Bill Status of HB0027  101st General Assembly

Short Description:  VOCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY ACT

House Sponsors
Rep. André Thapedi - Jehan Gordon-Booth - Joe Sosnowski - La Shawn K. Ford - Theresa Mah, Camille Y. Lilly, Linda Chapa LaVia, Kambium Buckner, Curtis J. Tarver, II and Maurice A. West, II

Last Action
DateChamber Action
  1/13/2021HouseSession Sine Die

Statutes Amended In Order of Appearance
New Act


Synopsis As Introduced
Creates the Vocational Academy Opportunity Act. Creates 2 vocational academies, one located in Cook County and the other in a downstate county, which shall be residential institutions. Provides that each academy shall be a State agency, funded by State appropriations, private contributions, and endowments. Provides that the academies shall be governed by a single Board of Trustees for the collective operation and oversight of the academies. Provides for the membership of the Board. Specifies the duties and powers of the Board. Provides that each academy shall be empowered to lease or purchase real and personal property on commercially reasonable terms for the use by the academy.

 Fiscal Note, House Floor Amendment No. 1 (State Board of Education)
 House Bill 27 (H-AM 1) would increase the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) gap to adequacy. EBF provides funding to two existing laboratory schools. Based on the fiscal year 2019 EBF calculations, the Final Adequacy Target for the two existing non-residential laboratory schools, adjusted for regionalization, averaged nearly $10,700 per student. This fiscal note assumes that each new vocational academy would have an average student enrollment of 250 students per grade or 750 per school. Based on the FY19 EBF calculations mentioned above, the estimated state resources needed for the EBF formula would be $7.2 million for each vocational school to be funded at 90% adequacy for a total of $14.4 million. The bill does not provide a mechanism for the new school districts to receive a Base Funding Minimum from EBF for the new vocational schools. This bill would also impact EBF Tier funding amounts received by other school districts in the future as a result of reduced enrollment for a school district that has a pupil enroll in one of the new vocational academies. The bill also has an inconsistency with the definition Of "Average Student Enrollment" in Section 18-8.15 of the School Code. This estimate does not include construction costs nor the operational costs of housing students in a residential facility as the bill authorizes the school districts to use a cost recovery fee for these costs. The fiscal impact to the Illinois State Board of Education's operating budget cannot be determined at this time but there will be operational costs to comply with the provisions of House Bill 27 (H-AM 1).

 Fiscal Note, House Floor Amendment No. 2 (State Board of Education)
 House Bill 27 (H-AM 2) creates the Vocational Academy Opportunity Act and four public vocational academies which shall also be residential institutions. The bill provides that each academy shall be its own school district and funded as a laboratory school from the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula The local capacity percentage for these new vocational academies in the EBF formula would be set at 10% in the absence of local tax resources. House Bill 27 (H-AM 2) would increase the EBF gap to adequacy. EBF provides funding to two existing laboratory schools. Based on the fiscal year 2019 EBF calculations, the Final Adequacy Target for the two existing non-residential laboratory schools, adjusted for regionalization, averaged nearly $I0,700 per student. This fiscal note assumes that each new vocational academy would have an average student enrollment of 250 students per grade or 750 per school. Based on the FY19. EBF calculations mentioned above, the estimated state resources needed for the EBF formula would be $7.2 million for each vocational school to be funded at 90% adequacy for a total of $28.8 million. The bill does not provide a mechanism for the new school districts to receive a Base Funding Minimum from EBF for the new vocational schools. This bill would also impact EBF Tier funding amounts received by other school districts in the future as a result of reduced enrollment for a school district that has a pupil enroll in one of the new vocational academies. The bill also has an inconsistency with the definition of "Average Student Enrollment" in Section 18-8.15 of the School Code. This estimate does not include construction costs nor the operational costs of housing students in a residential facility as the bill authorizes the school districts to use a cost recovery fee for these costs. The fiscal impact to the Illinois State Board of Education's operating budget cannot be determined at this time but there will be operational costs to comply with the provisions of House Bill 27 (H-AM 2).

Actions 
DateChamber Action
  11/30/2018HousePrefiled with Clerk by Rep. André Thapedi
  1/9/2019HouseFirst Reading
  1/9/2019HouseReferred to Rules Committee
  1/28/2019HouseAdded Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth
  1/29/2019HouseAssigned to Executive Committee
  1/29/2019HouseAdded Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. La Shawn K. Ford
  2/6/2019HouseDo Pass / Short Debate Executive Committee; 012-000-000
  2/6/2019HouseAdded Co-Sponsor Rep. Camille Y. Lilly
  2/7/2019HousePlaced on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate
  2/8/2019HouseAdded Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Joe Sosnowski
  2/8/2019HouseAdded Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Theresa Mah
  2/8/2019HouseAdded Co-Sponsor Rep. Dan Caulkins
  2/8/2019HouseRemoved Co-Sponsor Rep. Dan Caulkins
  2/8/2019HouseAdded Co-Sponsor Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia
  2/14/2019HouseAdded Co-Sponsor Rep. Kambium Buckner
  2/14/2019HouseAdded Co-Sponsor Rep. Curtis J. Tarver, II
  2/26/2019HouseSecond Reading - Short Debate
  2/26/2019HousePlaced on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate
  3/5/2019HouseAdded Co-Sponsor Rep. Maurice A. West, II
  3/13/2019HouseHouse Floor Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by Rep. André Thapedi
  3/13/2019HouseHouse Floor Amendment No. 1 Referred to Rules Committee
  3/18/2019HouseHouse Floor Amendment No. 1 Fiscal Note Requested as Amended by Rep. Tom Demmer
  3/20/2019HouseHouse Floor Amendment No. 1 Fiscal Note Filed as Amended
  3/20/2019HouseHouse Floor Amendment No. 2 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Joe Sosnowski
  3/20/2019HouseHouse Floor Amendment No. 2 Referred to Rules Committee
  3/25/2019HouseHouse Floor Amendment No. 2 Fiscal Note Filed as Amended
  4/12/2019HouseRule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee
  3/12/2020HouseHouse Floor Amendment No. 1 Rules Refers to Executive Committee
  3/12/2020HouseHouse Floor Amendment No. 2 Rules Refers to Executive Committee
  3/12/2020HouseApproved for Consideration Rules Committee; 003-000-000
  5/19/2020HousePlaced on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate
  6/23/2020HouseRule 19(b) / Re-referred to Rules Committee
  6/23/2020HouseHouse Floor Amendment No. 1 Rule 19(c) / Re-referred to Rules Committee
  6/23/2020HouseHouse Floor Amendment No. 2 Rule 19(c) / Re-referred to Rules Committee
  1/13/2021HouseSession Sine Die