SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Erica Harriss (56th–Glen Carbon) is pleased to announce that House Bill 1237, the proposed School Mascot Ban, has failed to advance in the Illinois Senate following Friday’s Senate committee procedural deadline for moving House bills out of committee. “This is a great win for schools across Illinois that were faced with the uncertainty of having to erase longstanding traditions and absorb yet another unfunded mandate from out-of-touch Chicago politicians,” said Senator Harriss. House Bill 1237 would have required schools to prohibit the use of names, logos, and mascots referencing Native American tribes or terms such as “Braves,” “Chiefs,” “Chieftains,” “Tribe,” “Indians,” or any similar terminology. The bill also sought to ban imagery depicting Native Americans, including feathered headdresses, tomahawks, and arrowheads. Under the bill, any school wishing to retain
Continue Reading