SPRINGFIELD – A bill allowing county sheriffs to serve on local 911 boards is on its way to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk to be signed into law.

This bill, House Bill 5128, was sponsored by State Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis). It earned unanimous support from the Illinois Senate on Thursday. Windhorst was joined by State Sen. Dale Fowler in successfully advancing HB 5128 through the General Assembly.

Windhorst says the need for this legislation arose when a question came about as to whether a county sheriff would be able to serve on a 911 board. Windhorst worked with local stakeholders to bring forward this bill and worked with Senator Fowler to ensure it could pass the Senate.

Windhorst says that county sheriffs are well-qualified members of the law enforcement community and also very familiar with their how their county’s 911 system works.

Windhorst believes this is a commonsense measure which will clarify the law. He says we will always need strong, qualified appointees serving on our 911 boards, and county sheriffs meet these requirements.