On December 8, 2023, Governor Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1699 into law as Public Act 103-0580. This statute went into immediate effect on December 8, 2023 and expands the definition of “Public Schools” eligible for the Public Schools category to include Illinois public higher education institutions as defined by the Illinois Board of Higher Education Act. It also requires projects for this category to be located on public school land. The Program is compiling necessary updates to project applications, application processes and support, and other data and reporting impacts for the Public Schools project category resulting from the Public Act. Higher education institutions may apply to this category now, even as updates to the application portal are in process.