SB 1605 Illinois Senate · 104th Regular Session

SCH CD-REQ HIGH SCHOOL COURSE

Summary

Amends the School Code. With respect to prerequisites to receiving a high school diploma, provides that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, agricultural education, agricultural business, or any other course that relates to agriculture satisfies the vocational education requirement. Effective immediately.

Issues: ✓ Education

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Apr 2025

Committee Review

May 2025

Senate Passage

May 2025

House Passage

May 2025

Signed into Law

Aug 2025

Introduced Apr 9, 2025 Signed Aug 15, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Engrossed → Enrolled · 4 edits · Aug 15, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was finalized as Enrolled by adding a new section to create a state grant program that helps school districts pay for agriculture education teachers. The existing requirements for high school graduation, including math, science, and civics courses, remained largely unchanged, though minor formatting adjustments were made to the text.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include a new funding mechanism for agriculture education, while the scope of required high school courses remained the same.

FISCAL

A new grant program was created to provide financial assistance to school districts for paying the personal services costs of agriculture education teachers.

ELIGIBILITY

School districts are eligible for grants to cover up to 50% of teacher costs, or up to 100% in the first two years if creating a new agriculture program.

DEFINITION

New definitions were established for 'new agriculture education program' and 'personal services cost' to clarify how grants are calculated.

TECHNICAL

The list of sections being amended in the introduction was updated to include the new section number (2-3.80b) alongside the existing one (27-22).

Floor votes · Senate Apr 9, 2025 · House May 23, 2025

How they voted

55–0

Passed · 3 other

Total votes 58

Apr 9, 2025

D Democratic39

36 Yea 3

92% Yea

R Republican19

19 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Aug 15, 2025

Signed into law

Governor Approved

upper

May 31, 2025

Upper · Passed

Passed Both Houses

upper

May 31, 2025

Introduced

House Floor Amendment No. 2 Senate Concurs 056-000-000

upper

May 27, 2025

Introduced

House Floor Amendment No. 2 Motion To Concur Recommended Do Adopt Education; 013-000-000

upper

May 27, 2025

Committee

House Floor Amendment No. 2 Motion to Concur Assignments Referred to Education

upper

May 27, 2025

Committee

House Floor Amendment No. 2 Motion to Concur Referred to Assignments

upper

May 26, 2025

Introduced

Placed on Calendar Order of Concurrence House Amendment(s) 2 - May 27, 2025

upper

May 26, 2025

Introduced

Secretary's Desk - Concurrence House Amendment(s) 2

upper

May 23, 2025

Amended

House Floor Amendment No. 1 Tabled

lower

May 23, 2025

Lower · Passed

Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 109-000-000

lower

May 23, 2025

Lower · Passed

House Floor Amendment No. 2 Adopted

lower

May 21, 2025

Lower · Passed

House Floor Amendment No. 2 Recommends Be Adopted Education Policy Committee; 012-000-000

lower

May 20, 2025

Lower · Passed

House Floor Amendment No. 2 Rules Refers to Education Policy Committee

lower

May 20, 2025

Lower · Passed

House Floor Amendment No. 1 Rules Refers to Education Policy Committee

lower

May 16, 2025

Committee

House Floor Amendment No. 2 Referred to Rules Committee

lower

May 16, 2025

Introduced

House Floor Amendment No. 2 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Mary Gill

lower

May 15, 2025

Committee

House Floor Amendment No. 1 Referred to Rules Committee

lower

May 15, 2025

Introduced

House Floor Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Mary Gill

lower

May 7, 2025

Lower · Passed

Do Pass / Short Debate Education Policy Committee; 012-000-000

lower

Apr 17, 2025

Committee

Assigned to Education Policy Committee

lower

Apr 10, 2025

Committee

Referred to Rules Committee

lower

Apr 9, 2025

Introduced

Arrived in House

lower

Apr 9, 2025

Upper · Passed

Third Reading - Passed; 056-000-000

upper

Feb 19, 2025

Upper · Passed

Do Pass Education; 012-000-000

upper

Feb 11, 2025

Committee

Assigned to Education

upper

Feb 4, 2025

Committee

Referred to Assignments

upper

2 primary · 21 co-sponsors