SB2051 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB101 11062 AXK 56266 b

101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
SB2051

Introduced 2/15/2019, by Sen. Bill Cunningham

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

30 ILCS 105/5.891 new
30 ILCS 105/6z-107 new
110 ILCS 73/90
110 ILCS 305/105 new
110 ILCS 305/110 new
110 ILCS 685/30-210 new
110 ILCS 685/30-215 new

Amends the State University Certificates of Participation Act. Provides that the Act applies until December 31, 2023 (rather than December 31, 2014). Amends the University of Illinois Act and the Northern Illinois University Law. Under an Investment, Performance, and Accountability Commitment at each University, requires each University to comply with certain tuition and mandatory fee, financial aid, and performance goal provisions if the University is appropriated a certain amount of money each fiscal year. Provides for an annual report, and repeals the Commitment on June 30, 2024. Subject to appropriation (greater than or equal to 1% of the faculty salary pool for Northern Illinois University), provides for an Excellence Program at each University to recruit and retain promising faculty throughout the University through capital investments; amends the State Finance Act to create a special fund. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning education.

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

Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding Sections 5.891 and 6z-107 as follows:

(30 ILCS 105/5.891 new)

Sec. 5.891. The Illinois Higher Education Excellence Fund.

(30 ILCS 105/6z-107 new)

Sec. 6z-107. The Illinois Higher Education Excellence Fund. The Illinois Higher Education Excellence Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury. All money in the Fund may be used, subject to appropriation, by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois to implement the University of Illinois Excellence Program under Section 105 of the University of Illinois Act or the Board of Trustees of Northern Illinois University to implement the Northern Illinois University Excellence Program under Section 30-210 of the Northern Illinois University Law. The Board of Trustees of each of these universities may use the money in the Fund for only the following purposes:

(1) Capital investments in both new and distressed facilities designed to attract faculty who have the potential to attract additional public or private grant funds or other investments for the university.

(2) Grants for technical improvements, equipment improvements, or support personnel necessary to attract faculty who have the potential to attract additional public or private grant funds or other investments for the university.

Section 10. The State University Certificates of Participation Act is amended by changing Section 90 as follows:

(110 ILCS 73/90)

Sec. 90. Expiration of Act. This Act applies until December 31, 2023 2014. However, the refunding of certificates of participation issued prior to December 31, 2023 2014 in accordance with the Act is permitted.

(Source: P.A. 96-15, eff. 6-22-09.)

Section 15. The University of Illinois Act is amended by adding Sections 105 and 110 as follows:

(110 ILCS 305/105 new)

Sec. 105. University of Illinois Excellence Program. Subject to appropriation, the Board of Trustees shall establish and administer a program, to be called the University of Illinois Excellence Program, to recruit and retain promising faculty throughout the University of Illinois system through various capital investments.

(110 ILCS 305/110 new)

Sec. 110. University of Illinois Investment, Performance, and Accountability Commitment.

(a) This Section may be referred to as the University of Illinois Investment, Performance, and Accountability Commitment.

(b) For Fiscal Year 2020, if the General Assembly appropriates and the State Comptroller makes available to the University an amount for operations that is not less than $692,500,000, then subsections (c), (d), and (e) shall apply to the University for Fiscal Year 2020. For Fiscal Year 2021 and every fiscal year thereafter, if the General Assembly appropriates before the beginning of that fiscal year, and the State Comptroller makes available to the University no later than 12 months from the effective date of that appropriation, an amount for operations that is not less than $692,500,000, increased by a percentage equal to the percentage increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor for the 12 months ending on the previous December 31, then subsections (c), (d), and (e) shall apply to the University for that fiscal year.

(c) In this subsection, "mandatory fees" excludes mandatory fees approved by students by referendum. Beginning with the 2020-2021 academic year, the Board of Trustees may not increase the base rate of in-State, undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees above the base rate of in-State, undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees set by the Board of Trustees for an undergraduate academic program in the previous academic year. This subsection does not apply to health insurance fees, fees approved prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, or fees approved by a student referendum.

(d) For Fiscal Year 2020 and every fiscal year thereafter, the University shall implement an Invest in Illinois Residents Program to provide residents of this State no less than $170,000,000 in annual financial aid. A percentage of this financial aid shall be provided annually to Illinois students of historically underrepresented populations. Such students shall include the following:

(1) students who are Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander;

(2) students from counties in this State from which the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, the University of Illinois at Chicago campus, and the University of Illinois at Springfield campus combined have enrolled on average 2 or fewer students from the county over the last 3 years; and

(3) students from families who are classified as in poverty with an expected family contribution equal to zero.

(e) For the 2020-2021 academic year and every academic year thereafter, the University shall achieve performance goals defined by all of the following key performance indicators:

(1) The Board of Trustees shall admit as new and transfer students no fewer than 14,000 residents of this State in undergraduate programs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, 11,800 residents of this State in undergraduate programs at the University of Illinois at Chicago campus, and 1,600 residents of this State in undergraduate programs at the University of Illinois at Springfield campus, provided the requisite number of residents of this State seeking admission to undergraduate programs at the University meet the requirements of Section 8 of this Act.

