A bill in the Illinois General Assembly surrounding agriculture-based learning is a step closer to becoming law.  House Bill 2802 would allow participation in supervised career development experiences and other work-based learning activities to count towards school hours.  Schools would be required to amend their policies to reflect this allowance.

This bill, of which State Senator Doris Turner is a sponsor, is based on a similar 2023 law she also authored.  This bill was written in part to focus on hands-on agriculture-related learning experiences such as FFA and 4-H.  Turner says the measure would remove barriers these students may face when taking part in such activities which clash with the school day. 

The bill passed the State House with a unanimous vote.  It also passed the Senate Education Committee and now heads to the full Senate for further consideration.