In 1997, the Illinois legislature passed House Bill 542 (Public Act 90-548) which changed teacher tenure requirements to a four-year, multi-tiered system that called for the accumulation of professional development credit for all teachers. The primary purpose of this study was to examine district responses to the 1997 legislation. To what degree, if any, did legislative requirements regarding the professional development of teachers affect the manner and means through which districts provided professional development for their teachers? This mixed-method study primarily involved the use of open-ended interviews with primary stakeholders in representative districts across the state. Examination of these districts' efforts to create and sustain professional development for their teachers revealed once again long-standing challenges and opportunities for professional development, creative approaches to nurturing human resources, and potential for more collaboration with universities and among schools and districts. (Contains 1 table.)