Bill > HB5579

This bill, titled the Local Referendum Neutrality and Taxpayer Protection Act, aims to regulate how public funds and resources are used in relation to local referendums, which are ballot questions initiated by local government entities, school districts, or special districts concerning taxes or bond issuances. It specifies that public bodies can only spend public money for limited purposes, such as preparing a neutral explanatory statement that factually describes the referendum's legal effect and fiscal impact without any persuasive language, publishing the official ballot language, and distributing arguments submitted by designated official committees. To create these official committees, the election authority, which is the local official responsible for elections, will designate one committee to represent the "in favor" side and another for the "opposed" side, based on which committees gather the most verified endorsements from registered voters in the jurisdiction. The bill also prohibits public employees and bodies from using public funds, facilities, or compensated work time for activities intended to influence voters for or against a referendum, such as polling, message testing, or social media advocacy, and amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act to classify such actions as prohibited political activity.

https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/BillStatus?DocNum=5579&GAID=18&DocTypeID=HB&SessionID=114&GA=104