September 22, 2017

To the Honorable Members of

The Illinois House of Representatives

100th General Assembly:

Today I veto House Bill 2977 from the 100th General Assembly, which requires all Illinois elementary schools include a unit of cursive in their curriculum before students complete 5^th grade. 

This legislation constitutes yet another unfunded mandate for school districts that will not protect the health or safety of Illinois students. If the General Assembly believes that cursive writing instruction should be required in elementary schools because it will improve student outcomes, it should be included in the Illinois State Learning Standards and funded accordingly.

Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 2977, entitled “AN ACT concerning education” with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.

Sincerely,

Bruce Rauner

GOVERNOR