Legislative Updates HB2827

Legislative Updates – HB2827 Check back here for the latest information.

October 9th:

from Will Estrada, HSLDA:

I hope this email finds you well! I wanted to give you a heads-up (in case you didn’t already know) that the Illinois Legislature is scheduled to return for a three-day veto session next week, October 14-16, and then October 28-30.

At this point, we do not have any indication that H.B. 2827 will come up for any action. The Legislature has a jam-packed agenda already. Additionally, H.B. 2827 sponsor Terra Costa Howard is scheduled to resign from the Illinois Legislature and be sworn in as an Illinois Appellate Court Judge on Friday, October 17.

As always, we are closely monitoring events on the ground in Springfield with our friends and allies at ICHE, our friends in the Legislature and in allied organizations, and the Illinois homeschool community.

With deep gratitude,
Will

October 1st:

August 22nd:

June 3rd:

June 1st:

from Will Estrada, HSLDA:

Dear friends,

Late last night (or early this morning), the Illinois Legislature adjourned. H.B. 2827, which had been referred back to the House Rules Committee in April, never reared its ugly head again, and is dead for the year.

This incredible victory is because of the work of ICHE, Ad Hoc, the private school community in Illinois, allied organizations across Illinois, allied organizations nationally, Illinois legislators from both parties, and most importantly, the advocacy and dedication and sheer grit of tens of thousands of homeschoolers in Illinois.

It was a privilege to stand with you in defense of the God-given right of parents to raise and educate their children. H.B. 2827 was the most draconian bill ever proposed anywhere in the United States in the last three decades regarding homeschooling. Putting automatic criminal penalties (the original bill), or automatic referrals to the State Attorney for prosecution (Amendment 002) on homeschool families who did not file a piece of paperwork, is something not a single state in the nation has ever done or attempted to do in recent memory. More info about what H.B. 2827 would have done is available at www.hslda.org/hb2827

This victory is especially fitting today, which is the Centennial of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of Pierce v. Society of Sisters, wherein the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously declared “the child is not the mere creature of the state.”

We will have battles again in future legislative years. I expect the supporters of H.B. 2827 will try again in Illinois next year in some form. But for now, we can celebrate this incredible victory. God’s words in Lamentations 3:22-23 come to mind.

With deep gratitude,
Will

May 27th:

May 13th:

April 29th:

April 22nd Update:

April 12th Update:

(ICHE does not endorse politicians or candidates. This video is very informative about HB2827.)

April 11th Update:

April 10th Update:

April 9th Update:

Kirk Smith Amendment 002 Springfield Recap Video

April 8th Update:

Amendment to HB2827 was just assigned to the Education Policy Committee. Fill out your witness slips opposing HB2827 NOW. Important: Make sure “HFA 2” is selected in the Description box under part III: Position (it defaults to “Original Bill”).

How to fill out witness slips:

• Click to go to the witness slip page.
• Section I. Enter your name, address, city, zip code, email, and phone. Under firm or agency type in “Self.” Under title type in “Self”.
• Section II. Leave it blank if you are not a representative of a group or business or type in “Self.”
• Section III. Make sure HFA 2 is selected in Description drop down box. Check your position for HB2827 as Opponent.
• Section IV. Unless you are filing a written statement, select Record of Appearance Only.
• Agree to the terms of agreement by checking the box to the left.
• Click Create (Slip).

April 8th Update:

from HSLDA‘s Will Estrada:

Urgent! Calls needed to fight new amendment! Dear Illinois Home Education Friends,

House Bill 2827 sponsor Terra Costa Howard just released a massive amendment to her bill. You can read Amendment 002.

Amendment 002 is currently still pending in the House Rules Committee, but because it is a House floor amendment, we expect it will completely bypass the House Policy Committee, and could come up for a final vote on the House floor anytime from Wednesday morning until Friday afternoon.

Please call your Illinois state representative and your state senator right now and respectfully but firmly ask him or her to vote no on Amendment 002 to H.B. 2827.

Bottom line: this amendment was drafted in secret without the input of any stakeholders in the homeschool and private school communities and released mere hours before a possible vote by the full Illinois House of Representatives. It does not make minor changes to the previous version of the bill. It goes in a completely different direction, with massive changes to what was previously introduced, amended, and discussed. For that reason alone, it should be rejected—but wait, there’s more!

