---
type: "Bill"
title: "SCH-SPEC ED-MEDIATION OPTION"
description: "Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. For parties who agree to not use mediation during a challenge, provides that a parent shall have 10 days after a party declines to use mediation to file a request for a due process hearing to allow the student to remain in his or her present educational placement. Effective immediately."
jurisdiction: "us/states/il"
legislature: "Illinois General Assembly"
session: "100th"
identifier: "HB 2618"
citation: "Illinois HB 2618 (100th)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: []
version_count: 3
action_count: 33
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2017-02-08"
last_action: "2017-08-18"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/8af19ed2-4b7f-4dcf-a770-d2cac09d902a"
source_url: "http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=2618&GAID=14&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=103888&SessionID=91&GA=100"
source_hash: "5a82f5a59907a7116a5c85c406dda0a0e2c4ef04e1fcfa351107495a6568957b"
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 2618 (100th) — SCH-SPEC ED-MEDIATION OPTION

Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. For parties who agree to not use mediation during a challenge, provides that a parent shall have 10 days after a party declines to use mediation to file a request for a due process hearing to allow the student to remain in his or her present educational placement. 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=10000HB2618&GA=100&SessionId=91&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=103888&DocNum=2618&GAID=14&Session=&print=true)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=10000HB2618eng&GA=100&SessionId=91&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=103888&DocNum=2618&GAID=14&Session=&print=true)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=10000HB2618enr&GA=100&SessionId=91&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=103888&DocNum=2618&GAID=14&Session=&print=true)

## Votes

- Third Reading — **113–0** (pass) · lower
- Third Reading — **57–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Donne E. Trotter — cosponsor (person)
- Julie A. Morrison — cosponsor (person)
- Robyn Gabel — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2017-02-08** Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Robyn Gabel `filing`
- **2017-02-08** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2017-02-08** Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2017-02-22** Assigned to Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies Committee `referral-committee`
- **2017-03-15** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Robyn Gabel `amendment-introduction`
- **2017-03-15** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2017-03-21** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rules Refers to Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies Committee
- **2017-03-22** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Adopted in Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies Committee; by Voice Vote `amendment-passage`
- **2017-03-22** Do Pass as Amended / Short Debate Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies Committee; 018-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2017-03-22** Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate
- **2017-03-23** Second Reading - Short Debate `reading-2`
- **2017-03-23** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate
- **2017-03-28** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Carol Sente
- **2017-03-29** Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 113-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2017-03-29** Arrive in Senate `introduction`
- **2017-03-29** Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading March 30, 2017 `reading-1`
- **2017-03-30** Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. Don Harmon
- **2017-03-30** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2017-03-30** Referred to Assignments `referral-committee`
- **2017-04-25** Assigned to Education `referral-committee`
- **2017-05-03** Do Pass Education; 009-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2017-05-03** Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading May 4, 2017
- **2017-05-05** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Julie A. Morrison
- **2017-05-15** Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2017-05-15** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading May 16, 2017
- **2017-05-26** Rule 2-10 Third Reading Deadline Established As May 31, 2017 `reading-3`
- **2017-05-30** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Donne E. Trotter
- **2017-05-30** Third Reading - Passed; 057-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2017-05-30** Passed Both Houses
- **2017-06-28** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2017-08-18** Governor Approved `executive-signature`
- **2017-08-18** Effective Date August 18, 2017
- **2017-08-18** Public Act . . . . . . . . . 100-0122 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/8af19ed2-4b7f-4dcf-a770-d2cac09d902a`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Illinois legislature records).