HB4420 — COLLEGE PRESS ACT-PUBLIC MEDIA
Last action — Public Act . . . . . . . . . 104-0488
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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✓Passed House
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✓Passed Senate
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5To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced January 14, 2026. It awaits signature.
Next likely step: the executive signs it into law or issues a veto.
Prognosis
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To Executive
Current position in the legislative process.
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10 sponsors
1 primary, 9 co-sponsors signed on.
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Single-party support
Sponsorship is currently within one party (5 D).
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Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 4 recorded votes so far.
Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.
In plain language
The bill ensures campus media is a public forum free from prior review by officials.
This bill amends the College Campus Press Act to designate public media at state universities as a public forum. It prohibits prior review of this media by university officials and grants legal recourse for violations.
Summary
Amends the College Campus Press Act. Defines "public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning". Provides that all public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning is a public forum for expression by the employees producing the media at the institution of higher learning. Provides that public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning is not subject to prior review by public officials of the State-sponsored institution of higher learning. Allows an employee or agent of an entity creating or distributing public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning to commence a civil action to obtain appropriate injunctive and declaratory relief as determined by a court for violation of the Act by such State-sponsored institution of higher learning. Provides that expression made by an employee or agent of an entity creating or distributing public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning is neither expression of campus policy nor speech attributable to a State-sponsored institution of higher learning. Provides that a State-sponsored institution of higher learning is immune from any lawsuit arising from expression actually made in public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning. Makes other changes.
Bill Text
We don't have the full text on file for this bill yet.
Read HB4420 on the official Illinois source →Action History
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Public Act . . . . . . . . . 104-0488
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Effective Date January 1, 2027
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Governor Approved
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Sent to the Governor
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Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Steve Stadelman
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Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Mary Edly-Allen
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Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Michael W. Halpin
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Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Karina Villa
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Passed Both Houses
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Third Reading - Passed; 039-019-000
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Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading May 18, 2026
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Second Reading
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Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading May 7, 2026
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Do Pass Executive; 009-004-000
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Assigned to Executive
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Referred to Assignments
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First Reading
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Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. David Koehler
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Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading
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Arrive in Senate
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Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 075-036-000
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Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Katie Stuart
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Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Gregg Johnson
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Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth
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Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate
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Second Reading - Short Debate
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Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch
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Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate
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Do Pass / Short Debate Higher Education Committee; 011-000-000
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Assigned to Higher Education Committee
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Referred to Rules Committee