Summary of Concerns

• Section 30 creates a rebuttable presumption that a homeschool student is not truant if and only if a homeschool notification form was submitted. Section 55 allows truant officers to request educational portfolios as part of a truancy investigation. The amendment drops the automatic criminal penalties if a family does not file a homeschool notification form, but Sections 60(b), 65(c), and 70 give truant officers the power to refer homeschool students to the state’s attorney. And Section 20(b) gives parents who withdraw a child from public school during the school year a mere three days to file the homeschool declaration form, or potentially face a truancy investigation. This type of withdrawal often happens when children are being bullied by their peers. It’s hard to overstate how harmful this will be to loving families who are simply trying to protect their children and begin homeschooling.
• Section 20 requires homeschooling parents to file a homeschool notification form. Section 20(a)(1)(2) says that “the notification form may include…any curriculum purchased or used for the homeschool[.]” This raises the concern that H.B. 2827 as amended will open the door to the Illinois public education system supervising what curriculum families use.
• Traditional brick-and-mortar private schools are still included in the bill. They must register with ISBE, must require a high school diploma for all staff, and must maintain a database of all student and parent data, and must confirm to a truancy officer during a truancy investigation if a student is registered at the private school (see pages 24–25 of Amendment 002). The amendment drops the requirement that this database of information be annually provided to ISBE.
• Page 40 of Amendment 002 contains new language which is deeply concerning: “The truant officer or county truant officer notified of a homeschool in violation of Section 30 of the Homeschool Act, shall meet with the child or children complained of and make an initial determination of whether there is cause to start a truancy investigation.” (Emphasis added.) This means that if a family forgets to file the new homeschool notification form, a truant official—who has the terrifying power to refer a family for prosecution to the state’s attorney, will have an in-person meeting with their minor child. There is nothing in this amendment protecting the sanctity of the family’s home, which raises Fourth Amendment concerns.
• The findings of the bill (pages 1–2) continue to repeat, without evidence, that homeschooled children are at risk of abuse and neglect. It ignores the fact that Illinois investigative journalists have shown that DCFS is an agency in crisis that has failed to protect Illinois children.
• Section 15 of the bill (page 3) creates draconian new regulations and definitions of what homeschooling is. It mandates that every family keep a detailed homeschool portfolio, and redefines “homeschool” to mean “a program where instruction is provided in a student’s home environment and which may have more than one student so long as all students in the homeschool are members of the same household … ‘Homeschool’ does not mean a group of 2 or more households who provide full-time instruction to students of separate households under a cooperative agreement or communal living arrangement.” This will harm homeschooling families who use co-ops and other programs outside of the home where, ironically enough, their homeschooled kids would be around other families and mandatory reporters!

We stand with our friends at ICHE, Ad Hoc Committee, the private school community, Illinois home educators, and all freedom-minded Illinois residents against H.B. 2827 as amended.  Thank you for standing with us!

April 7th Update: Will Estrada Video Update Kirk Smith Video Update

March 27th Update:

An update on HB2827, which is still on 2nd Reading (the amendatory stage).  Rep. Amy Elik put on three notes on the legislation Tuesday.  They are a Fiscal Note, a Pension Note and a State Mandates Fiscal Note.  Only the Pension note response has been filed so far.  When a bill is on second reading (and only second reading) a legislator can request notes to learn more about the bill, like what is this going to cost state agencies, etc. or what impact will it have on things like pensions, etc.  Until the agency it is requesting a note from responds with information on the request, a bill cannot advance from second to third reading.  Add to this that the sponsor talked about an amendment to come to the Education Policy Committee (which it hasn’t yet) and HB 2827 won’t move this week, especially since the House canceled sessions for Thursday and Friday and the House will not be in next week. Thus, it can’t move until at least April 7th.   A sponsor can challenge the notes by saying they are “inapplicable” and a vote can be made to accept the “inapplicable” motion and if that prevails the bill can move from second to third reading (the stage where the bill can be voted on).

