembly"
session: "97th"
identifier: "HB 5899"
citation: "Illinois HB 5899 (97th)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: []
version_count: 3
action_count: 31
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2012-02-16"
last_action: "2012-08-17"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/a7f29824-67f1-4c0c-be87-509ac7154ece"
source_url: "http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=5899&GAID=11&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=66401&SessionID=84&GA=97"
source_hash: "a3c622e138deea3abead3b14de03486e4cc3fcdb674a05b615c4f3cab7ba0d52"
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 5899 (97th) — COUNTIES CD-FOREST PRESERVES

Amends the Counties Code. Authorizes a county to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with any forest preserve district that exempts the district from compliance with county zoning ordinances. 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=09700HB5899&GA=97&SessionId=84&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=66401&DocNum=5899&GAID=11&Session=&print=true)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09700HB5899eng&GA=97&SessionId=84&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=66401&DocNum=5899&GAID=11&Session=&print=true)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09700HB5899enr&GA=97&SessionId=84&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=66401&DocNum=5899&GAID=11&Session=&print=true)

## Votes

- Third Reading — **56–0** (pass) · upper
- Third Reading — **109–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Mike Fortner — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2012-02-16** Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Mike Fortner `filing`
- **2012-02-16** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2012-02-16** Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2012-02-27** Assigned to Counties & Townships Committee `referral-committee`
- **2012-02-28** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Mike Fortner `amendment-introduction`
- **2012-02-28** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2012-02-29** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rules Refers to Counties & Townships Committee
- **2012-03-08** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Adopted in Counties & Townships Committee; by Voice Vote `amendment-passage`
- **2012-03-08** Do Pass as Amended / Short Debate Counties & Townships Committee; 006-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2012-03-09** Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate
- **2012-03-21** Second Reading - Short Debate `reading-2`
- **2012-03-21** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate
- **2012-03-22** Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 109-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2012-03-22** Arrive in Senate `introduction`
- **2012-03-22** Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading March 23, 2012 `reading-1`
- **2012-03-22** Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. John J. Millner
- **2012-03-23** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2012-03-23** Referred to Assignments `referral-committee`
- **2012-04-11** Assigned to Local Government `referral-committee`
- **2012-04-18** Do Pass Local Government; 007-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2012-04-18** Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading April 19, 2012
- **2012-04-20** Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Pamela J. Althoff
- **2012-04-20** Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Kirk W. Dillard
- **2012-05-10** Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2012-05-10** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading May 15, 2012
- **2012-05-22** Third Reading - Passed; 056-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2012-05-22** Passed Both Houses
- **2012-06-20** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2012-08-17** Governor Approved `executive-signature`
- **2012-08-17** Effective Date August 17, 2012
- **2012-08-17** Public Act . . . . . . . . . 97-1016 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/a7f29824-67f1-4c0c-be87-509ac7154ece`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Illinois legislature records).