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First Reading
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Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Sharon Chung
Sponsors
- David Koehler · Cosponsor
- Karina Villa · Cosponsor
- Michael W. Halpin · Cosponsor
- Mary Edly-Allen · Cosponsor
- Steve Stadelman · Cosponsor
- Sharon Chung · Primary
- Jehan Gordon-Booth · Cosponsor
- Gregg Johnson · Cosponsor
- Katie Stuart · Cosponsor
- Emanuel "Chris" Welch · Cosponsor
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 9 co-sponsors · 173 not signed on · 54 voted No
Sponsors (1)
- Sharon Chung Democrat
Co-sponsors (9)
- David Koehler
- Karina Villa
- Michael W. Halpin
- Mary Edly-Allen
- Steve Stadelman
- Jehan Gordon-Booth Democrat
- Gregg Johnson Democrat
- Katie Stuart Democrat
- Emanuel "Chris" Welch Democrat
Not signed on (173)
173 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 173 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Democrat | 37 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unaffiliated | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 38 | 19 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 66% | 33% | 0% | 2% |
How each member voted (58)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson | — | Yea |
| Bill Cunningham | Democrat | Yea |
| Celina Villanueva | Democrat | Yea |
| Christopher Belt | Democrat | Yea |
| Cristina Castro | Democrat | Yea |
| David Koehler | Democrat | Yea |
| Doris Turner | Democrat | Yea |
| Elgie R. Sims, Jr. | Democrat | Yea |
| Graciela Guzmán | Democrat | Yea |
| Javier L. Cervantes | Democrat | Yea |
| Julie A. Morrison | Democrat | Yea |
| Karina Villa | Democrat | Yea |
| Kimberly A. Lightford | Democrat | Yea |
| Lakesia Collins | Democrat | Yea |
| Laura Ellman | Democrat | Yea |
| Laura Fine | Democrat | Yea |
| Laura M. Murphy | Democrat | Yea |
| Linda Holmes | Democrat | Yea |
| Mark L. Walker | Democrat | Yea |
| Mary Edly-Allen | Democrat | Yea |
| Mattie Hunter | Democrat | Yea |
| Meg Loughran Cappel | Democrat | Yea |
| Michael E. Hastings | Democrat | Yea |
| Michael W. Halpin | Democrat | Yea |
| Mike Porfirio | Democrat | Yea |
| Mike Simmons | Democrat | Yea |
| Napoleon Harris III | Democrat | Not Voting |
| Omar Aquino | Democrat | Yea |
| Patrick J. Joyce | Democrat | Yea |
| Paul Faraci | Democrat | Yea |
| Rachel Ventura | Democrat | Yea |
| Ram Villivalam | Democrat | Yea |
| Robert F. Martwick | Democrat | Yea |
| Robert Peters | Democrat | Yea |
| Sara Feigenholtz | Democrat | Yea |
| Steve Stadelman | Democrat | Yea |
| Suzy Glowiak Hilton | Democrat | Yea |
| Thaddeus Jones | Democrat | Yea |
| Willie Preston | Democrat | Yea |
| Andrew S. Chesney | Republican | Nay |
| Chapin Rose | Republican | Nay |
| Chris Balkema | Republican | Nay |
| Craig Wilcox | Republican | Nay |
| Dale Fowler | Republican | Nay |
| Darby A. Hills | Republican | Nay |
| Dave Syverson | Republican | Nay |
| Donald P. DeWitte | Republican | Nay |
| Erica Harriss | Republican | Nay |
| Jason Plummer | Republican | Nay |
| Jil Tracy | Republican | Nay |
| John F. Curran | Republican | Nay |
| Li Arellano, Jr. | Republican | Nay |
| Neil Anderson | Republican | Nay |
| Sally J. Turner | Republican | Nay |
| Seth Lewis | Republican | Nay |
| Steve McClure | Republican | Nay |
| Sue Rezin | Republican | Nay |
| Terri Bryant | Republican | Nay |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Democrat | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 69% | 31% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (13)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Cunningham | Democrat | Yea |
| Cristina Castro | Democrat | Yea |
| Don Harmon | Democrat | Yea |
| Kimberly A. Lightford | Democrat | Yea |
| Laura M. Murphy | Democrat | Yea |
| Linda Holmes | Democrat | Yea |
| Mattie Hunter | Democrat | Yea |
| Napoleon Harris III | Democrat | Yea |
| Omar Aquino | Democrat | Yea |
| Jil Tracy | Republican | Nay |
| John F. Curran | Republican | Nay |
| Neil Anderson | Republican | Nay |
| Sue Rezin | Republican | Nay |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrat | 72 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Republican | 0 | 35 | 0 | 4 |
| Unaffiliated | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 74 | 36 | 0 | 7 |
| % of votes cast | 63% | 31% | 0% | 6% |
How each member voted (117)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Jacobs | — | Nay |
| Johnson | — | Yea |
| Hernandez, Lisa | — | Yea |
| Aarón M. Ortíz | Democrat | Yea |
| Abdelnasser Rashid | Democrat | Yea |
| Amy Briel | Democrat | Yea |
| Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar | Democrat | Yea |
| Ann M. Williams | Democrat | Yea |
| Anna Moeller | Democrat | Yea |
| Anne Stava | Democrat | Yea |
| Anthony DeLuca | Democrat | Yea |
| Barbara Hernandez | Democrat | Yea |
| Bob Morgan | Democrat | Yea |
| Camille Y. Lilly | Democrat | Yea |
| Carol Ammons | Democrat | Yea |
| Curtis J. Tarver, II | Democrat | Yea |
| Dagmara Avelar | Democrat | Yea |
| Daniel Didech | Democrat | Yea |
| Dave Vella | Democrat | Yea |
| Debbie Meyers-Martin | Democrat | Yea |
| Diane Blair-Sherlock | Democrat | Yea |
| Edgar González, Jr. | Democrat | Yea |
| Eva-Dina Delgado | Democrat | Yea |
| Fred Crespo | Democrat | Yea |
| Harry Benton | Democrat | Yea |
| Hoan Huynh | Democrat | Not Voting |
| Jaime M. Andrade, Jr. | Democrat | Yea |
| Janet Yang Rohr | Democrat | Yea |
| Jawaharial Williams | Democrat | Yea |
| Jay Hoffman | Democrat | Yea |
| Jehan Gordon-Booth | Democrat | Yea |
| Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz | Democrat | Yea |
| Joyce Mason | Democrat | Yea |
| Justin Cochran | Democrat | Yea |
| Justin Slaughter | Democrat | Yea |