On a personal note: Some people are posting about deadlines that would kill the bill. You need to know there are numerous mechanisms Springfield legislators employ to get around these “deadlines,” so don’t get too caught up with dates, regardless what is being posted on-line. There are some who think they know how Springfield works, but what is written and what is actually done are two separate realities. Stay tuned to ICHE to get accurate information.—Kirk

March 26th Update:

Transcript of Will’s update video

March 25th Update:

There is so much chatter from so many organizations and individual social media sites concerning HB2827 that it is confusing many people. Per Illinois Christian Home Educators, Illinois Homeschool Asc., Roman Catholic Home Educators Network (a.k.a. AdHoc), and H.S.L.D.A’s unified voice, we are encouraging people to set up appointments with their representatives and senators for NEXT week as legislators will be in their home offices. If your representative has already committed to fight this bill, you do not need to call them other than to say thank you. If your district is more liberal, do all that you can to reach out. This is so important. Many of these legislators have not had interactions with homeschoolers, so it is vital for them to see well-behaved children who are also well-educated. As of right now we are encouraging people NOT to call the majority leader of the General Assembly or representatives and senators outside their district. Instead, call your own representatives and senators. Additionally, encourage private, non-public school parents (a.k.a. private schools) and extended family members to reach out to their reps and senators. We need all hands on deck to reach out to those who have not committed to voting against this bill.
Kirk Smith

Several people have asked about the new gun bill and if it would affect homeschoolers. The following is from HSLDA attorney Will Estrada:

“There are many reasons to oppose H.B. 2827, and the uncertainty this raises is another valid reason to oppose H.B. 2827. However, if H.B. 2827 were to become law, Illinois would have a VERY difficult time in using it to prohibit firearm ownership in homeschooler’s homes, because not only is a parent’s right to choose how to educate a child protected as a fundamental right (under the Fourteenth Amendment), but firearm ownership is also protected as a fundamental right (under the Second Amendment). You can rest assured that HSLDA – and many other legal organizations – would vigorously defend homeschool families if H.B. 2827 were to be passed into law, and Illinois tried to use it to prohibit homeschool families from owning firearms. We would litigate this to the U.S. Supreme Court and would have a very high likelihood of victory. Because the law in this regard is so strong, we have seen no evidence that the sponsors of H.B. 2827 are intending it to be used as a back-door gun confiscation bill.

It is also important to note that the Federal Gun Free School Zones Act (codified at 18 U.S.C. § 922) was written in such a way as to specifically exempt private residences. This is because it does not apply to “private property not part of school grounds.” This exception has allowed people who live within 1,000 feet of a public or private school to continue to own firearms and possess them in their own homes. This would be a strong defense to a family educating their children at home, as well.

Finally, numerous states (not just Illinois) already treat homeschool families as a type of private school (e.g., CA, IL, TX, NJ, etc.) and not a single one has ever tried to regulate private gun ownership of homeschool families, even though the homeschool families are legally speaking, a private school.”

March 20th Update:

March 19th: IL House Education Policy Committee Hearing on HB2827

March 18th Update:

Amendment to HB2827 was just assigned to the Education Policy Committee. Fill out your witness slips now. Important: Make sure “HCA 1” is selected in the Description box under part III: Position (it defaults to “Original Bill”).

March 17th Update:

Kirk’s video update regarding timing, dress code, shuttle buses, witness slips

Bus info:  Due to limited seating, shuttle bus seating must be reserved.  All passengers need a seat – no lap sitting.  There are seat belts on the buses. Strollers can be stored underneath.

Shuttle Bus Reservation Now Closed

Drop off Location: Lincoln Statue, State Capitol Building

Shuttle Bus Reservation Now Closed.

Thank you to Americans for Prosperity for sponsoring the shuttle bus service!

March 14th Update:

Thank you to everyone doing what they can against HB2827, but please remember to pray even more.

We are aware that witness slips for HB2827 are available for both the March 19th and March 20th Education Policy Committee meetings. Those slips are being attached to the original bill. There is now an Amendment to HB2827 that replaces “…everything after the enacting clause…” of the original HB2827 and is currently sitting in the Rules Committee. We are waiting for that Amendment to be assigned to the Education Policy Committee. When that happens then witness slips for the Amendment will be available. You can see here that there are currently no slips for the Amendment.  Witness slips for the Amendment is what we will need at the meeting next week.

