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.
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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 a mascot referencing Native American culture would have been required to obtain written consent from a federally recognized tribe. This consent would have needed to be renewed every five years and could have been revoked at any time. Schools in Collinsville and Granite City, which use the Kahok and Warrior mascots, would have been impacted by the legislation, as neither mascot is affiliated with a federally recognized tribe.
Senator Harriss actively opposed the bill by launching a School Mascot Ban petition and joining local advocacy efforts to defend the right to preserve longstanding community traditions.
“I want to thank everyone who took the time to engage on this issue and signed my petition,” said Senator Harriss. “This was a grassroots effort, and I am proud of the work we’ve done to prevent this legislation from advancing.”
Senator Harriss encourages Illinois residents to remain vigilant, noting that legislation can move quickly in Springfield and that the Majority Party could suspend the rules and bring the bill back for a vote at a later date.