| Kam Buckner | Democrat | Yea |
| Katie Stuart | Democrat | Yea |
| Kelly M. Cassidy | Democrat | Yea |
| Kevin John Olickal | Democrat | Yea |
| Kimberly Du Buclet | Democrat | Yea |
| La Shawn K. Ford | Democrat | Not Voting |
| Laura Faver Dias | Democrat | Yea |
| Lawrence "Larry" Walsh, Jr. | Democrat | Yea |
| Lilian Jiménez | Democrat | Yea |
| Lindsey LaPointe | Democrat | Yea |
| Lisa Davis | Democrat | Yea |
| Marcus C. Evans, Jr. | Democrat | Yea |
| Margaret A. DeLaRosa | Democrat | Yea |
| Margaret Croke | Democrat | Yea |
| Martha Deuter | Democrat | Yea |
| Mary Beth Canty | Democrat | Yea |
| Mary Gill | Democrat | Yea |
| Matt Hanson | Democrat | Yea |
| Maura Hirschauer | Democrat | Yea |
| Maurice A. West, II | Democrat | Yea |
| Michael Crawford | Democrat | Yea |
| Michael J. Kelly | Democrat | Yea |
| Michelle Mussman | Democrat | Yea |
| Nabeela Syed | Democrat | Yea |
| Natalie A. Manley | Democrat | Yea |
| Nicholas K. Smith | Democrat | Yea |
| Nicolle Grasse | Democrat | Yea |
| Norma Hernandez | Democrat | Yea |
| Rick Ryan | Democrat | Not Voting |
| Rita Mayfield | Democrat | Yea |
| Robert "Bob" Rita | Democrat | Yea |
| Robyn Gabel | Democrat | Yea |
| Sharon Chung | Democrat | Yea |
| Sonya M. Harper | Democrat | Yea |
| Stephanie A. Kifowit | Democrat | Yea |
| Sue Scherer | Democrat | Yea |
| Suzanne M. Ness | Democrat | Yea |
| Thaddeus Jones | Democrat | Yea |
| Theresa Mah | Democrat | Yea |
| Tracy Katz Muhl | Democrat | Yea |
| Will Guzzardi | Democrat | Yea |
| William "Will" Davis | Democrat | Yea |
| Yolonda Morris | Democrat | Yea |
| Adam M. Niemerg | Republican | Nay |
| Amy Elik | Republican | Nay |
| Amy L. Grant | Republican | Not Voting |
| Blaine Wilhour | Republican | Nay |
| Brad Halbrook | Republican | Nay |
| Brad Stephens | Republican | Not Voting |
| Bradley Fritts | Republican | Nay |
| Brandun Schweizer | Republican | Nay |
| Charles Meier | Republican | Nay |
| Chris Miller | Republican | Nay |
| Christopher "C.D." Davidsmeyer | Republican | Nay |
| Dan Swanson | Republican | Nay |
| Daniel J. Ugaste | Republican | Nay |
| Dave Severin | Republican | Nay |
| David Friess | Republican | Nay |
| Dennis Tipsword | Republican | Nay |
| Jackie Haas | Republican | Nay |
| Jason R. Bunting | Republican | Nay |
| Jed Davis | Republican | Nay |
| Jeff Keicher | Republican | Nay |
| Jennifer Sanalitro | Republican | Nay |
| Joe C. Sosnowski | Republican | Nay |
| John M. Cabello | Republican | Nay |
| Kevin Schmidt | Republican | Not Voting |
| Kyle Moore | Republican | Nay |
| Martin McLaughlin | Republican | Nay |
| Michael J. Coffey, Jr. | Republican | Nay |
| Nicole La Ha | Republican | Nay |
| Norine K. Hammond | Republican | Nay |
| Patrick Sheehan | Republican | Nay |
| Patrick Windhorst | Republican | Nay |
| Regan Deering | Republican | Nay |
| Ryan Spain | Republican | Nay |
| Steven Reick | Republican | Nay |
| Tom Weber | Republican | Nay |
| Tony M. McCombie | Republican | Nay |
| Travis Weaver | Republican | Nay |
| Wayne A. Rosenthal | Republican | Not Voting |
| William E Hauter | Republican | Nay |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrat | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Republican | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 92% | 0% | 0% | 8% |
How each member voted (12)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Aarón M. Ortíz | Democrat | Yea |
| Barbara Hernandez | Democrat | Yea |
| Carol Ammons | Democrat | Not Voting |
| Diane Blair-Sherlock | Democrat | Yea |
| Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz | Democrat | Yea |
| Katie Stuart | Democrat | Yea |
| Sharon Chung | Democrat | Yea |
| Tracy Katz Muhl | Democrat | Yea |
| Dan Swanson | Republican | Yea |
| Daniel J. Ugaste | Republican | Yea |
| David Friess | Republican | Yea |
| Wayne A. Rosenthal | Republican | Yea |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does HB4420 do?
- Amends the College Campus Press Act. Defines "public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning". Provides that all public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning is a public forum for expression by the employees producing the media at the institution of higher learning. Provides that public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning is not subject to prior review by public officials of the State-sponsored institution of higher learning. Allows an employee or agent of an entity creating or distributing public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning to commence a civil action to obtain appropriate injunctive and declaratory relief as determined by a court for violation of the Act by such State-sponsored institution of higher learning. Provides that expression made by an employee or agent of an entity creating or distributing public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning is neither expression of campus policy nor speech attributable to a State-sponsored institution of higher learning. Provides that a State-sponsored institution of higher learning is immune from any lawsuit arising from expression actually made in public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning. Makes other changes.
- Who sponsors HB4420 ?
- HB4420 is sponsored by David Koehler, Karina Villa, Michael W. Halpin, Mary Edly-Allen, Steve Stadelman, Sharon Chung (Democrat), Jehan Gordon-Booth (Democrat), Gregg Johnson (Democrat), Katie Stuart (Democrat), and Emanuel "Chris" Welch (Democrat).
- What is the current status of HB4420 ?
- This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced January 14, 2026. It awaits signature.
- Where can I track HB4420 ?
- Track HB4420 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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