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HB 2801

SCH CD-STEAM OPPORTUNITY LIST

104th Regular Session Introduced by Regan Deering and 4 co-sponsors

ISBE will create and maintain a central, publicly accessible list of CTE externships, internships, and volunteer opportunities for high school students, with annual reporting.

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Bill Summary · HB 2801

Summary — HB 2801 (Public Act 104-0249): Career and Technical Education Opportunity List

Short title / citation: Adds Section 2-3.206 to the Illinois School Code (105 ILCS 5/2-3.206).

Enacted: Public Act 104-0249
Governor approved: August 15, 2025
Effective date: January 1, 2026

Purpose

The act directs the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to create, maintain, and publish a centrally accessible list of externships, internships, and volunteer opportunities connected to career and technical education (CTE) pathways for high school students. The goal is to increase awareness and access to work-based learning opportunities aligned with CTE career areas.

Key provisions

  • ISBE must publish, on its website, a form for organizations to submit externships, internships, and volunteer opportunities for high school students. (Deadline to provide form: July 1, 2026.)
  • Submitted opportunities are subject to ISBE review and approval before being posted.
  • ISBE must maintain and post a publicly accessible list of approved opportunities on its website and share that list annually with all school districts.
  • Beginning July 1, 2027, and annually thereafter by July 1, ISBE must publish a report that lists the total number of organizations that submitted opportunities in the previous year. The report must be disaggregated by the CTE career areas under which each opportunity was classified.

Who is affected

  • High school students seeking CTE-related experiential learning (externships, internships, volunteer placements).
  • Organizations and employers that offer or wish to offer CTE work-based learning opportunities (they must use the ISBE submission form and meet ISBE approval criteria).
  • Illinois State Board of Education (responsible for form creation, review/approval, posting, reporting).
  • Local school districts (receive the posted list annually and may use it for student outreach).

Timeline & implementation milestones

  • January 1, 2026: Act takes effect.
  • By July 1, 2026: ISBE must provide and publish the submission form.
  • By July 1, 2027: First annual report due (and each July 1 thereafter).

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Improves centralized visibility of CTE-related work-based learning opportunities for students and districts.
  • Requires ISBE staff time and administrative capacity to develop the submission/approval process, maintain the online list, and produce annual reports; no dedicated funding is specified in the text.
  • ISBE will set approval criteria and classification standards for career areas, which can affect which organizations qualify and how opportunities are categorized.
  • Local districts may increase student participation in CTE pathways using the shared list.

Legislative history & sponsors (selected)

  • Introduced: February 13, 2025 (Rep. Tony M. McCombie / sponsors listed including Regan Deering, Sally Turner, Jason Plummer, Sue Scherer, Anna Moeller).
  • Passed both houses and sent to governor; approved 8/15/2025. Enacted as Public Act 104-0249.

Note: Earlier bill versions and amendments referenced STEAM and targeted outreach to young women; the enacted language focuses broadly on CTE-related externships, internships, and volunteer opportunities for high school students.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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