911 bill passes Illinois Senate, heads to Gov. Rauner

Both the House and the Senate have passed a bill that would revive 911 money and authorization in Illinois.

Senate Bill 1839 would renew the Emergency Telephone Act and increase a monthly surcharge for consumers. The ETA is set to expire July 1, and without a new law passed, call centers wouldn’t be allowed to provide services.

The House voted 81-27 and the Senate voted 53-3, both in favor of the bill. It will now head to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desk.

“Hopefully the governor will get this legislation on his desk and he’ll do the right thing and make sure 911 stays intact throughout the entire state,” said Herb Simmons, executive director of the St. Clair County Emergency Telephone Systems Board.

Lawmakers failed to vote on a state budget Wednesday, missing the midnight deadline to end the longest state budget drought in modern American history, according to the Associated Press.

This story was originally published May 31, 2017 at 6:29 PM with the headline "911 bill passes Illinois Senate, heads to Gov. Rauner."