March 13th Update:

Addressing Misinformation About New Witness Slips

Various organizations are telling people to make new witness slips for HB2827, since a new amendment has been added. According to our lobbyists, the actual amendment has been filed but NOT YET POSTED TO COMMITTEE. If you notice, the old number (26,000+) is rising respectively to this new list (500+). This means new witness slips are being applied to the old bill, not the bill with the new amendment. As such, all the witness slips submitted in the last few hours will not be recognized at next week’s hearing.

We need to wait for the amendment to be posted so the new witness slips will be applied to next week’s committee meeting. As soon as the amendment is posted, ICHE will send out the new link with instructions as there will be an additional step in the witness slip process to accommodate this new amendment.

We mentioned in a previous email that there is a lot of energy with this bill. That is wonderful! Still, accuracy is more important than speed. ICHE is working with its lobbyists to give you the most concise and accurate information possible.

To repeat, all the witness slips posted within the last few hours will not be submitted to next week’s hearing. Please know, however, that the witness slips are making a huge difference. News sources throughout the state are reporting the over 26,000 slips to this point. For accurate information, stay tuned to ICHE by clicking on the newsletter sign up page to get the latest alerts and/or follow our social media pages to know when to submit new witness slips.

The hearing is now scheduled for Wednesday, March 19 at 8:00 am. Room 122B, Capitol Bldg.

March 12th, 11:00 am Update:

HB2827 was not brought up today in committee. Furthermore, in discussion with our lobbyists, the witness slips will stand through next Wednesday. If anticipated amendments are added, we will have to do witness slips at that time. To repeat, we do not need to fill out new witness slips before next week’s meeting.

URGENT: Fill out your witness slip ASAP!

How to fill out witness slips:

• Click to go to the witness slip page.
• Section I. Enter your name, address, city, zip code, email, and phone. Under firm or agency type in “Self.” Under title type in “Self”.
• Section II. Leave it blank if you are not a representative of a group or business or type in “Self.”
• Section III. Check your position for HB2827 as Opponent.
• Section IV. Unless you are filing a written statement, select Record of Appearance Only.
• Agree to the terms of agreement by checking the box to the left.
• Click Create (Slip).

At this time ICHE is not encouraging out-of-state residents to file witness slips for HB2827, but there is no rule prohibiting it.

The IL Legislature does not provide rules or restrictions regarding age of those who want to submit witness slips. For anyone age 13 or under, please carefully read the privacy policy information at my.ilga.gov/Home/About.

Witness Slip HB2827

Education Policy Committee members for HB2827 Please call each member at their district office number below and ask them to vote against HB2827. One committee member also told us that it would also be appropriate to briefly share 1-2 reasons why you homeschool (or are against this bill.)

Find Committee Members Here

Member: Gregg Johnson (D)  –  309-203-1668

March 8th Legislative Update: DATE CHANGE

Reliable sources have indeed confirmed that HB2827 will NOT be brought up at the committee hearing this week. Thus, ICHE, with sister organizations HSLDA and AdHoc are encouraging their followers NOT to go to Springfield on the 12th, but to instead attend on the 19th.

This is not unexpected as the Education Policy Committee has many bills to discuss in this session. Some are concerned that this is a strategy of deception by the proponents of this bill.

Executive Director Kirk Smith spoke numerous times with our lobbyist yesterday afternoon, and the lobbyist believes the committee members who have sent out this information are acting in integrity and sensitivity for those who would be traveling; nevertheless, Kirk will be there to represent you and monitor the committee meeting.

REMEMBER, there are many individual voices across the state sharing their thoughts, some of whom are not always credible. ICHE does not strive to be the first in sharing information but the most accurate, so you know you have a trusted voice to follow, as you have had for the last 40 years. Follow known organizations that work together like ICHE, HSLDA, and AdHoc Committee. We will continue to monitor HB2827 and give you updates.

March 7th HB2827 Update:

The anti-homeschooling bill, HB2827, was scheduled in the Education Policy Committee late yesterday afternoon. Its first hearing will be Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. We must do everything in our power to see this bill defeated. What can you do? Three things.

