Public Act 93-0239

HB1448 Enrolled                      LRB093 06893 NHT 07039 b

    AN ACT regarding higher education.

    Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:

    Section 5. The Criminal Code of 1961 is amended by adding
Section 17-2.5 as follows:

    (720 ILCS 5/17-2.5 new)
    Sec. 17-2.5. False academic degrees.
    (a)  It is unlawful for a person to knowingly manufacture
or  produce  for  profit or for sale a false academic degree,
unless the degree explicitly  states  "for  novelty  purposes
only".
    (b)  It is unlawful for a person to knowingly use a false
academic  degree  for  the purpose of obtaining employment or
admission to an institution of higher learning  or  admission
to  an  advanced  degree  program at an institution of higher
learning or for the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  promotion  or
higher compensation in employment.
    (c)  Sentence.  A  person  who  violates  this Section is
guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
    (d)  In this Section:
    "False academic degree"  means  a  certificate,  diploma,
transcript,  or  other document purporting to be issued by an
institution of higher learning or purporting to indicate that
a person has completed an organized academic program of study
at an institution of higher learning when the person has  not
completed  the  organized academic program of study indicated
on the certificate, diploma, transcript, or other document.
    "Institution  of  higher  learning"  means  a  public  or
private college, university, or community college located  in
the  State  of  Illinois  that  is authorized by the Board of
Higher Education or the Illinois Community College  Board  to
issue post-secondary degrees, or a public or private college,
university,  or  community  college  located  anywhere in the
United States that is or  has  been  legally  constituted  to
offer  degrees  and  instruction  in  its  state of origin or
incorporation.

    Section 99. Effective date. This Act  takes  effect  upon
becoming law.