Highlighting new education laws passed this year

1. Top New Laws for 2016
Education

2. Illinois lawmakers passed several
new laws this year
to improve Illinois schools.
Top New Laws for 2016
Education

3. The hottest issue for K-12
education in 2016 is
reforming the
school funding formula.
Top New Laws for 2016
Education

4. Along with funding reform,
we took on several other
education issues.
Top New Laws for 2016
Education

5. State Seal of Biliteracy
State universities and community colleges will accept
the State Seal of Biliteracy as the equivalent of two
years of foreign language learning taken during high
school. The State Seal of Biliteracy is awarded to high
school students demonstrating proficiency in English
and at least one more other language. Sponsored by
Senator Iris Y. Martinez.
HB 4330 | Read more:
Martinez passes bill to get students college credit for foreign
language courses
Top New Laws for 2016
Education

6. Laws apply to charter schools
Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins’ House Bill 3199
requires charter schools, which are funded with
public dollars, to comply with all state absenteeism
and truancy laws applicable to traditional public
schools.
HB 3199 | Read more:
Collins’ proposed education measures become law
Top 5 New Laws for 2016
Education

7. School breakfast
Breakfast will be available to more Illinois
schoolchildren under a measure sponsored
by Senator Don Harmon. Requires public
elementary, middle and high schools with a
student low-income rate of at least 70
percent to offer breakfast to students after
the instructional day has begun.
SB 2393 | Read more:
Harmon school breakfast expansion signed into law
Top 5 New Laws for 2016
Education

8. Top 5 New Laws for 2016
Legislation sponsored by Senator Bill
Cunningham creates a grant fund to help
school districts fund personnel costs for an
agriculture education teacher.
Agriculture education
SB 2975 | Read more:
Cunningham helps keep agriculture education strong in Illinois
Education

9. Top 5 New Laws for 2016
Sen. Tony Munoz, former police officer,
sponsored legislation to allow Illinois
school districts to implement traffic
safety cameras on buses. Vehicles
ignoring the signals may hit
pedestrians.
School bus safety
HB 208 | Read more:
Munoz: remember to respect school bus stop signs
Education

10. Top 5 New Laws for 2016
Illinois suspends more African-American
students than any other state in the U.S.
To address the overall frequency of out-
of-school discipline, a new law from
Sen. Kimberly Lightford will help ensure
all students are in school and off the
streets as much as possible.
Racial disparity in school
discipline
SB 100 | Read more:
New law addresses racial disparity in school discipline
Education

11. Top New Laws for 2016
Education
Summaries of all new Illinois laws are available on the
Illinois General Assembly Homepage: www.ilga.gov
www.IllinoisSenateDemocrats.com