1. Show up at Springfield on Wednesday the 12th. We must flood the Capitol with thousands of homeschoolers. The time for the hearing is 8:00 a.m. Since it is early, many will not be able to arrive by that time. Still, it is important to come whenever you can. Word gets around the Capitol quickly. The sponsors of this bill were not around in 2011 and therefore did not see when 4,500 people showed up. Think what 8,000 would do, so show up when you can. Visit the offices of all the Education Policy Committee members and voice your opposition to HB2827. If you cannot come to the Capitol, make sure you call the Committee members. More information on this is under #3.

Make it a point to visit your Representative’s office, as well as your Senator’s office and personally voice your opposition to HB2827. They need to see real homeschooling faces. Following are a few talking points. You need share only one or two.

•    This bill puts a huge workload on already beleaguered agencies like DCFS and public school ROE’s.
•    Homeschooling works! Homeschoolers average in the 70th percentile on standardized tests. HB2827 is a “solution” looking for a problem to solve that is not there. Homeschooling minorities score as much as 42 points higher than their peers in public school. (Ray)
•    It works under the assumption that parents are child abusers who need careful monitoring by the state when, in fact, homeschool parents are making tremendous sacrifices to train their children to be good citizens.
•    This bill puts homeschoolers under the control of public school officials giving them broad discretion to regulate homeschooling through registration forms and approval of “educational portfolios.”   
•    It gives public school officials the power to compel parents to prove they are providing an adequate education at any time without any reasonable cause listed in the bill. 
•    Instead of the individualized instruction that has allowed homeschoolers to thrive and parents to control the content of what they teach, it requires homeschoolers to meet the “standards prescribed for public schools.”  
•    The public-school official reviewing a homeschool, who may not understand or appreciate homeschooling, also has the authority to call in DCFS to investigate families.
•    The bill mandates homeschoolers who participate in public school activities to have the same vaccinations as public-school students. One legal expert commented that it would be very easy for a future Illinois legislature to expand this requirement to ALL home education families as part of the annual “Homeschool Declaration Form” in subsequent legislation, if H.B. 2827 becomes law in Illinois.
•    This bill is a purposeful and serious assault on parental rights to direct the upbringing and education of their children.

2. Have every voting age household member fill out witness slips, opposing HB2827.
A.    Click to go to the witness slip page
B.    Section I. Enter your name, address, city, zip, email, and phone. Under firm or agency type in “Self.” Under title type in “Self”.
C.    Section II. Leave it blank if you are not a representative of a group or business or type in “Self.”
D.    Section III. Check your position for HB2827 as Opponent.
E.    Section IV. Unless you are filing a written statement, select Record of Appearance Only.
F.    Agree to the terms of agreement by checking the box to the left.
G.    Click “Create (Slip).”
H.    If you have other voting age people in your home, click Create Another Slip and repeat.

If every voting member in each household participates, we could have well over 20,000 Witness slips. This is very important. Notice, when witness slips have been overwhelming against the sponsors of a bill, it has been a common, corrupt practice in the Illinois legislature to make a some type of a change which NULLIFIES all the witness slips submitted, making it necessary to do it again at the last minute. Keep attuned to ICHE’s social media and website updates.

3. Call each member of the Education Policy Committee and ask them to vote against HB 2827. Again, you can have every voting-aged family member call. Below are the committee members and contact info:

Sample script: “Hello. My name is ________ and am an Illinois resident. I oppose House Bill 2827 on the grounds that it restricts education freedom, violates parental rights, and erodes homeschool protections that Illinois has maintained since the 1950’s. I do NOT want this bill passed. Thank you.”

4. Pray!
•    We are calling for a day of prayer and fasting on Tuesday, March 11th.
•    Go to the ICHE website, click Blog, and read the article and prayer prompts.

If this bill becomes law, it will greatly impact homeschooling in Illinois. Other states are watching this closely as well. It has national implications. Your homeschooling freedoms and that of your children and grandchildren are worth the sacrifice to show up at Springfield on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.  

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
–
Psalm 121:1-2

HB2728 March 4th Update:

We are still waiting for HB2827 to be assigned to a committee. Once assigned, it will be at least six days until it is heard in committee for the first time.
What can you do?

