A bill that bolsters current anti-bullying protections in Illinois has passed out of committee and is headed for the floor of the Illinois General Assembly.
Shannon Sullivan, executive director of the LGBT youth organization Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, confirmed the news to Windy City Times.
Bill HB5290 is not LGBT-specific. However, the current school code does contain LGBT anti-bullying protections.
Introduced by state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, the bill would require the Illinois Board of Education to create a model bullying-prevention policy for schools for the school year 2013-2014, according to the bill's synopsis.