Please prepare and send your emails no later than this Friday, June 12.
Thanks for all of your help to date in our legislative effort to bring civics back to Illinois high schools through HB 4025. After passing the Illinois General Assembly by strong, bi-partisan majorities, the bill moves next to the Governor's desk. I'm writing to request your help in reaching out to him via email, urging Governor Rauner to sign this transformational legislation.
Sample email language is provided below. I encourage you to add your own qualifications and experiences as a civics practitioner and/or advocate. Also here is a link to additional information on HB 4025.
Upon completion, send your email to Governor Rauner using the online comment form on his web site.
If time permits, you may want to follow up with a phone call to the Governor's office at 217-782-0244 to ensure that your email was received. Please prepare and send your emails no later than this Friday, June 12.
Thanks in advance for your timely attention to this critical outreach. Together, we are bringing civics back to high schools throughout Illinois.
Yours in civics, Shawn
Shawn P. Healy, PhD
Chair, Illinois Civic Mission Coalition
Shawn Healy also served as the Chair of the Illinois Civic Education Task Force and has been working tirelessly to pass HB4025.
Suggested email script - please personalize:
I am respectfully asking you to sign HB4025 which requires high school students in Illinois to take a civics course before graduating.
Illinois is one of only eleven states without this requirement.
Quality civics courses have tremendous impact. For example, when Florida recently introduced a required civics course (in middle school), 61% of Florida students achieved proficiency in civics, compared to 23% of middle school students nationally in the most recent NAEP Civics Assessment.
Citizens with high levels of civic knowledge vote regularly and participate broadly in our democracy.
Please help improve the civic health of our state by providing all students with a civics course.
Please sign HB4025.
incerely, XXX
Call script: I have just emailed Governor Rauner asking him/her to sign HB4025, but I wanted to call the office to also voice my request and confirm that my email was received.