SPRINGFIELD – So students better understand the naturalization process, State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) passed legislation in the Senate Education Committee that would allow schools to offer courses on naturalization and citizenship.

“More than two-thirds of students that take the U.S. Citizenship test in their history courses end up failing,” Villanueva said. “Schools should offer instruction on citizenship so that students from all backgrounds know the effort it takes to go through the naturalization process.”

The legislation would allow public high schools in Illinois to include a unit of instruction on the process of naturalization in their curricula. The course would include content from the actual citizenship test administered by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The measure allows local school boards to determine the amount of instructional time.

House Bill 3281 passed the Senate Education Committee and awaits consideration before the full Senate.