---
type: "Bill"
title: "UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS ACT"
description: "Creates the Bridge Program for Underrepresented Students Act. Defines terms. Provides that each public university in this State may establish a Bridge Program for underrepresented students. Specifies program requirements. Provides that a public university that establishes a Bridge Program shall, on or before September 1, 2019 and on or before September 1 of each subsequent year, publish on its website and make available to the public a report on the Program. Effective immediately."
jurisdiction: "us/states/il"
legislature: "Illinois General Assembly"
session: "100th"
identifier: "HB 5696"
citation: "Illinois HB 5696 (100th)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: []
version_count: 3
action_count: 48
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2018-02-16"
last_action: "2018-08-24"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1ae30e73-551f-44f0-a251-dd642234cb43"
source_url: "http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=5696&GAID=14&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=111780&SessionID=91&GA=100"
source_hash: "2bdac122308ef151dcc40e8dc6e7a34e450e1f41b74c9206f5af9421ab3cc25a"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-il"]
---

# Illinois HB 5696 (100th) — UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS ACT

Creates the Bridge Program for Underrepresented Students Act. Defines terms. Provides that each public university in this State may establish a Bridge Program for underrepresented students. Specifies program requirements. Provides that a public university that establishes a Bridge Program shall, on or before September 1, 2019 and on or before September 1 of each subsequent year, publish on its website and make available to the public a report on the Program. Effective immediately.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=10000HB5696&GA=100&SessionId=91&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=111780&DocNum=5696&GAID=14&Session=&print=true)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=10000HB5696eng&GA=100&SessionId=91&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=111780&DocNum=5696&GAID=14&Session=&print=true)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=10000HB5696enr&GA=100&SessionId=91&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=111780&DocNum=5696&GAID=14&Session=&print=true)

## Votes

- Third Reading — **57–0** (pass) · upper
- Third Reading — **111–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Bill Cunningham — cosponsor (person)
- Cristina Castro — cosponsor (person)
- Daniel Biss — cosponsor (person)
- Emanuel Chris Welch — primary (person)
- Emil Jones, III — cosponsor (person)
- Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant — cosponsor (person)
- Kwame Raoul — cosponsor (person)
- Martin A. Sandoval — cosponsor (person)
- Michael E. Hastings — cosponsor (person)
- Napoleon Harris, III — cosponsor (person)
- Omar Aquino — cosponsor (person)
- Scott M. Bennett — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2018-02-16** Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch `filing`
- **2018-02-16** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2018-02-16** Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2018-02-27** Assigned to Higher Education Committee `referral-committee`
- **2018-04-12** Do Pass / Short Debate Higher Education Committee; 020-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2018-04-12** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Carol Ammons
- **2018-04-12** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Nicholas K Smith
- **2018-04-12** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Katie Stuart
- **2018-04-12** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Michael Halpin
- **2018-04-12** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. LaToya Greenwood
- **2018-04-13** Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate
- **2018-04-17** Second Reading - Short Debate `reading-2`
- **2018-04-17** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate
- **2018-04-19** Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 111-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2018-04-19** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. La Shawn K. Ford
- **2018-04-19** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Jonathan Carroll
- **2018-04-23** Arrive in Senate `introduction`
- **2018-04-23** Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading `reading-1`
- **2018-04-23** Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford
- **2018-04-23** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2018-04-23** Referred to Assignments `referral-committee`
- **2018-04-26** Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Jacqueline Y. Collins
- **2018-04-26** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Bill Cunningham
- **2018-04-26** Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Mattie Hunter
- **2018-04-26** Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Iris Y. Martinez
- **2018-04-27** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Omar Aquino
- **2018-04-30** Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Elgie R. Sims, Jr.
- **2018-05-01** Assigned to Higher Education `referral-committee`
- **2018-05-02** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Cristina Castro
- **2018-05-03** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Martin A. Sandoval
- **2018-05-03** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Daniel Biss
- **2018-05-09** Do Pass Higher Education; 009-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2018-05-09** Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading May 10, 2018
- **2018-05-09** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant
- **2018-05-09** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Emil Jones, III
- **2018-05-09** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Michael E. Hastings
- **2018-05-09** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Scott M. Bennett
- **2018-05-10** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Napoleon Harris, III
- **2018-05-15** Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2018-05-15** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading May 16, 2018
- **2018-05-25** Rule 2-10 Third Reading Deadline Established As May 31, 2018 `reading-3`
- **2018-05-29** Third Reading - Passed; 057-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2018-05-29** Passed Both Houses
- **2018-05-30** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Kwame Raoul
- **2018-06-27** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2018-08-24** Governor Approved `executive-signature`
- **2018-08-24** Effective Date August 24, 2018
- **2018-08-24** Public Act . . . . . . . . . 100-1063 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/1ae30e73-551f-44f0-a251-dd642234cb43`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Illinois legislature records).