Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HB3717

Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl

Filed: 3/18/2025

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AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 3717

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 3717 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 1. Findings. The General Assembly finds the following:

(1) Four-year degrees in applied fields of study are of increasing importance in enabling individuals to qualify for and obtain jobs.

(2) It is a priority in this State to promote equitable access and afford the citizens in this State, particularly underserved student populations and those in rural areas of this State, greater access to higher education.

(3) Research has shown the following:

(A) Most students attend college within 50 miles of their home, and many Illinois residents live outside of commuting distance to a public institution of higher education.

(B) In states where a community college baccalaureate program has been implemented, typical graduates are older, are working, or have family responsibilities that preclude them from attending traditional baccalaureate programs.

(C) Community college baccalaureate graduates are often more racially diverse than counterparts in similar programs of study.

(4) Community colleges can help fill the gaps in this State's higher education system by granting baccalaureate degrees to meet the growing demand for a skilled workforce by increasing access and reducing costs for students.

(5) It is in this State's interest to enable community colleges to seek authorization to offer baccalaureate degrees.

(6) Baccalaureate degree programs offered pursuant to this Act do not otherwise alter the role and mission of a public community college. Nothing in this Act is intended to reduce the State's commitment to improving associate to baccalaureate program transfer pathways for Illinois students.

Section 5. The Public Community College Act is amended by adding Section 3-29.28 as follows:

(110 ILCS 805/3-29.28 new)

Sec. 3-29.28. Baccalaureate degree program.

(a) A board of trustees may establish and offer a baccalaureate degree program and confer a bachelor's degree if all the following conditions are met:

(1) The board of trustees meets all of the requirements as set forth in subsection (b) of this Section and has been approved by the State Board to offer a bachelor's degree.

(2) After the program has been approved by the State Board, the Board of Higher Education shall consider the program for approval in a manner consistent with new bachelor's degree programs at public and private universities in this State.

(3) The board of trustees has identified and documented, in writing, unmet workforce needs, including the number of potential students and workers necessary to meet those needs, in the region served by the community college in the subject area of the baccalaureate degree program to be offered. The board of trustees shall publish the documentation on the community college district's website, make the documentation publicly available, and shall present the documentation to the State Board.

(4) The community college shall hold an applicable accreditation and be approved to offer baccalaureate degrees by the Higher Learning Commission.

(5) The board of trustees shall demonstrate how the baccalaureate degree program will demonstrate improved racial and socioeconomic equity in student access, enrollment, and completion.

(6) Tuition and fees per credit hour for the third and fourth years of a 4-year baccalaureate program may not exceed 150% of the tuition and fees per credit hour of related lower-division course tuition and fees and the tuition charged a student who is a State resident shall not exceed the amount that the student was charged at the time he or she first entered the upper division program.

(b) The board of trustees of the community college shall demonstrate they have the expertise, resources, and student interest to offer a baccalaureate degree. An application for approval from the State Board shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:

(1) The community college shall describe the employment goals for those individuals that complete the baccalaureate program, including the types of jobs and career paths for which the program will train graduates.

(2) The community college shall describe how the proposed baccalaureate degree program addresses an unmet workforce need as specified in paragraph (3) of subsection (a). Labor market need shall include, but not be limited to, anticipated annual earnings of degree holders and current number of related employment vacancies within the community college's district.

(3) The community college shall describe how the baccalaureate degree program will not unnecessarily duplicate a degree program offered by other institutions of higher education in the community college's district.

(4) The community college shall provide evidence that it has budgeted for financial support for the program in a cost-effective manner. This shall include, but not be limited to, faculty costs, administrator costs, other personnel costs, equipment costs, library costs, and other facilities and instructional costs as directed by the State Board. The community college shall also demonstrate that it has the infrastructure to support the program.

(5) The community college shall provide information demonstrating how student demand supports the establishment of the baccalaureate program. The community college shall also describe the target population of the proposed program.

(6) The community college shall describe what similar programs are being offered by the community college and other training providers within its district.

(7) The community college shall provide a plan for attracting, recruiting, retaining, and completing a diverse group of students.

(8) The community college shall describe how it has developed quality curricula that aligns with federal, State, and local requirements, is responsive to local workforce needs, and will prepare graduates with the appropriate level of skill to meet their educational and employment goals.

(9) The community college shall document the availability of faculty for teaching the program, including the number of full-time faculty anticipated to teach in the program, a description of the faculty's qualifications, including the highest degree earned, teaching experience, professional experience, and licenses held by the faculty. The board of trustees shall also indicate anticipated market salaries for each faculty position and how faculty are to be evaluated.

(c) The board of trustees of a community college may demonstrate that the baccalaureate degree program is built on existing associate degree programs and that the baccalaureate degree program prepares graduates for professional and technical employment and opportunity to matriculate to graduate degree programs, when applicable.

(d) A community college is prohibited from using semester credit hours generated in a baccalaureate degree program for grants received pursuant to Section 2-16.02.

(e) The board of trustees of a community college developing a baccalaureate degree program located in the same community college district as a campus of any other institution of higher education shall notify those institutions of higher education at least 60 days before submitting the application under subsection (b) to the State Board. No later than 60 days after the date the board of trustees submits the notice, the public institutions of higher education may provide a written response, which may include a proposal for the institution of higher education to meet the programmatic need through a partnership agreement, to the State Board for its review. Despite having the opportunity to submit a written response to the State Board for consideration, no institution of higher education has the authority to prevent a community college from offering a baccalaureate degree program.

(f) A community college that offers a baccalaureate degree program shall submit an annual report to the State Board and Board of Higher Education, that shall include all the following:

(1) The total number of students pursuing a bachelor's degree at the community college pursuant to this Section.

(2) The total number of applied bachelor's degrees completed at the community college.

(3) Workforce data showing demand for the baccalaureate degree programs offered at the community college.

(4) The average cost of tuition and fees per credit hour for the bachelor's degrees offered at the community college, as well as the average cost of tuition and fees per credit hour for lower division coursework.

(5) If applicable, the pass rates for statewide and national licensure exams compared to the State average.

(g) The State Board and the Board of Higher Education shall jointly conduct a statewide evaluation of all baccalaureate degree programs established under this Section. The results of the evaluation shall be reported, in writing, on or before 5 years after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly to all of the following, in addition to being made publicly available online:

(1) The Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(2) The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

(3) The President of the Senate.

(4) The Minority Leader of the Senate.

(5) The Governor's Office of Management and Budget.

The evaluation shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:

(A) All baccalaureate degree programs implemented.

(B) Information identifying number of applicants, admissions, enrollments, mode of delivery, demographic characteristics of students, and degree recipients.

(C) The extent to which each baccalaureate degree program established under this Section fulfills identified workforce demands that require 4-year baccalaureate degrees.

(D) Information on the pace of employment of students and the subsequent job placement of graduates.

(E) The total cost broken down by major expenditure of each baccalaureate degree program and the funding sources used to finance each program.

(F) For each baccalaureate degree program, the costs to students, the amount of financial aid offered, and the student debt levels of graduates.

(G) Time-to-degree rates, retention rates, and completion rates for each new baccalaureate degree program established under this Section.

(H) The extent to which an applied baccalaureate degree program established under this Section is in compliance with the requirements of this Section.

(I) The extent to which the status of any partnership agreements previously or presently maintained with other State institutions of higher learning, including enrollments and reasons for the dissolution of such agreements if they have been dissolved due to the creation of a new baccalaureate degree program.

The board of trustees of a community college shall submit the information necessary to conduct the evaluation required under this subsection, as determined by the evaluators, to the State Board and the Board of Higher Education.".