Public Act 0488 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

 


 
Public Act 104-0488
 
HB4420 EnrolledLRB104 17839 LNS 31273 b

    AN ACT concerning education.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The College Campus Press Act is amended by
changing Sections 5, 10, 20, 25, and 35 as follows:
 
    (110 ILCS 13/5)
    Sec. 5. Definitions. For purposes of this Act:
    "Campus media" means any matter that is prepared,
substantially written, published, or broadcast by students at
State-sponsored institutions of higher learning, that is
distributed or generally made available, either free of charge
or for a fee, to members of the student body, and that is
prepared under the direction of a student media adviser.
"Campus media" does not include media that is intended for
distribution or transmission solely in the classrooms in which
it is produced.
    "Campus policy" means the views and positions of
State-sponsored institutions of higher learning promulgated by
administrators, officials, or other agents of these
institutions.
    "Collegiate media adviser" means a person who is employed,
appointed, or designated by the State-sponsored institution of
higher learning to supervise or provide instruction relating
to campus media.
    "Collegiate student editor" means a student at a
State-sponsored institution of higher learning who edits
information prepared by collegiate student journalists for
dissemination in campus media.
    "Collegiate student journalist" means a student at a
State-sponsored institution of higher learning who gathers,
compiles, writes, photographs, records, or prepares
information for dissemination in campus media.
    "Prevailing party" includes any party who obtains some of
his or her requested relief through judicial judgment in his
or her favor, who obtains some of his or her requested relief
through a settlement agreement approved by the court, or whose
pursuit of a non-frivolous claim was a catalyst for a
unilateral change in position by the opposing party relative
to the relief sought.
    "Public media produced at a State-sponsored institution of
higher learning" means media created and distributed in print
or audiovisual format that has been produced by an entity
receiving public funding and that has a license or other
agreement with a State-sponsored institution of higher
learning to use that institution's resources for the purposes
of creating or distributing the media for which the entity
receives public funding.
    "State-sponsored institution of higher learning" means the
University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University, Chicago
State University, Eastern Illinois University, Governors State
University, Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois
University, Northern Illinois University, Western Illinois
University, and public community colleges subject to the
Public Community College Act.
(Source: P.A. 95-580, eff. 6-1-08.)
 
    (110 ILCS 13/10)
    Sec. 10. Public forum.
    (a) All campus media produced primarily by students at a
State-sponsored institution of higher learning is a public
forum for expression by the student journalists and editors at
the particular institution. Campus media, whether
campus-sponsored or noncampus-sponsored, is not subject to
prior review by public officials of a State-sponsored
institution of higher learning.
    (b) All public media produced at a State-sponsored
institution of higher learning is a public forum for
expression by the employees producing the media, including
journalists and editors, at the institution of higher
learning. Public media produced at a State-sponsored
institution of higher learning is not subject to prior review
by public officials of the State-sponsored institution of
higher learning.
(Source: P.A. 95-580, eff. 6-1-08.)
 
    (110 ILCS 13/20)
    Sec. 20. Injunction and declaratory relief. A collegiate
student enrolled in a State-sponsored institution of higher
learning, or a collegiate media advisor of a State-sponsored
institution of higher learning, or an employee or agent of an
entity creating or distributing public media produced at a
State-sponsored institution of higher learning may commence a
civil action to obtain appropriate injunctive and declaratory
relief as determined by a court for violation of Section 10 of
this Act by such State-sponsored institution of higher
learning. Upon motion, a court may award attorney's fees to a
prevailing party in a civil action brought under this Section.
(Source: P.A. 95-580, eff. 6-1-08.)
 
    (110 ILCS 13/25)
    Sec. 25. Campus policy and speech distinguished.
Expression made by a collegiate student journalist, collegiate
student editor, employee or agent of an entity creating or
distributing public media produced at a State-sponsored
institution of higher learning, or other contributor in campus
media or public media produced at a State-sponsored
institution of higher learning is neither an expression of
campus policy nor speech attributable to a State-sponsored
institution of higher learning.
(Source: P.A. 95-580, eff. 6-1-08.)
 
    (110 ILCS 13/35)
    Sec. 35. Immunity. A State-sponsored institution of higher
learning shall be immune from any lawsuit arising from
expression actually made in campus media or public media
produced at a State-sponsored institution of higher learning,
with the exception of the institution's own expression.
(Source: P.A. 95-580, eff. 6-1-08.)