---
type: "Bill"
title: "DRUG COURT PROGRAM-ELIGIBILITY"
description: "Amends the Drug Court Treatment Act. Provides that a defendant may be admitted into a drug court program only before adjudication. Eliminates provision that a defendant shall be excluded from a drug court program if the defendant has previously completed or has been discharged from a drug court program."
jurisdiction: "us/states/il"
legislature: "Illinois General Assembly"
session: "99th"
identifier: "SB 844"
citation: "Illinois SB 844 (99th)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: []
version_count: 3
action_count: 59
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2015-02-11"
last_action: "2015-08-17"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/7701be99-8454-4b44-bf8c-9bcd4b2ac888"
source_url: "http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=844&GAID=13&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=86247&SessionID=88&GA=99"
source_hash: "b48336e82b9960e45b19b8e94b2e55ef38cce58b15261b13ee89750be9c0e7d7"
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 SB 844 (99th) — DRUG COURT PROGRAM-ELIGIBILITY

Amends the Drug Court Treatment Act. Provides that a defendant may be admitted into a drug court program only before adjudication. Eliminates provision that a defendant shall be excluded from a drug court program if the defendant has previously completed or has been discharged from a drug court program.

## 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=09900SB0844&GA=99&SessionId=88&DocTypeId=SB&LegID=86247&DocNum=844&GAID=13&Session=&print=true)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09900SB0844eng&GA=99&SessionId=88&DocTypeId=SB&LegID=86247&DocNum=844&GAID=13&Session=&print=true)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09900SB0844enr&GA=99&SessionId=88&DocTypeId=SB&LegID=86247&DocNum=844&GAID=13&Session=&print=true)

## Votes

- Concurrence — **34–16** (pass) · upper
- Third Reading — **78–38** (pass) · lower
- Third Reading — **54–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- James F. Clayborne, Jr. — primary (person)
- Kenneth Dunkin — cosponsor (person)
- La Shawn K. Ford — cosponsor (person)
- Patricia R. Bellock — cosponsor (person)
- Reginald Phillips — cosponsor (person)
- Rita Mayfield — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2015-02-11** Filed with Secretary by Sen. John G. Mulroe `filing`
- **2015-02-11** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2015-02-11** Referred to Assignments `referral-committee`
- **2015-02-17** Assigned to Criminal Law `referral-committee`
- **2015-02-18** Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Secretary by Sen. John G. Mulroe `amendment-introduction`
- **2015-02-18** Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred to Assignments `referral-committee`
- **2015-03-03** Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Assignments Refers to Criminal Law
- **2015-03-04** Added as Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford
- **2015-03-04** Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Adopted `amendment-passage`
- **2015-03-04** Do Pass as Amended Criminal Law; 011-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2015-03-04** Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading March 5, 2015
- **2015-03-04** Added as Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Kwame Raoul
- **2015-03-05** Added as Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Jacqueline Y. Collins
- **2015-03-05** Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2015-03-05** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading March 10, 2015
- **2015-04-15** Chief Sponsor Changed to Sen. Steve Stadelman
- **2015-04-16** Chief Co-Sponsor Changed to Sen. John G. Mulroe
- **2015-04-21** Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Donne E. Trotter
- **2015-04-22** Third Reading - Passed; 054-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2015-04-23** Arrived in House `introduction`
- **2015-04-23** Chief House Sponsor Rep. Lou Lang
- **2015-04-23** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2015-04-23** Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2015-05-04** Assigned to Judiciary - Criminal Committee `referral-committee`
- **2015-05-08** Committee Deadline Extended-Rule 9(b) May 15, 2015
- **2015-05-12** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Esther Golar `amendment-introduction`
- **2015-05-12** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2015-05-13** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rules Refers to Judiciary - Criminal Committee
- **2015-05-14** Alternate Chief Sponsor Changed to Rep. Esther Golar
- **2015-05-14** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Adopted in Judiciary - Criminal Committee; by Voice Vote `amendment-passage`
- **2015-05-14** Do Pass as Amended / Short Debate Judiciary - Criminal Committee; 013-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2015-05-14** Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate
- **2015-05-19** Second Reading - Short Debate `reading-2`
- **2015-05-19** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate
- **2015-05-19** Added Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr.
- **2015-05-19** Added Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Eddie Lee Jackson, Sr.
- **2015-05-19** Added Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth
- **2015-05-19** Added Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Camille Y. Lilly
- **2015-05-20** Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 078-038-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2015-05-20** Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. Rita Mayfield
- **2015-05-20** Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. Kenneth Dunkin
- **2015-05-20** Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. Reginald Phillips
- **2015-05-20** Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. Patricia R. Bellock
- **2015-05-20** Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. La Shawn K. Ford
- **2015-05-21** Secretary's Desk - Concurrence House Amendment(s) 1
- **2015-05-21** Placed on Calendar Order of Concurrence House Amendment(s) 1 - May 22, 2015
- **2015-05-22** Chief Sponsor Changed to Sen. James F. Clayborne, Jr.
- **2015-05-27** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Motion to Concur Filed with Secretary Sen. James F. Clayborne, Jr. `filing`
- **2015-05-27** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Motion to Concur Referred to Assignments `referral-committee`
- **2015-05-27** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Motion to Concur Assignments Referred to Criminal Law `referral-committee`
- **2015-05-27** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Motion To Concur Recommended Do Adopt Criminal Law; 008-002-000
- **2015-05-30** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Senate Concurs 034-016-000
- **2015-05-30** Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Napoleon Harris, III
- **2015-05-30** Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Mattie Hunter
- **2015-05-30** Passed Both Houses
- **2015-06-26** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2015-08-17** Governor Approved `executive-signature`
- **2015-08-17** Effective Date January 1, 2016
- **2015-08-17** Public Act . . . . . . . . . 99-0385 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/7701be99-8454-4b44-bf8c-9bcd4b2ac888`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Illinois legislature records).