State Week: A new fiscal year brings new laws
Jul 2, 2026 · 29 min · 17 segments
On this episode, we discuss some of the new laws that took effect in Illinois.
- Speakers
- Charlie WheelerPanelist
Isabella NietoGuestSean CrawfordHost
Jul 2, 2026 · 29 min · 17 segments
On this episode, we discuss some of the new laws that took effect in Illinois.
Isabella NietoGuestSean CrawfordHostIt's, uh, it's a law that's already on the books called cyberbullying, but, uh, this adds to it.
What does-- what is the approach of this legislation? What is it trying to accomplish?
So the bill, um, it outlaws-- It, it basically expands the definition of cyberbullying to incorporate unauthorized AI-generated images.
Now, I spoke to, uh, State Representative Janet Yang Rohr of Naperville, um, in doing a story about this bill, and she said it sort of stemmed from reports of male students making deep fake, uh, sexual images of their female classmates and posting or distributing them.
Um, so the, the bill basically allows for schools to make rules governing the use of AI apps to create these images, um, and kind of, uh, it kind of put in a framework on how schools can address instances where people are cyberbullying or students are cyberbullying each other using these types of images.
So it just kind of allows a school to figure out how they can investigate, how they can, how they can discipline students for doing this sort of thing, and ways to prevent it from happening as well.
Yeah, it seemed like from your reporting, from what I understood, that that was sort of the approach here, was less about the punishment aspect and more about just trying to make sure that, uh, you know, young people will do some things sometimes, and technology allows them to do certain things, that maybe this was just about making it clear to them that this is not okay.
Yeah, it definitely is, and, you know, to hear that, that students are making these types of images of each other is-- it's pretty shocking.
So, you know, it's interesting that this has made its way to the legislative level, and I'm interested to see how schools decide to put in the framework that is already kind of in place in the school code about cyberbullying to kind of incorporate these images as well.
And Charlie, maybe for those that don't follow the legislature as closely, this is pretty common for legislative activity.
It's basically trying to keep up with changes, technological changes, for example.
That seems to be what this is about here, trying to, uh, basically get out in front of some of this technology as best they can.
Yeah, and I'm not sure so much it getting out in front as it is catching up.
As Isabella suggested, there have been really shameful incidents of male students using artificial intelligence, uh, to do sexually explicit, uh, AI pictures and then put the face of a, of a female classmate on that picture and then distributing them.
And that's, uh, a real problem, and it's gonna become greater as the AI becomes-- the, the images become more realistic.
And I think it's-- And I, I guess it's the latest development of the kind of stuff that always has gone on, where there-- some kids will bully other kids basically because of their own insecurity.
And so if, if I make fun of you, Sean, it's because I'm insecure, and I'm trying to prop myself up by poking fun at you, that kind of thing.
It's, uh, it's a law that's already on the books called cyberbullying, but, uh, this adds to it.
What does-- what is the approach of this legislation? What is it trying to accomplish?
So the bill, um, it outlaws-- It, it basically expands the definition of cyberbullying to incorporate unauthorized AI-generated images.
Now, I spoke to, uh, State Representative Janet Yang Rohr of Naperville, um, in doing a story about this bill, and she said it sort of stemmed from reports of male students making deep fake, uh, sexual images of their female classmates and posting or distributing them.
Um, so the, the bill basically allows for schools to make rules governing the use of AI apps to create these images, um, and kind of, uh, it kind of put in a framework on how schools can address instances where people are cyberbullying or students are cyberbullying each other using these types of images.
So it just kind of allows a school to figure out how they can investigate, how they can, how they can discipline students for doing this sort of thing, and ways to prevent it from happening as well.
Yeah, it seemed like from your reporting, from what I understood, that that was sort of the approach here, was less about the punishment aspect and more about just trying to make sure that, uh, you know, young people will do some things sometimes, and technology allows them to do certain things, that maybe this was just about making it clear to them that this is not okay.
Yeah, it definitely is, and, you know, to hear that, that students are making these types of images of each other is-- it's pretty shocking.
So, you know, it's interesting that this has made its way to the legislative level, and I'm interested to see how schools decide to put in the framework that is already kind of in place in the school code about cyberbullying to kind of incorporate these images as well.
And Charlie, maybe for those that don't follow the legislature as closely, this is pretty common for legislative activity.
It's basically trying to keep up with changes, technological changes, for example.
That seems to be what this is about here, trying to, uh, basically get out in front of some of this technology as best they can.
Yeah, and I'm not sure so much it getting out in front as it is catching up.
As Isabella suggested, there have been really shameful incidents of male students using artificial intelligence, uh, to do sexually explicit, uh, AI pictures and then put the face of a, of a female classmate on that picture and then distributing them.
And that's, uh, a real problem, and it's gonna become greater as the AI becomes-- the, the images become more realistic.
And I think it's-- And I, I guess it's the latest development of the kind of stuff that always has gone on, where there-- some kids will bully other kids basically because of their own insecurity.
And so if, if I make fun of you, Sean, it's because I'm insecure, and I'm trying to prop myself up by poking fun at you, that kind of thing.
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