Third Reading
Illinois House and Senate, Illinois Constitution; House and Senate Rules, 104th General Assembly
The vote on passing the bill in this chamber. It passes only with a majority of all members elected — 60 in the House, 30 in the Senate — not just of those voting.
- A Yea meant:
- Pass the bill in this chamber.
- A Nay meant:
- Do not pass it.
After its third reading the chamber votes on final passage. The Illinois Constitution requires a record vote and a majority of the members elected to each chamber (Article IV, Section 8(c)): 60 of the 118 Representatives and 30 of the 59 Senators (Senate Rule 1-12). A member who is absent or votes Present counts the same as a No toward that threshold.
A bill passed after May 31 cannot take effect before June 1 of the next year unless three-fifths of the members elected to each chamber vote for an earlier date (Article IV, Section 10) — 71 in the House (House Rule 69), and in the Senate three-fifths of 59, which takes 36 votes.
A bill that passes goes to the other chamber, which reads it three times and votes on it too. A bill that loses on Third Reading in the House cannot be revived unless the vote is reconsidered (House Rule 37(f)).
Sources
- Constitution of the State of Illinois, Article IV, Sections 8 and 10
- Rules of the Illinois House of Representatives, 104th General Assembly, Rules 37, 69
- Rules of the Illinois Senate, 104th General Assembly (SR 4), Rule 1-12
Checked against these sources on 2026-10-12.