Carbondale Reporter

Terri Bryant introduced SB0115 in the Illinois Senate on Jan. 17, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Interscholastic Athletic Organization Act. Provides that an association or other entity that promotes, sponsors, regulates, or in any manner provides for interscholastic athletics or any form of athletic competition among schools and students within the State may not adopt or maintain in effect any bylaw, rule, regulation, or policy which does not allow equal access for participation in interscholastic athletics or athletic competitions by a student based upon whether the student attends a public school, nonpublic school, or home school if the association or other entity receives any membership or other dues or fees from the governing body of any public elementary or public secondary school in the State. Effective immediately."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Interscholastic Athletic Organization Act to ensure equal access for students participating in interscholastic athletics or athletic competitions across Illinois. It prohibits any association or entity that promotes, sponsors, or regulates school athletics—while receiving dues or fees from public school governing bodies—from implementing any policies, rules, or regulations that discriminate against students based on whether they attend public, nonpublic, or home schools. This legislation is designed to provide an equitable playing field for all students participating in school athletic programs in the state. The bill takes effect immediately upon becoming law.

Terri Bryant has proposed one other bill since the beginning of the 104th session.

Terri Bryant is currently serving in the Illinois State Senate, representing the state's 58th Senate District. She replaced previous state senator Paul Schimpf in 2021.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
SB0115	01/17/2025	Amends the Interscholastic Athletic Organization Act. Provides that an association or other entity that promotes, sponsors, regulates, or in any manner provides for interscholastic athletics or any form of athletic competition among schools and students within the State may not adopt or maintain in effect any bylaw, rule, regulation, or policy which does not allow equal access for participation in interscholastic athletics or athletic competitions by a student based upon whether the student attends a public school, nonpublic school, or home school if the association or other entity receives any membership or other dues or fees from the governing body of any public elementary or public secondary school in the State. Effective immediately.
SB0116	01/17/2025	Amends the Election Code and the School Code. Provides for 5 additional members of the State Board of Education to be elected at the general election in 2028 and every 4 years thereafter. Provides that one member shall be elected from each judicial district. Provides that the 5 members shall be elected on a nonpartisan basis. Provides that a petition for nomination of a candidate for member of the State Board shall be signed by at least 0.5% of the total number of registered voters in the judicial district. Provides that beginning on the date when the 5 members initially elected take office, a majority of the State Board shall constitute a quorum. Makes related changes.
SB0156	01/17/2025	Creates the Dignity for Aborted Children Act. Provides that, notwithstanding any State law or administrative rule to the contrary, any physician after performing an abortion shall provide the patient with an informed consent form, provided by the Department of Public Health, offering the patient specified options for disposal of the human fetal tissue from the abortion. Provides that it is unlawful for any physician, after performing an abortion in which the patient elects to release the human fetal tissue to the physician, to fail to provide for the final disposition of the human fetal tissue through interment or cremation, consistent with State law regarding the disposal of human remains, not later than 7 days after the date on which the abortion procedure was performed. Requires physicians who perform abortions and persons, not including patients, to whom human fetal tissue are transferred to submit annual reports to the Department containing specified information. Contains provisions specifying civil penalties, criminal designations, and consideration of action by the Illinois State Medical Board. Provides that a patient upon whom an abortion is performed or attempted in violation of the Act may not be prosecuted under the Act or for a conspiracy to violate the Act. Provides that the Department shall submit to the General Assembly an annual report on the number of abortions, procedure type, and method of disposal of human fetal tissue under the Act.
SB0165	01/17/2025	Creates the Ultrasound Opportunity Act. Sets forth legislative findings and definitions. Provides that at any facility where abortions are performed, the physician who is to perform the abortion, the referring physician, or another qualified person working in conjunction with either physician shall offer any woman seeking an abortion after 8 weeks of gestation an opportunity to receive and view an active ultrasound of her unborn child by someone qualified to perform ultrasounds at the facility, or at a facility listed in a listing of local ultrasound providers provided by the facility, prior to the woman having any part of an abortion performed or induced and prior to the administration of any anesthesia or medication in preparation for the abortion. Provides that the requirements of the Act shall not apply when, in the medical judgment of the physician performing or inducing the abortion, there exists a medical emergency. Contains a severability provision. Effective immediately.
SB0168	01/17/2025	Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. In provisions concerning the conviction of certain offenses as grounds for disqualification for licensure or suspension or revocation of a license, includes in the definition of "sex or other offense" abuse by an educator or authority figure as defined in the Criminal Code of 2012. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Creates the offense of abuse by an educator or authority figure. Provides that a person commits the offense if that person is an educator or authority figure at the school, the student is at least 18 years of age but under 23 years of age, the person is at least 4 years older than the student and holds or held within the previous year a position of trust, authority, or supervision in relation to the student in connection with an educational or extracurricular program or activity, and the person either: (1) commits an act of sexual conduct with the student; or (2) commits an act of sexual penetration with the student. Provides that abuse by an educator or authority figure involving sexual conduct is a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent offense or if there is more than one victim. Provides that abuse by an educator or authority figure involving sexual penetration is a Class 4 felony for the first offense and a Class 3 felony for a second or subsequent offense or if there is more than one victim. Provides that consent of the victim is not a defense to abuse by an educator or authority figure. Defines "authority figure" and "educator".
SB0183	01/17/2025	Amends the General Provisions and State Employee Articles of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that the alternative retirement annuity under the State Employee Article applies to a security employee of the Department of Human Services subject to the Tier 2 provisions. Provides that a security employee of the Department of Human Services subject to the Tier 2 provisions may convert up to 8 years of service credit established before the effective date of the amendatory Act as a security employee of the Department of Human Services under the State Employee Article into eligible creditable service by filing a written election with the Board under that Article, accompanied by a specified payment. Excludes a benefit increase resulting from the amendatory Act from the definition of "new benefit increase". Effective immediately.
SB0057	01/13/2025	Amends the State Property Control Act. Provides that the Board of Trustees of a public university or college in Illinois that offers courses in aviation, flight training, or other subjects involving knowledge of the workings of an airplane may sell a qualified transferable airplane to a bona fide purchaser for value and on terms that are in the best interests of that public university or college and are consistent with that university's or college's objects and purposes. Provides that the public university or college may retain the proceeds from the sale in a separate account for the purpose of maintaining the university's or college's fleet of aircraft or for the purpose of purchasing replacement aircraft.