Illinois 104th General Assembly Status: Introduced 9 D cosponsors

SB2202      — ACADEMIC FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Last action — Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Pursuant to Senate Rule 3-9(b) / Referred to Assignments

  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced February 07, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Prognosis

Advancing 38% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 9 sponsors

    1 primary, 8 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (9 D).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 4 recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

In plain language

The bill protects student speech rights at higher education institutions.

This bill prohibits higher education institutions from disciplining students for speech protected by the First Amendment. It also allows students to take legal action against institutions that violate these protections.

What this means for you
  • Students: This means you can speak freely on campus without risking disciplinary action as long as your speech is constitutionally protected.

Summary

Creates the Academic Freedom of Expression Act. Prohibits a public institution of higher education or private institution of higher education from making or enforcing a rule subjecting a student to disciplinary sanctions solely on the basis of conduct that is speech or other communication that, when engaged in outside the campus or facility of the institution, is protected from governmental restriction by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Allows a student enrolled in a private postsecondary institution at the time that the institution has made or enforced any rule violating the Act to commence a civil action to obtain appropriate injunctive and declaratory relief as determined by the court. Sets forth exceptions. Amends the Board of Higher Education Act. Grants the following powers to the Board of Higher Education: the power to adopt policies protecting academic freedom of speech; the power to support the Illinois Community College Board in developing its academic freedom of speech policies; and the power to establish and enforce rules requiring private institutions of higher education to develop and implement plans related to academic freedom of speech within a reasonable deadline. Amends the Public Community College Act. Grants the following power to the Illinois Community College Board: the power to create and enforce rules which ensure that all faculty members are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject where such freedom shall be extended within the confines of the course outcomes, degree or program requirements, and accreditation requirements; and the power to create and enforce rules which ensure that faculty members and students are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results.

Bill Text

We don't have the full text on file for this bill yet.

Read SB2202 on the official Illinois source →

Action History

  1. Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Pursuant to Senate Rule 3-9(b) / Referred to Assignments

  2. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments

  3. Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments

  4. Senate Floor Amendment No. 6 Recommend Do Adopt Executive; 013-000-000

  5. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Mike Porfirio

  6. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Robert F. Martwick

  7. Senate Floor Amendment No. 6 Assignments Refers to Executive

  8. Senate Floor Amendment No. 6 Referred to Assignments

  9. Senate Floor Amendment No. 6 Filed with Secretary by Sen. Graciela Guzmán

  10. Rule 2-10 Third Reading Deadline Established As May 31, 2026

  11. Senate Floor Amendment No. 5 Recommend Do Adopt Executive; 013-000-000

  12. Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Postponed - Executive

  13. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Postponed - Executive

  14. Senate Floor Amendment No. 5 Assignments Refers to Executive

  15. Senate Floor Amendment No. 5 Referred to Assignments

  16. Senate Floor Amendment No. 5 Filed with Secretary by Sen. Graciela Guzmán

  17. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton

  18. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Mike Simmons

  19. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Karina Villa

  20. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Michael E. Hastings

  21. Rule 2-10 Third Reading Deadline Established As May 22, 2026

  22. Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Assignments Refers to Executive

  23. Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Referred to Assignments

  24. Senate Floor Amendment No. 4 Filed with Secretary by Sen. Graciela Guzmán

  25. Rule 2-10 Third Reading Deadline Established As May 15, 2026

  26. Rule 2-10 Third Reading Deadline Established As May 8, 2026

  27. Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading April 28, 2026

  28. Senate Floor Amendment No. 3 Adopted; Guzman

  29. Second Reading

  30. Senate Floor Amendment No. 3 Recommend Do Adopt Executive; 012-000-000

  31. Senate Floor Amendment No. 3 Assignments Refers to Executive

  32. Senate Floor Amendment No. 3 Referred to Assignments

  33. Senate Floor Amendment No. 3 Filed with Secretary by Sen. Graciela Guzmán

  34. Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading March 12, 2026

  35. Do Pass as Amended Executive; 009-003-000

  36. Senate Committee Amendment No. 2 Adopted

  37. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Postponed - Executive

  38. Senate Committee Amendment No. 2 Assignments Refers to Executive

  39. Senate Committee Amendment No. 2 Referred to Assignments

  40. Senate Committee Amendment No. 2 Filed with Secretary by Sen. Graciela Guzmán

  41. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Assignments Refers to Executive

