HB5558 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 18092 TRT 31531 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB5558

Introduced 2/13/2026, by Rep. Kimberly Du Buclet

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

55 ILCS 5/5-39001

from Ch. 34, par. 5-39001

Amends the Counties Code. In provisions concerning county law libraries, provides that county law libraries shall be open whenever the court house is open, unless the law library is closed based on operational necessity or as determined by the county board. Authorizes other appropriate county offices (rather than only the county treasurer) to retain fees and charges of the clerk in a County Law Library Fund and disburse those funds when ordered to do so.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning local government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Counties Code is amended by changing Section 5-39001 as follows:

(55 ILCS 5/5-39001) (from Ch. 34, par. 5-39001)

Sec. 5-39001. Establishment and use; fee. The county board of any county may establish and maintain a county law library, to be located in any county building or privately or publicly owned building at the county seat of government. The term "county building" includes premises leased by the county from a public building commission created under the Public Building Commission Act. After August 2, 1976, the county board of any county may establish and maintain a county law library at the county seat of government and, in addition, branch law libraries in other locations within that county as the county board deems necessary.

The facilities of those libraries shall be freely available to all licensed Illinois attorneys, judges, other public officers of the county, and all members of the public, whenever the court house is open, and may include self-help centers and other legal assistance programs for the public as part of the services it provides on-site and online. The libraries shall be open whenever the court house is open, unless the libraries are closed based on operational necessity or as determined by the county board.

The expense of establishing and maintaining those libraries shall be borne by the county. To defray that expense, including the expense of any attendant self-help centers and legal assistance programs, in any county having established a county law library or libraries, the clerk of all trial courts located at the county seat of government shall charge and collect a county law library fee of $2, and the county board may authorize a county law library fee of not to exceed $21 through December 31, 2021 and $20 on and after January 1, 2022, to be charged and collected by the clerks of all trial courts located in the county. The fee shall be paid at the time of filing the first pleading, paper, or other appearance filed by each party in all civil cases, but no additional fee shall be required if more than one party is represented in a single pleading, paper, or other appearance.

Each clerk shall commence those charges and collections upon receipt of written notice from the chairman of the county board that the board has acted under this Division to establish and maintain a law library.

The fees shall be in addition to all other fees and charges of the clerks, assessable as costs, remitted by the clerks monthly to the county treasurer or other appropriate county office, and retained by the county treasurer in a special fund designated as the County Law Library Fund. Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, disbursements from the fund shall be made by the county treasurer, on order of a majority of the resident circuit judges of the circuit court of the county. In any county with more than 2,000,000 inhabitants, the county board shall order disbursements from the fund and the presiding officer of the county board, with the advice and consent of the county board, may appoint a library committee of not less than 9 members, who, by majority vote, may recommend to the county board as to disbursements of the fund and the operation of the library. In single county circuits with 2,000,000 or fewer inhabitants, disbursements from the County Law Library Fund shall be made by the county treasurer on the order of the chief judge of the circuit court of the county. In those single county circuits, the number of personnel necessary to operate and maintain the county law library shall be set by and those personnel shall be appointed by the chief judge. The county law library personnel shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. The salaries of those personnel shall be fixed by the county board of the county. Orders shall be pre-audited, funds shall be audited by the county auditor, and a report of the orders and funds shall be rendered to the county board and to the judges.

Fees shall not be charged in any criminal or quasi-criminal case, in any matter coming to the clerk on change of venue, or in any proceeding to review the decision of any administrative officer, agency, or body.

No moneys distributed from the County Law Library Fund may be directly or indirectly used for lobbying activities, as defined in Section 2 of the Lobbyist Registration Act or as defined in any ordinance or resolution of a municipality, county, or other unit of local government in Illinois.

(Source: P.A. 98-351, eff. 8-15-13; 99-859, eff. 8-19-16.)