Bill Text: IL HB3743 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Enrolled
Bill Title: Amends the School Code. Requires each school district to include in its student handbook for grades kindergarten through 12 railroad safety messaging. Allows a school district to opt-out of the messaging requirement if the school board of the school district determines that the inclusion of such messaging is unnecessary based on local context or the messaging's alignment with curriculum. Effective July 1, 2026.
Sponsorship: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 23-3)
Status: (Enrolled) 2026-06-18 - Sent to the Governor [HB3743 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2025-HB3743-Enrolled.html
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| 1 | AN ACT concerning education. | ||||||
| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||||
| 3 | represented in the General Assembly: | ||||||
| 4 | Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section | ||||||
| 5 | 22-101 as follows: | ||||||
| 6 | (105 ILCS 5/22-101 new) | ||||||
| 7 | Sec. 22-101. Railroad safety messaging. Each school | ||||||
| 8 | district shall include in its student handbook for grades | ||||||
| 9 | kindergarten through 12 the following railroad safety | ||||||
| 10 | messaging: | ||||||
| 11 | (1) Cross tracks only at designated pedestrian or | ||||||
| 12 | roadway crossings and observe and obey all warning signs | ||||||
| 13 | and signals. | ||||||
| 14 | (2) Never walk down a train track; it is illegal and | ||||||
| 15 | dangerous. By the time a locomotive engineer sees a | ||||||
| 16 | trespasser or vehicle on the tracks, it is too late to stop | ||||||
| 17 | even when the emergency brakes are activated. | ||||||
| 18 | (3) The only safe place to cross is at a designated | ||||||
| 19 | public crossing, equipped with crossbucks, flashing red | ||||||
| 20 | lights, or gates. Crossing anywhere else is trespassing, | ||||||
| 21 | which can result in a ticket and fine. | ||||||
| 22 | (4) Do not cross tracks immediately after a train | ||||||
| 23 | passes. Additional trains may be approaching when blocked | ||||||
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| 1 | by the first. Trains can travel at any time and in either | ||||||
| 2 | direction. Wait until both directions can be clearly | ||||||
| 3 | observed. | ||||||
| 4 | (5) Flashing red lights signal that a train or rail | ||||||
| 5 | equipment is approaching from either direction, and a fine | ||||||
| 6 | can be charged for ignoring such signals. Never walk | ||||||
| 7 | around or stop between lowered gates at a crossing. Do not | ||||||
| 8 | cross the tracks until the red lights stop flashing and it | ||||||
| 9 | is safe to do so. | ||||||
| 10 | (6) Rails and recreation do not mix. | ||||||
| 11 | A school district may opt-out of this requirement if the | ||||||
| 12 | school board of the school district determines that the | ||||||
| 13 | inclusion of such messaging is unnecessary based on local | ||||||
| 14 | context or the messaging's alignment with curriculum. | ||||||
| 15 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect on July | ||||||
| 16 | 1, 2026. | ||||||
