Unanimous Senate vote leaves Illinois student press freedom legislation on the verge of becoming law

Makin' the Law: Illinois governor signs landmark measure protecting high school journalists against censorship
Journalism educators celebrated after a Senate committee vote approving the New Voices of Illinois press freedom bill, which on Friday cleared the Senate on a 51-0 vote with one abstention.

Without opposition, the Illinois Senate ratified a bill Friday protecting the editorial independence of high school journalists and advisers, putting the measure one technicality away from Gov. Bruce Rauner's desk. House Bill 5902 needs only a perfunctory House vote agreeing to non-controversial amendments added in the Senate. The House had earlier passed its version of the bill 114-0,… Continue reading Unanimous Senate vote leaves Illinois student press freedom legislation on the verge of becoming law

Student press freedom bill unanimously clears Senate committee as school lobbyists drop opposition

Sally Renaud and Stan Zoller of the Illinois Journalism Education Association strategize at the Illinois Capitol after a student press rights bill won unanimous Senate committee approval.

ILLINOIS -- Legal protection for Illinois high school journalists cleared its toughest legislative hurdle Tuesday and is headed for the Senate floor. Two weeks after giving House Bill 5902 a skeptical hearing that cast doubt on its prospects, members of the Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed the measure, setting up a Senate floor vote that… Continue reading Student press freedom bill unanimously clears Senate committee as school lobbyists drop opposition

Illinois House unanimously sends New Voices press freedom bill on to Senate

ILLINOIS — House lawmakers unanimously passed New Voices legislation Tuesday that would bolster free speech rights for high school journalists and prevent administrative censorship in the Prairie State. House Bill 5902, introduced by Democratic Rep. Will Guzzardi earlier this year, would protect high school journalists’ right to free speech and of the press in school-sponsored media,… Continue reading Illinois House unanimously sends New Voices press freedom bill on to Senate

Illinois student press freedom bill passes unanimously through House committee

Lawmakers on a House committee unanimously passed ‘New Voices’ legislation Wednesday that would bolster First Amendment protections for high school student journalists in the state. About 50 high school students, their journalism advisers and free speech advocates attended the hearing for House Bill 5902 that would protect high school journalists’ right to free speech and… Continue reading Illinois student press freedom bill passes unanimously through House committee

Maryland and Illinois join nationwide anti-censorship movement by filing New Voices bills

In a momentous week for the nationwide New Voices campaign, Maryland and Illinois have joined the list of states with legislation pending to protect students journalists from administrative censorship. Maryland’s bill, Senate Bill 764, introduced by Democratic Sens. Jamin Raskin and Jim Rosapepe on Feb. 5, would extend to high school and college student journalists… Continue reading Maryland and Illinois join nationwide anti-censorship movement by filing New Voices bills