---
type: "Bill"
title: "SCH CD-FORENSIC SPEECH COURSE"
description: "Amends the Courses of Study Article of the School Code. Adds forensic speech (speech and debate) to the music, art, foreign language, or vocational education elective that a pupil may choose to satisfy the one year prerequisite that each pupil entering the 9th grade is required to successfully complete to receive a high school diploma. Provides that a forensic speech course used to satisfy the course requirement in language arts may not be used to satisfy a forensic speech course chosen as an elective course."
jurisdiction: "us/states/il"
legislature: "Illinois General Assembly"
session: "102nd"
identifier: "SB 2354"
citation: "Illinois SB 2354 (102nd)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Sue Rezin", "Tony McCombie"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 31
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2021-02-26"
last_action: "2021-08-20"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/907d78c3-2d34-45c2-a3d0-b8c34b9141cb"
source_url: "https://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=2354&GAID=16&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=135008&SessionID=110&GA=102"
source_hash: "b448c6424243c00e5778d41bde6d4db52f8a4b5c18befadefbf2f5a925bb2b03"
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 SB 2354 (102nd) — SCH CD-FORENSIC SPEECH COURSE

Amends the Courses of Study Article of the School Code. Adds forensic speech (speech and debate) to the music, art, foreign language, or vocational education elective that a pupil may choose to satisfy the one year prerequisite that each pupil entering the 9th grade is required to successfully complete to receive a high school diploma. Provides that a forensic speech course used to satisfy the course requirement in language arts may not be used to satisfy a forensic speech course chosen as an elective course.

## Version chain

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

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://ilga.gov/legislation/102/SB/PDF/10200SB2354.pdf)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](https://ilga.gov/legislation/102/SB/PDF/10200SB2354eng.pdf)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://ilga.gov/legislation/102/SB/PDF/10200SB2354enr.pdf)

## Votes

- Third Reading — **56–0** (pass) · upper
- Third Reading — **116–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Sue Rezin — primary (person)
- Tony McCombie — primary (person)
- Karina Villa — cosponsor (person)
- Norine K. Hammond — cosponsor (person)
- Rachelle Crowe — cosponsor (person)
- Seth Lewis — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-02-26** Filed with Secretary by Sen. Sue Rezin `filing`
- **2021-02-26** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2021-02-26** Referred to Assignments `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-23** Assigned to Education `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-23** Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Karina Villa
- **2021-04-16** Rule 2-10 Committee Deadline Established As April 23, 2021
- **2021-04-20** Do Pass Education; 014-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2021-04-20** Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading April 21, 2021
- **2021-04-21** Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2021-04-21** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading April 22, 2021
- **2021-04-22** Third Reading - Passed; 056-000-000 `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-04-23** Arrived in House `introduction`
- **2021-04-23** Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Rachelle Crowe
- **2021-04-26** Chief House Sponsor Rep. Tony McCombie
- **2021-04-27** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2021-04-27** Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2021-05-04** Assigned to Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies Committee `referral-committee`
- **2021-05-05** Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. Seth Lewis
- **2021-05-12** Do Pass / Consent Calendar Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies Committee; 023-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2021-05-12** Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Consent Calendar
- **2021-05-24** Second Reading - Consent Calendar `reading-2`
- **2021-05-24** Held on Calendar Order of Second Reading - Consent Calendar `reading-2`
- **2021-05-25** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Consent Calendar
- **2021-05-26** Added Alternate Co-Sponsor Rep. Norine K. Hammond
- **2021-05-26** Third Reading - Consent Calendar - First Day `reading-3`
- **2021-05-27** Third Reading - Consent Calendar - Passed 116-000-000 `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-05-27** Passed Both Houses
- **2021-06-25** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2021-08-20** Governor Approved `executive-signature`
- **2021-08-20** Effective Date January 1, 2022
- **2021-08-20** Public Act . . . . . . . . . 102-0551 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/907d78c3-2d34-45c2-a3d0-b8c34b9141cb`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Illinois legislature records).