Bill Text: IL SB2000 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Amends the Student Debt Assistance Act. Redefines "institution of higher education" to mean any publicly or privately operated university, college, community college, business, technical, or vocational school, or other educational institution in this State offering degrees and instruction beyond the secondary school level. Includes the following in the report regarding financial-based transcript and registration holds to the Board of Higher Education or the Illinois Community College Board: the amount of student debt owed to the institution, number of students, and amounts written off, over certain time periods; the number of students with outstanding debt whose transcripts were released and the amount of the debt, the number of students with outstanding debt whose diplomas were released and the amount of the outstanding debt, and the number of students with outstanding debt whose transcripts were withheld because the request for release was not for a purpose outlined in the Act and the amount of outstanding debt; and the total number of students whose registration privileges are being withheld for financial reasons, the amount of outstanding debt for those students, and the total portion of that debt that has been written off for accounting purposes but the registration hold remains.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-06 - Referred to Assignments [SB2000 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-SB2000-Introduced.html

---

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB2000 Introduced 2/6/2025, by Sen. Laura Fine SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
110 ILCS 66/5
110 ILCS 66/35
Amends the Student Debt Assistance Act. Redefines "institution of higher education" to mean any publicly or privately operated university, college, community college, business, technical, or vocational school, or other educational institution in this State offering degrees and instruction beyond the secondary school level. Includes the following in the report regarding financial-based transcript and registration holds to the Board of Higher Education or the Illinois Community College Board: the amount of student debt owed to the institution, number of students, and amounts written off, over certain time periods; the number of students with outstanding debt whose transcripts were released and the amount of the debt, the number of students with outstanding debt whose diplomas were released and the amount of the outstanding debt, and the number of students with outstanding debt whose transcripts were withheld because the request for release was not for a purpose outlined in the Act and the amount of outstanding debt; and the total number of students whose registration privileges are being withheld for financial reasons, the amount of outstanding debt for those students, and the total portion of that debt that has been written off for accounting purposes but the registration hold remains.
LRB104 10578 LNS 20654 b
A BILL FOR
SB2000 LRB104 10578 LNS 20654 b
AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Student Debt Assistance Act is amended by
changing Sections 5 and 35 as follows:
(110 ILCS 66/5)
Sec. 5. Definitions. In this Act:
"Debt" means any money, obligation, claim, or sum due or
owing or alleged to be due or owing from a student to an
institution of higher education. "Debt" does not include the
fee, if any, that is charged to students by an applicable
provider for the actual cost of providing an academic
transcript to a student.
"Institution of higher education" or "institution" means
any publicly or privately operated university, college,
community college, business, technical, or vocational school,
or other educational institution in this State offering
degrees and instruction beyond the secondary school level.
includes, but is not limited to, an institution to which the
Private Business and Vocational Schools Act of 2012 or the
Private College Act applies and a public institution of higher
education included in the definition of "public institutions
of higher education" under the Board of Higher Education Act.

SB2000 - 2 - LRB104 10578 LNS 20654 b
"Institution of higher education" or "institution" also
includes a person engaged in the business of providing
postsecondary education, via correspondence or online or in
this State, to an individual located in this State, regardless
of whether the person has obtained authorization from the
Board of Higher Education to operate in this State or is
accredited.
"Official transcript" means the academic transcript or a
similar academic record of each current or former student of
an institution of higher education that is deemed official,
authenticated, certified, or bona fide and that contains
information customarily provided on an official academic
transcript, including, but not limited to, courses taken,
terms, grades, degrees or credentials conferred, and any other
similar information.
"Unofficial transcript" means the academic transcript or a
similar academic record of each current or former student of
an institution of higher education that contains information
customarily provided on an official transcript, but cannot be
used to transfer academic credits to another institution of
higher education.
(Source: P.A. 102-998, eff. 5-27-22.)
(110 ILCS 66/35)
Sec. 35. Reporting. On or before July 1, 2024 and on or
before each July 1 thereafter, each institution of higher

SB2000 - 3 - LRB104 10578 LNS 20654 b
education shall report to either the Board of Higher Education
or the Illinois Community College Board, whichever is
appropriate, information regarding financial-based transcript
and registration holds, which must include:
(1) reporting the institution of higher education's
policy developed pursuant to Section 30 of this Act; and
(2) reporting the number of students for whom the
institution of higher education has withheld official
transcripts, diplomas, or registration privileges, using
data from the previous academic year; .
(3) reporting the amount of student debt owed to the
institution, number of students,and amounts written off,
over certain time periods, as specified by the Board of
Higher Education;
(4) reporting the number of students with outstanding
debt whose transcripts were released and the amount of the
debt, the number of students with outstanding debt whose
diplomas were released and the amount of the outstanding
debt, and the number of students with outstanding debt
whose transcripts were withheld because the request for
release was not for a purpose outlined in this Act and the
amount of outstanding debt; and
(5) reporting the total number of students whose
registration privileges are being withheld for financial
reasons, the amount of outstanding debt for those students
and the total portion of that debt that has been written

SB2000 - 4 - LRB104 10578 LNS 20654 b
off for accounting purposes but the registration hold
remains.
(Source: P.A. 103-54, eff. 6-9-23.)