093_HB0918eng

 
HB0918 Engrossed                     LRB093 07120 NHT 07274 b

 1        AN ACT relating to public community colleges.

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

 4        Section 5.  The Public Community College Act  is  amended
 5    by changing Section 2-16.02 as follows:

 6        (110 ILCS 805/2-16.02) (from Ch. 122, par. 102-16.02)
 7        Sec.   2-16.02.  State  grants.   Any  community  college
 8    district that maintains a community college recognized by the
 9    State Board shall receive, when eligible,  grants  enumerated
10    in  this  Section.   Funded  semester  credit  hours or other
11    measures or both as specified by the  State  Board  shall  be
12    used  to  distribute  grants  to  community colleges.  Funded
13    semester credit hours shall be defined, for purposes of  this
14    Section,  as the greater of (1) the number of semester credit
15    hours, or equivalent, in all funded instructional  categories
16    of   students  who have been certified as being in attendance
17    at midterm during the respective terms  of  the  base  fiscal
18    year  or  (2)  the  average  of  semester  credit  hours,  or
19    equivalent,   in   all  funded  instructional  categories  of
20    students who have been certified as being  in  attendance  at
21    midterm  during  the respective terms of the base fiscal year
22    and the 2 prior fiscal years.  For purposes of this  Section,
23    "base fiscal year" means the fiscal year 2 years prior to the
24    fiscal  year  for  which  the  grants are appropriated.  Such
25    students shall have been residents of Illinois and shall have
26    been enrolled in  courses  that  are  part  of  instructional
27    program  categories  approved by the State Board and that are
28    applicable  toward  an  associate  degree   or   certificate.
29    Courses are not eligible for reimbursement where the district
30    receives federal or State financing or both, except financing
31    through the State Board, for 50% or more of the program costs
 
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 1    with  the  exception  of courses offered by contract with the
 2    Department of Corrections in correctional institutions.  Base
 3    operating grants shall be paid  based  on  rates  per  funded
 4    semester  credit  hour  or equivalent calculated by the State
 5    Board for  funded  instructional  categories  using  cost  of
 6    instruction,   enrollment,   inflation,  and  other  relevant
 7    factors. A portion of  the  base  operating  grant  shall  be
 8    allocated  on  the  basis  of  non-residential  gross  square
 9    footage of space maintained by the district.
10        Equalization  grants  shall  be  calculated  by the State
11    Board by determining a local revenue factor for each district
12    by:   (A)  adding  (1)  each  district's  Corporate  Personal
13    Property Replacement Fund allocations from  the  base  fiscal
14    year  or  the average of the base fiscal year and prior year,
15    whichever  is  less,  divided  by  the  applicable  statewide
16    average tax rate to (2) the district's most recently  audited
17    year's  equalized  assessed  valuation  or the average of the
18    most recently audited year and prior year, whichever is less,
19    (B)  then  dividing  by  the  district's  audited   full-time
20    equivalent  resident students for the base fiscal year or the
21    average for the base  fiscal year  and  the  2  prior  fiscal
22    years,  whichever is greater, and (C) then multiplying by the
23    applicable statewide average tax rate.  The State Board shall
24    calculate a statewide weighted average threshold by  applying
25    the   same  methodology  to  the  totals  of  all  districts'
26    Corporate Personal Property Tax Replacement Fund allocations,
27    equalized  assessed   valuations,   and   audited   full-time
28    equivalent  district resident students and multiplying by the
29    applicable  statewide  average  tax  rate.   The   difference
30    between  the  statewide  weighted  average  threshold and the
31    local revenue factor, multiplied by the number  of  full-time
32    equivalent  resident  students, shall determine the amount of
33    equalization  funding  that  each  district  is  eligible  to
34    receive.  A percentage factor, as  determined  by  the  State
 
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 1    Board,  may be applied to the statewide threshold as a method
 2    for allocating equalization funding.  A minimum  equalization
 3    grant  of  an  amount per district as determined by the State
 4    Board shall be established for any community college district
 5    which qualifies for an  equalization  grant  based  upon  the
 6    preceding  criteria,  but becomes ineligible for equalization
 7    funding, or would have received a  grant  of  less  than  the
 8    minimum  equalization  grant,  due  to  threshold  prorations
 9    applied  to reduce equalization funding.  As of July 1, 1997,
10    community college districts must maintain a minimum  required
11    in-district   tuition   rate  per  semester  credit  hour  as
12    determined by the State Board.  For each fiscal year  between
13    July  1,  1997  and  June 30, 2001, districts not meeting the
14    minimum required rate will be subject to a percent  reduction
15    of equalization funding as determined by the State Board.  As
16    of  July  1,  2001,  districts must meet the required minimum
17    in-district tuition rate to qualify for equalization funding.
18        The State Board shall distribute such other grants as may
19    be authorized or appropriated by the General Assembly.
20        Each community college district entitled to State  grants
21    under  this Section must submit a report of its enrollment to
22    the State Board not later than 30 days following the  end  of
23    each semester, quarter, or term in a format prescribed by the
24    State  Board.   These  semester  credit hours, or equivalent,
25    shall be certified by each district on forms provided by  the
26    State  Board.   Each  district's  certified  semester  credit
27    hours,  or  equivalent,  are  subject  to  audit  pursuant to
28    Section 3-22.1.
29        The State Board shall certify, prepare, and submit to the
30    State Comptroller during August, November, February, and  May
31    of each fiscal year vouchers setting forth an amount equal to
32    25%  of  the  grants  approved  by  the  State Board for base
33    operating grants and equalization grants.   The  State  Board
34    shall  prepare  and  submit to the State Comptroller vouchers
 
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 1    for payments of other grants as appropriated by  the  General
 2    Assembly.  If the amount appropriated for grants is different
 3    from  the amount provided for such grants under this Act, the
 4    grants  shall  be  proportionately   reduced   or   increased
 5    accordingly.
 6        For  the  purposes  of  this  Section, "resident student"
 7    means a student in a community college district who maintains
 8    residency  in  that  district  or   meets   other   residency
 9    definitions  established  by  the  State  Board,  and who was
10    enrolled either in one of the approved instructional  program
11    categories  in that district, or in another community college
12    district to which the resident's district is  paying  tuition
13    under  Section  6-2 or with which the resident's district has
14    entered into a cooperative agreement in lieu of such tuition.
15        For  the  purposes  of   this   Section,   a   "full-time
16    equivalent" student is equal to 30 semester credit hours.
17        The Illinois Community College Board Contracts and Grants
18    Fund  is  hereby  created  in  the  State Treasury.  Items of
19    income  to  this  fund  shall  include  any  grants,  awards,
20    endowments, or like proceeds, and  where  appropriate,  other
21    funds  made  available  through  contracts with governmental,
22    public,  and  private  agencies  or  persons.   The   General
23    Assembly  shall from time to time make appropriations payable
24    from such fund for the support, improvement, and expenses  of
25    the State Board and Illinois community college districts.
26    (Source:  P.A.  89-141,  eff.  7-14-95; 89-281, eff. 8-10-95;
27    89-473, eff.  6-18-96;  89-626,  eff.  8-9-96;  90-468,  eff.
28    8-17-97;  90-486, eff. 8-17-97; 90-497, eff. 8-18-97; 90-587,
29    eff. 8-7-98 (contingent upon 90-720); 90-655,  eff.  7-30-98;
30    90-720, eff. 8-7-98.)