1. Until it is assigned, keep praying. This week’s newsletter includes a list of verses to pray.
2. Once it is assigned, fill out witness slips opposing HB2827. Instructions for witness slips will be in an ICHE Legislative Alert.
3. It is very important to show up to the Capitol in Springfield at the bill’s first hearing. Our phone calls may be minimized, but they can’t ignore 10,000 homeschoolers and private school attendees showing up on the Capitol grounds. Remember, one day off work and the sacrifice of gas money is a small price to pay for another decade of freedom, especially if you receive a visit from a ROE.
4. Call all the members on that committee as soon as it is assigned and tell them you want HB2827 stopped. These names and numbers will be in the alert.

February 18, 2025 Newsletter

Will we be willing to make the sacrifice to maintain our rights and freedoms?

This is the fight of this generation of homeschoolers. HB2827 has not yet been assigned to a committee. This means that next week or the week following is when the assigned committee will discuss HB2827 for the first time. We need a MASSIVE turnout on that day. In 2011 over 4,000 homeschoolers responded to the call to oppose an anti-homeschooling law. That response not only killed the bill that day, it stopped any adverse legislation from being introduced for over a decade.  Is a one-day sacrifice worth ten years of freedom? Continue Reading Here

ILLINOIS HOUSE BILL 2827

Update: Your Calls and Emails are Making a Difference!

Dear Friends of Homeschooling in Illinois,

Thank you so much for answering the call and asking your legislators in Springfield to reject H.B. 2827. We have heard that legislators have received many, many calls and emails. We have also heard that CRHE—the pro-regulation organization behind H.B. 2827—has been forced to schedule “training” for legislators on how to respond to so many calls from parents, grandparents, and homeschool students themselves.

Additionally, the legislative schedule for the next week has been released, and H.B. 2827 is NOT slated for a hearing! This is excellent news and gives us more time to get the word out. You can watch a quick video update I filmed here.

We urge you to continue to make your voice heard to your Illinois state representative and Illinois state senator today. Please politely and respectfully—but firmly—ask them to reject H.B. 2827 and stand with homeschooling families. Your message can be as simple as the following:

“I respectfully urge you to oppose H.B. 2827. This 45-page bill will overturn 75 years of Illinois Supreme Court precedent protecting home education as decided in the landmark case of People v. Levisen. It would bring families under the regulation of local school districts by requiring them to file burdensome paperwork every year or face truancy charges, potential prison time, or the removal of their children. The bill would open the door to unnecessary and stressful educational reviews of families and children and make it more difficult for families to seek special education services. It lays the groundwork for home education to be even more regulated in coming years, placing additional financial and staffing burdens on DCFS and Illinois public schools.”

After you call your Illinois legislators, please follow up with an email through our one-click legislative action alert.

BACKGROUND

As we previously mentioned, H.B. 2827 seeks to impose severe restrictions on homeschooling families and private education in Illinois. The sponsor, Representative Terra Costa Howard, was quoted last year as calling for new regulations on homeschooling parents. Her bill, H.B. 2827, represents the most draconian attempt to roll back home education freedom in Illinois since thousands of home educators rallied together to defeat S.B. 136 in 2011.

To learn more about the dangers of H.B. 2827, please click here.

As a homeschool graduate and homeschooling dad, I stand shoulder to shoulder with you to protect our precious freedom to educate our children at home in the Land of Lincoln.

For liberty,

February 11, 2025 Newsletter

As we deal with HB2827, I am reminded why I homeschool from a Christian perspective. The older I get, the more of my weaknesses and sin I see. Realize, much of the sin has always been there; I just didn’t see it. God, in His grace, reminds me how much more I need to grow. The older I get, the more I realize John’s words are true; I can do nothing of myself. The older I get, the more I see that prayer is that which I should do most. Continue Reading Here

Sometimes we get so busy doing, we forget to be still and know that He is God. May God reveal His glory to all the homeschoolers and private schoolers.

February 7, 2025 Newsletter Alert!

As we have been predicting for several months, Representative Terra Costa Howard (D – Downers Grove) has introduced HB2827. This bill is an egregious action taken against homeschooling families, seeking to overturn 75 years of homeschooling freedoms. It not only affects homeschoolers but also non-public brick-and-mortar schools. However, the clear motivation is to drastically change the way homeschooling is governed in Illinois, and to remove the parents as the primary gatekeepers of their children’s education. Continue Reading Here

Remember, freedoms are not free. We must stand guard over them. This is our time.