  42. Added as Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Robert Peters

  43. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred to Assignments

  44. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Secretary by Sen. Graciela Guzmán

  45. Re-assigned to Executive

  46. Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments

  47. Rule 2-10 Committee/3rd Reading Deadline Established As June 1, 2025

  48. Rule 2-10 Committee/3rd Reading Deadline Established As May 23, 2025

  49. Rule 2-10 Committee/3rd Reading Deadline Established As May 9, 2025

  50. Rule 2-10 Committee Deadline Established As April 11, 2025

  51. Assigned to Executive

  52. Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Rachel Ventura

  53. Referred to Assignments

  54. First Reading

  55. Filed with Secretary by Sen. Graciela Guzmán

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 8 co-sponsors · 174 not signed on · 3 voted No

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (8)

Not signed on (174)

174 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 174 →

"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.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Executive

Passed 13 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 4000
Democrat 9000
Total 13000
% of votes cast 100%0%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
Robert Peters Democrat Yea
Jil Tracy Republican Yea
John F. Curran Republican Yea
Neil Anderson Republican Yea
Sue Rezin Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Executive

Passed 13 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 4000
Democrat 9000
Total 13000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (13)
Member Party Vote
Bill Cunningham Democrat Yea
Cristina Castro Democrat Yea
Don Harmon Democrat Yea
Elgie R. Sims, Jr. Democrat Yea
Kimberly A. Lightford Democrat Yea
Laura M. Murphy Democrat Yea
Linda Holmes Democrat Yea
Mattie Hunter Democrat Yea
Omar Aquino Democrat Yea
Jil Tracy Republican Yea
John F. Curran Republican Yea
Neil Anderson Republican Yea
Sue Rezin Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Executive

Passed 12 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 4000
Democrat 8001
Total 12001
% of votes cast 92%0%0%8%
How each member voted (13)
Member Party Vote
Bill Cunningham Democrat Yea
Cristina Castro Democrat Yea
Don Harmon Democrat Yea
Kimberly A. Lightford Democrat Not Voting
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 Yea
John F. Curran Republican Yea
Neil Anderson Republican Yea
Sue Rezin Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Executive

Passed 9 Yea · 3 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 0301
Democrat 9000
Total 9301
% of votes cast 69%23%0%8%
How each member voted (13)
Member Party Vote
Bill Cunningham Democrat Yea
Cristina Castro Democrat Yea
Don Harmon Democrat Yea
Elgie R. Sims, Jr. Democrat Yea
Kimberly A. Lightford Democrat Yea
Laura M. Murphy Democrat Yea
Linda Holmes Democrat Yea
Mattie Hunter Democrat Yea
Omar Aquino Democrat Yea
Jil Tracy Republican Nay
John F. Curran Republican Nay
Neil Anderson Republican Nay
Sue Rezin Republican Not Voting

Official roll call →

Subjects

civil-rights education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB2202      do?
Creates the Academic Freedom of Expression Act. Prohibits a public institution of higher education or private institution of higher education from making or enforcing a rule subjecting a student to disciplinary sanctions solely on the basis of conduct that is speech or other communication that, when engaged in outside the campus or facility of the institution, is protected from governmental restriction by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Allows a student enrolled in a private postsecondary institution at the time that the institution has made or enforced any rule violating the Act to commence a civil action to obtain appropriate injunctive and declaratory relief as determined by the court. Sets forth exceptions. Amends the Board of Higher Education Act. Grants the following powers to the Board of Higher Education: the power to adopt policies protecting academic freedom of speech; the power to support the Illinois Community College Board in developing its academic freedom of speech policies; and the power to establish and enforce rules requiring private institutions of higher education to develop and implement plans related to academic freedom of speech within a reasonable deadline. Amends the Public Community College Act. Grants the following power to the Illinois Community College Board: the power to create and enforce rules which ensure that all faculty members are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject where such freedom shall be extended within the confines of the course outcomes, degree or program requirements, and accreditation requirements; and the power to create and enforce rules which ensure that faculty members and students are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results.
Who sponsors SB2202     ?
SB2202      is sponsored by Graciela Guzmán (Democrat), Robert Peters (Democrat), Rachel Ventura (Democrat), Michael E. Hastings (Democrat), Karina Villa (Democrat), Mike Simmons (Democrat), Suzy Glowiak Hilton (Democrat), Robert F. Martwick (Democrat), and Mike Porfirio (Democrat).
What is the current status of SB2202     ?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced February 07, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB2202     ?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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