Every Voice - Illinois
Est 2020
The Every Voice Illinois bill was first filed in 2020 but was unable to make its way into the special session that year due to COVID-19 priorities. The first big push for student involvement occurred during the inaugural summer of the Next Generation Leaders Fellowship in 2020.
After reaching out to hundreds of students across the state, a steering committee was formed with students who attended different universities and colleges throughout the state. The bill was re-filed in January 2021 by Senator Bill Cunningham in the Senate and Representative Carol Ammons in the House. SB1610 passed unanimously through both chambers of the Illinois legislature on May 30th, 2021 due to the hard work of all of the survivors, students, and young alumni who worked diligently on this bill.
On May 30, 2021, SB1610 An Act concerning education passed through both chambers unanimously and became law shortly after— Public Act 102-0325
What does the Illinois Every Voice Law do?
The Every Voice IL law (Public Act 102-0325) amends the Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act of 2016 and requires all Illinois Institutions of Higher Education to conduct annual campus climate surveys on campus sexual violence. Specifically, the legislation will ensure transparent data on sexual violence, gathered anonymously and published publicly.
The Every Voice IL Bill was also created through close collaboration with the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, Equality Illinois, and more.
“The Every Voice Coalition has given me the space to see that I am capable of doing such great things. When I first started in the NGLF in 2020, there's no way that I could have seen how much I would grow into myself and into advocacy as a whole. Everything that we have been working on -- the bills enacted into law, the knowledge-sharing, the community -- will outlast our tenure and that is something to be proud of.”
Lizzy, Illinois State Director
Learn more about the Illinois Team and follow their movement: