Public Act 100-1063
 
HB5696 EnrolledLRB100 17325 AXK 32486 b

    AN ACT concerning education.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Bridge
Program for Underrepresented Students Act.
 
    Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
    "Public university" means Chicago State University,
Eastern Illinois University, Governors State University,
Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University,
Northern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University,
Western Illinois University, the University of Illinois, or any
other public university established or authorized by the
General Assembly.
    "State resident" includes an individual who meets all of
the following conditions:
        (1) the individual resided with his or her parent or
    guardian while attending a public or private high school in
    this State;
        (2) the individual graduated from a public or private
    high school or received the equivalent of a high school
    diploma in this State;
        (3) the individual attended school in this State for at
    least 3 years as of the date the individual graduated from
    high school or received the equivalent of a high school
    diploma;
        (4) the individual registers as an entering student of
    the public university no earlier than the fall 2018
    semester; and
        (5) in the case of an individual who is not a citizen
    or a permanent resident of the United States, the
    individual provides to the public university an affidavit
    stating that the individual will file an application to
    become a permanent resident of the United States at the
    earliest opportunity the individual is eligible to do so.
    "State resident" also includes a person on active military
duty and stationed in Illinois and any of his or her
dependents; a person on active military duty and stationed out
of Illinois, but stationed in this State for at least 3 years
immediately prior to being reassigned out of Illinois, and any
of his or her dependents, as long as that person or his or her
dependent (i) applies for admission to the public university
within 18 months of the person on active military duty being
reassigned or (ii) remains continuously enrolled at the public
university; or a person who utilizes benefits under the federal
Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 or any
subsequent variation of that Act or the federal All-Volunteer
Force Educational Assistance program.
    "Underrepresented student" means any student who:
        (1) is Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino,
    American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or
    Other Pacific Islander;
        (2) is from a county in this State from which a public
    university at all of its campuses combined has enrolled on
    average 2 or fewer students from the county over the last 3
    years; or
        (3) is from a family whose household income is at or
    below the poverty guidelines updated periodically in the
    Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
    Services under the authority of 42 U.S.C. 9902(2) and whose
    expected family contribution as computed by the public
    university equals zero.
 
    Section 10. Purpose and program responsibilities.
    (a) Subject to appropriation, a public university may
establish a Bridge Program for underrepresented students.
    (b) The Bridge Program shall be open only to State
residents. Priority shall be given to applicants whose life
patterns have been characterized by historical economic or
cultural deprivation.
    (c) A public university's Bridge Program shall include, but
is not limited to, the following, which shall be approved by
the public university's Board of Trustees:
        (1) a description of the content of the Program,
    including, but not limited to, counseling, tutoring, and
    skill development in a Program plan format;
        (2) procedures for the selection of students from
    eligible applicants;
        (3) procedures for evaluation of student progress; and
        (4) reporting procedures to the public university's
    Board of Trustees.
 
    Section 15. Program funding. Appropriations made available
to a public university under this Act shall be utilized only
for the following Bridge Program purposes:
        (1) testing, counseling, and guidance services in the
    course of screening potential Program applicants;
        (2) remedial courses, developmental courses, and
    summer courses for potential Program applicants;
        (3) tutoring, counseling, and guidance services for
    enrolled students;
        (4) any necessary supplemental financial assistance,
    which may include, but is not limited to, the cost of books
    and necessary maintenance, for the students; however,
    supplemental financial assistance shall be furnished
    pursuant to criteria established by the Board of Trustees
    of the public university; or
        (5) direct Bridge Program staff costs.
 
    Section 20. Program personnel. Each public university that
establishes a Bridge Program shall designate a full-time
Program director. The Program director shall be responsible for
the following:
        (1) development of the Program plan, including, but not
    limited to, the academic achievement levels and academic
    progress necessary to remain in the Bridge Program;
        (2) management of Program enrollment and finances as
    approved by the public university's Board of Trustees;
        (3) conducting fiscal planning and fund distributions
    with appropriate monitors and controls;
        (4) developing an application process and marketing
    process for the Program;
        (5) creating clear guidelines for applicant
    eligibility, enrollment, service coordination throughout
    the public university, and Program structure;
        (6) management of all full-time or part-time staff
    members associated with the public university's Program;
        (7) promoting collaboration between the Program and
    other offices affecting applicants or enrolled students,
    including, but not limited to, the admissions office or
    financial aid office;
        (8) establishing an advisory structure that promotes
    consultation with university department heads, faculty,
    and professionals on matters of policy, procedure, and
    curriculum;
        (9) establishing specific procedures for counseling
    students who are being dismissed from the Program for
    academic reasons or who withdraw from it voluntarily; and
        (10) creating Program reports as required by the public
    university's Board of Trustees or State law.
 
    Section 25. Reporting. A public university that has
established a Bridge Program shall, on or before September 1,
2019 and on or before September 1 of each subsequent year,
publish on its website and make available to the public a
report for the previous fiscal year containing all of the
following:
        (1) A statement of the objectives of the Program at the
    public university.
        (2) A description of the Program.
        (3) The budgetary expenditures for the Program that
    separately states instructional costs, tutoring costs,
    remedial course costs, tutoring costs, counseling costs,
    supplemental financial assistance costs, program staff
    costs, and any other costs the Board of Trustees finds
    essential to the continuation of the Program. The
    expenditures shall separately detail costs from
    appropriations and costs from other funds of the public
    university.
        (4) The number of applicants for the Program.
        (5) The number of applicants accepted to the Program.
        (6) The number of students enrolled in the Program.
        (7) The progress of the students enrolled in the
    Program.
        (8) First and second year retention rates for students
    enrolled in the Program.
        (9) Graduation rates for students enrolled in the
    Program.
        (10) The number of full-time and part-time faculty
    dedicated to the Program from the public university.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.