---
type: "Bill"
title: "STUDENT PRAYER-ANY TIME OF DAY"
description: "Amends the Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act. In a provision allowing students in the public schools to voluntarily engage in individually initiated, non-disruptive prayer, provides that such praying may take place at any time during the school day. Effective immediately."
jurisdiction: "us/states/il"
legislature: "Illinois General Assembly"
session: "99th"
identifier: "HB 165"
citation: "Illinois HB 165 (99th)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: []
version_count: 3
action_count: 73
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2015-01-14"
last_action: "2015-08-20"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/faa623c1-0ac9-4d08-b376-ea3deec89148"
source_url: "http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=165&GAID=13&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=83656&SessionID=88&GA=99"
source_hash: "9e08b35f6b1fa9e1b72b99117b388a97746b8265b0041a1a7042c04480ef76bc"
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 165 (99th) — STUDENT PRAYER-ANY TIME OF DAY

Amends the Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act. In a provision allowing students in the public schools to voluntarily engage in individually initiated, non-disruptive prayer, provides that such praying may take place at any time during the school day. 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=09900HB0165&GA=99&SessionId=88&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=83656&DocNum=165&GAID=13&Session=&print=true)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09900HB0165eng&GA=99&SessionId=88&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=83656&DocNum=165&GAID=13&Session=&print=true)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09900HB0165enr&GA=99&SessionId=88&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=83656&DocNum=165&GAID=13&Session=&print=true)

## Votes

- Third Reading — **49–0** (pass) · upper
- Third Reading — **112–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Mary E. Flowers — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2015-01-14** Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Mary E. Flowers `filing`
- **2015-01-14** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2015-01-14** Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2015-02-03** Assigned to Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies Committee `referral-committee`
- **2015-03-16** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Mary E. Flowers `amendment-introduction`
- **2015-03-16** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2015-03-17** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rules Refers to Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies Committee
- **2015-03-18** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Adopted in Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies Committee; by Voice Vote `amendment-passage`
- **2015-03-18** Do Pass as Amended / Short Debate Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies Committee; 023-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2015-03-18** Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate
- **2015-03-18** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia
- **2015-03-18** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. La Shawn K. Ford
- **2015-03-18** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Mark Batinick
- **2015-03-18** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Silvana Tabares
- **2015-03-18** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Thomas M. Bennett
- **2015-03-18** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Robert W. Pritchard
- **2015-03-18** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Fred Crespo
- **2015-03-18** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Katherine Cloonen
- **2015-03-18** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Deb Conroy
- **2015-03-18** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Michelle Mussman
- **2015-03-18** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Sue Scherer
- **2015-03-18** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Kathleen Willis
- **2015-03-18** Remove Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. La Shawn K. Ford
- **2015-03-19** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. David McSweeney
- **2015-03-19** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. La Shawn K. Ford
- **2015-03-25** Second Reading - Short Debate `reading-2`
- **2015-03-25** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate
- **2015-03-25** Removed Co-Sponsor Rep. La Shawn K. Ford
- **2015-03-25** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. La Shawn K. Ford
- **2015-03-25** Remove Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. David McSweeney
- **2015-03-25** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. David McSweeney
- **2015-03-26** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Jeanne M Ives
- **2015-03-26** Remove Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Mark Batinick
- **2015-03-26** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. David McSweeney
- **2015-03-26** Removed Co-Sponsor Rep. David McSweeney
- **2015-03-26** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Mark Batinick
- **2015-03-26** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Reginald Phillips
- **2015-04-14** Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 112-000-001 `reading-3, passage`
- **2015-04-14** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Jack D. Franks
- **2015-04-14** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Carol Ammons
- **2015-04-14** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Carol Sente
- **2015-04-14** Arrive in Senate `introduction`
- **2015-04-14** Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading April 15, 2015 `reading-1`
- **2015-04-14** Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. William Delgado
- **2015-04-15** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2015-04-15** Referred to Assignments `referral-committee`
- **2015-04-22** Assigned to Education `referral-committee`
- **2015-04-29** Postponed - Education
- **2015-05-06** Postponed - Education
- **2015-05-08** Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Secretary by Sen. William Delgado `amendment-introduction`
- **2015-05-08** Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred to Assignments `referral-committee`
- **2015-05-12** Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Assignments Refers to Education
- **2015-05-12** Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Adopted `amendment-passage`
- **2015-05-13** Do Pass as Amended Education; 013-000-001 `committee-passage`
- **2015-05-13** Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading May 14, 2015
- **2015-05-14** Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Patricia Van Pelt
- **2015-05-18** Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Jacqueline Y. Collins
- **2015-05-21** Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2015-05-21** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading May 22, 2015
- **2015-05-22** Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Kyle McCarter
- **2015-05-22** Third Reading - Passed; 049-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2015-05-22** Arrived in House `introduction`
- **2015-05-22** Placed on Calendar Order of Concurrence Senate Amendment(s) 1
- **2015-05-25** Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Motion Filed Concur Rep. Mary E. Flowers
- **2015-05-25** Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Motion to Concur Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2015-05-26** Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Motion to Concur Recommends Be Adopted Rules Committee; 004-000-000
- **2015-05-31** Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 House Concurs 110-000-000
- **2015-05-31** House Concurs
- **2015-05-31** Passed Both Houses
- **2015-06-29** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2015-08-20** Governor Approved `executive-signature`
- **2015-08-20** Effective Date August 20, 2015
- **2015-08-20** Public Act . . . . . . . . . 99-0410 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/faa623c1-0ac9-4d08-b376-ea3deec89148`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Illinois legislature records).