H.B. 1330 (ESSA) Passes out of House Committee! Let’s Get Ready for All House Members to Vote on H.B. 1330

The Ensuring Success in School Act (ESSA), H.B. 1330, passed out of the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee on March 7. Thank you for your phone calls to legislators—they made a difference. Bolstered by stirring testimony from a student survivor of rape, the final vote was 14 in favor, 0 opposed, and 4 present. Those voting present were Rep. Jerry Mitchell (R-90), Rep. Suzanne Bassi (R-54), Rep. Roger Eddy (R-109), and Rep. Robert Pritchard (R-70). We need to convert the “present” votes to “yes” votes.

H.B. 1330 continues to gain support. We have more legislators as sponsors, and the list of organizations endorsing the bill is growing. The Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) officially offered its endorsement of the ESSA. Representing over 80,000 teachers and other school personnel in Illinois, IFT’s support demonstrates the importance of ESSA in protecting and promoting the rights of pregnant and parenting students and student victims of sexual and domestic violence.

With the chief sponsor, Rep. Karen A. Yarbrough (D-7), House sponsors as of today are:
· Rep. Harry Osterman (D-14)
· Rep. Cynthia Soto (D-4)
· Rep. Kathleen A. Ryg (D-59)
· Rep. Rosemary Mulligan (R-65)
· Rep. David E. Miller (D-29)
· Rep. Deborah L. Graham (D-78)
· Rep. Esther Golar (D-6)
· Rep. Eddie Washington (D-60)
· Rep. Marlow H. Colvin (D-33)
· Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia (D-83)
· Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez (D-24)

The real work of making ESSA law has just begun. We urge you to contact your representative in support of H.B. 1330, the Ensuring Success in School Act. To contact your representatives, call the toll-free Capitol Switchboard at 1-888-801-4426, or find their district office contact information at www.ilga.gov.

Here is the vital message we need to communicate to legislators:

· The time is NOW to protect the educational rights of students who face barriers to attending school and completing their education because they are parents, expectant parents, or victims of domestic or sexual violence.
· Vote yes for H.B. 1330, the Ensuring Success in School Act.
· Add your name to the list of bill sponsors.
· The educational future of Illinois students depends on your support for H.B. 1330.

When you call the toll-free number, you will be directly connected with an operator at the Illinois Capitol Switchboard. Simply tell the switchboard the name of your state representative or your district number (found on your voter registration card), and the switchboard will connect you to your representative’s office.

If you don’t know the name of your representative, or you need to look up your district number, you can find this information easily by visiting www.elections.state.il.us/DistrictLocator/AddressSearch.aspx

There is still a long way to go before ESSA becomes law in Illinois. Thank you for your continued support. You will be asked to do more—keep up the good work.

For more information about H.B. 1330, the Ensuring Success in School Act, please contact Wendy Pollack, director of the Women’s Law & Policy Project at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, at 312-263-3830 ext. 238 or wendypollack@povertylaw.org.