Illinois Sen. Turner’s high school graduation requirements bill passes House and Senate

Newly passed bill authored by State Sen. Doris Turner aims to set comprehensive high school graduation standards in Illinois, emphasizing diverse coursework and practical civics education, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

In the House, 71 Democrats and 38 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 37 Democrats and 19 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Turner introduced the bill in the Illinois Senate on Feb. 4, 2025 during the 104th session.

The legislation, known as SB1605, was passed on May 31, 2025 during the general assembly session 104.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill’s official text as follows: “Amends the School Code. With respect to prerequisites to receiving a high school diploma, provides that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, agricultural education, agricultural business, or any other course that relates to agriculture satisfies the vocational education requirement. Effective immediately.”

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill mandates Illinois high school graduation requirements from the 2023-24 school year onward, emphasizing diverse course completion. For students from the 2023-24 school year through the 2023-24 school year, students must complete four years of language arts, two years of writing-intensive courses, three years of mathematics including Algebra I and geometry, two years of science, and two years of social studies with a focus on U.S. history and civics. From the 2024-25 school year on, additional requirements include a year of computer literacy instruction, and from the 2028-29 school year, two years of foreign language are required. A range of electives, including music, art, and vocational education, must also be completed. The bill allows Advanced Placement computer science to count as math and requires civics education to include practical learning and debate. Students with individualized education programs or in prior school years may be exempt from these standards. The bill takes effect upon becoming law.

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Adriane Johnson (Democrat-30th District), Rep. Amy Elik (Republican-111th District), and Rep. Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar (Democrat-22nd District), along with 20 other sponsors.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Turner, a Democrat, was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 2021 to represent the state’s 48th Senate District, replacing previous state senator Andy Manar.

Lawmakers listed as “Not Voting” were present for the vote but did not cast a vote. Those marked as having an “Excused Absence” were not present and formally provided a reason for their absence, which was accepted.

While the final vote determined the bill’s passage, lawmakers in both chambers held an additional vote related to a concurrence. This earlier vote is included below for context.