The 104th General Assembly wrapped up its spring session on May 31, and while it was an eventful final week, ultimately, a number of high-profile initiatives fell short of the deadline. Below, we review some of the bills highlighted in our April blog post, consider how the evolving federal context shaped (and will continue to shape) state action, and discuss what we are watching moving forward.
Highlights
Major Changes to the Dual Credit Quality Act
A major amendment to the Dual Credit Quality Act (DCQA) was passed through shell bills (SB404 and HB2967). While we celebrate some provisions, we are disappointed to see several provisions that substantially alter the impact of the DCQA and the dual credit landscape in the state. Broadly, this signals a need for coherence and collaboration across secondary and postsecondary to advance this critical priority.
We are excited to see professional development plans extended in perpetuity as a strategy to address critical gaps in credentialed instructors and celebrate the emphasis on evaluating the impact of this bill in five years. We are eager to see the creation of a representative dual credit committee that can assess progress on scaling and outcomes of dual credit and consider updates to policy and practice.
However, our excitement is tempered by changes to partnership processes, which effectively render the Model Partnership Agreement a template rather than a default expectation, despite the agreement having served as a model policy since its creation. The new bill changes expectations regarding timelines and actions that secondary and postsecondary partners need to take to pursue new partnerships and emphasizes the right of first refusal of the local community college over other providers. We will be working with local and statewide partners to navigate the new policy context, as well as monitor the Illinois Community College Board’s rule development for opportunities to ensure implementation aligns with equitably scaling quality opportunities for students.
Artificial Intelligence Guidance
To leverage emerging technologies in enhancing access to and success in college and career preparation for all learners, particularly those from historically marginalized communities, our leaders need to grapple with the evolving realities of AI. SB1920 directs the Illinois State Board of Education to develop statewide guidance for school districts and educators on the use of artificial intelligence in elementary and secondary education, in consultation with stakeholders. This runs in parallel with the federal executive order calling for an AI Task Force, and we hope to see a robust stakeholder engagement process to inform this essential guidance for school leaders throughout Illinois.
Chronic Absence Task Force
Chronic absenteeism remains a huge challenge in schools across the state. SB407 establishes a Chronic Absence Task Force to examine the causes of chronic absenteeism in children from early childhood through grade 12 and develop a statewide strategy for mitigating the issue. We are eager to learn more as this task force is convened, and hope that strategies to ensure learning is relevant and engaging, such as contextualized learning, work-based learning, and pathways, will be considered.
Regional Manufacturing Partnerships
As we have learned in our work with the IMA Education Foundation on our Scaling Transformative Advanced Manufacturing Pathways (STAMP) initiative, regional partnerships are essential to scaling pathways that include robust career-focused instruction and work-based learning opportunities. SB58 directs the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to create a technical assistance program for emerging regional manufacturing partnerships connecting employers with secondary and postsecondary students. Our learnings from STAMP districts can help DCEO and its partners envision what this technical assistance should include to ensure success.
Higher Education in Focus
Throughout this session, a major focus was on higher education-related bills. This emphasis tracks alongside a broader statewide and national dialogue about the value of higher education and access to education. According to Gallup and Lumina’s 2025 State of Higher Education Report, most Americans maintain strong faith in the value of higher education degrees, and personal and financial factors impact the interest and ability of individuals to pursue or complete those degrees. In Illinois, Public Agenda’s report “Who Gets to Learn? Illinoisans’ Views on Public Higher Education” echoed these sentiments and signaled a general interest from Illinoisans in increasing higher education system investment in the state.
Despite these sentiments, several major higher ed bills stalled, including the Adequate and Equitable Funding effort and the Community College Baccalaureate initiative which both stalled late in session, despite substantial engagement by policymakers, advocates, and the general public.
Several bills related to higher education ultimately passed. First, the Direct Admissions Act (HB3522) passed both houses and is poised to significantly reduce the friction for students to be admitted to public community colleges and select public universities. Another effort to reduce friction in the higher education pipeline, the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act (SB1958), passed both houses and will help improve the way credits transfer between community colleges and universities. Although the Adequate and Equitable Funding bill did not pass, its companion bill (SB2039) will result in a robust higher education data dashboard to illuminate how our institutions are delivering on their promise to Illinois students.
What’s Next?
The bills that have been passed are headed to Governor Pritzker’s desk within 30 days of their passage (which varies by bill). From that point, the Governor has 60 calendar days to issue a full or partial veto. We do not anticipate any vetoes on the bills noted above.
Looming large is the federal context. The President’s Skinny Budget and the federal budget bills working their way through Congress are poised to cut millions in both direct education funding, as well as funding streams like Medicaid, which will in turn impact how states shape their own budgets. A fall 2024 voter poll from All4Ed signaled voter support for increasing public education funding, but one of the most significant areas of cuts appears to be education throughout the P-20 pipeline, particularly higher education and financial aid. Even where funding is preserved, there is broad recognition that the federal staffing cuts are making it more difficult for state and district partners to navigate evolving systems. Ultimately, the most vulnerable students stand to lose: supportive services, need-based financial aid, mental health programming, and strategies to reach those furthest from opportunity are all on the chopping block. Once the federal budget process is complete, the Illinois General Assembly is likely to be re-convened for a special session this summer or fall to focus on passing a full state budget that addresses revenue gaps created by both federal action and evolving state context.
Our state leaders will both need to grapple with the fiscal implications, as well as risks to critical data and research that are in jeopardy with the cuts to the National Center for Education Research (NCER), which has served to help us make sense of what the most effective strategies are for improving student learning and outcomes. Illinois policymakers will need to collaborate to consider data collection, privacy, and research priorities that will help inform continuous improvement in the state. We hope that a part of that work can include a shared and funded research agenda and governance structure to systematically examine the efficacy and equity of statewide policies and programs, coupled with data that are integrated across our systems to facilitate this research.
Ultimately, the close of the 104th GA is a touchpoint in an ever-evolving policy landscape. We look forward to continuing to partner with our state and local leaders to ensure Illinois systems are serving students effectively amid these challenges.