(2) The University shall maintain a first-to-second year retention rate in undergraduate programs that is greater than or equal to a combined 87% at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, the University of Illinois at Chicago campus, and the University of Illinois at Springfield campus.

(3) The University shall maintain a 6-year graduation rate for first-time freshmen in undergraduate programs that is greater than or equal to a combined 73% at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, the University of Illinois at Chicago campus, and the University of Illinois at Springfield campus.

(f) On or before September 1, 2020 and every September 1 thereafter, the University shall publish on its website and make publicly available an annual report related to the previous academic and fiscal year at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, at the University of Illinois at Chicago campus, and at the University of Illinois at Springfield campus. The annual report shall include all of the following information:

(1) The number of first-time freshmen enrolled.

(2) The number of new transfer students enrolled.

(3) The number of undergraduates enrolled who are residents of this State.

(4) The number of underrepresented minority, undergraduate students enrolled.

(5) The total undergraduate enrollment.

(6) The number of undergraduate degrees issued.

(7) The number of graduate degrees issued.

(8) The number of professional degrees issued.

(9) The total number of degrees issued.

(10) The number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics degrees issued.

(11) The direct appropriation per undergraduate degree.

(12) The direct appropriation per undergraduate degree issued to a resident of this State.

(13) The direct appropriation as a percentage of total expenditures.

(14) The number of undergraduate students enrolled in each college of each campus.

(15) The number of undergraduate students who are residents of this State enrolled in each college of each campus.

(g) The requirements of subsections (c), (d), and (e) are not applicable to the University in any fiscal year in which the General Assembly fails to appropriate and the State Comptroller fails to make available the amounts required under subsection (b). Nothing in this Section is intended to grant the University a vested, contractual right to a particular level of funding for any fiscal year.

(h) This Section is repealed on June 30, 2024.

Section 20. The Northern Illinois University Law is amended by adding Sections 30-210 and 30-215 as follows:

(110 ILCS 685/30-210 new)

Sec. 30-210. Northern Illinois University Excellence Program. Subject to appropriation greater than or equal to 1% of the faculty salary pool, the Board of Trustees shall establish and administer a program, to be called the Northern Illinois University Excellence Program, to recruit and retain promising faculty throughout the Northern Illinois University system through various capital investments.

(110 ILCS 685/30-215 new)

Sec. 30-215. Northern Illinois University Investment, Performance, and Accountability Commitment.

(a) This Section may be referred to as the Northern Illinois Investment, Performance, and Accountability Commitment.

(b) In this subsection, "plant replacement value" means the product of applying current construction pricing data to the total inventory of the current physical plant.

For Fiscal Year 2020, if the General Assembly appropriates and the State Comptroller makes available to the University an amount for operations that is not less than $93,567,800, then subsections (c), (d), and (e) shall apply to the University for Fiscal Year 2020. For Fiscal Year 2021 and every fiscal year thereafter, if the General Assembly appropriates before the beginning of that fiscal year, and the State Comptroller makes available to the University no later than 12 months from the effective date of that appropriation, an amount for operations that is not less than $93,567,800, increased by a percentage equal to the percentage increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor for the 12 months ending on the previous December 31, then subsections (c), (d), and (e) shall apply to the University for that fiscal year.

For Fiscal Year 2020, if the General Assembly appropriates and the State Comptroller makes available to the University an amount for deferred maintenance that is not less than 2% of the University's plant replacement value, then subsections (c), (d), and (e) shall apply to the University for Fiscal Year 2020. For Fiscal Year 2021 and every fiscal year thereafter, if the General Assembly appropriates before the beginning of that fiscal year, and the State Comptroller makes available to the University no later than 12 months from the effective date of that appropriation, an amount for deferred maintenance that is not less than 2% of the University's plant replacement value, then subsections (c), (d), and (e) shall apply to the University for that fiscal year.

(c) In this subsection, "mandatory fees" excludes mandatory fees approved by students by referendum. Beginning with the 2020-2021 academic year, the Board of Trustees may not increase the base rate of in-State, undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees above the base rate of in-State, undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees set by the Board of Trustees for an undergraduate academic program in the previous academic year. This subsection does not apply to health insurance fees, fees approved prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, or fees approved by a student referendum.

(d) In this subsection, "first generation college student" means a student who is the first person in his or her immediate family to attend a university inside or outside of this State. In this subsection, "immediate family member" means a parent, sibling, child, grandparent, step-parent, step-sibling, or step-child or any adoptive relationship. For Fiscal Year 2020 and every fiscal year thereafter, the University shall implement an Invest in Illinois Residents Program to provide to residents of this State the equivalent of 20% of the University's State appropriation in financial aid for the fiscal year. A percentage of this financial aid shall be provided annually to Illinois students of historically underserved populations. Such students shall include the following:

(1) students who are eligible for a federal Pell Grant;

(2) students who are first generation college students; and

(3) students who have graduated from a high school in a school district organized under Article 34 of the School Code.

(e) For the 2020-2021 academic year and every academic year thereafter, the University shall achieve performance goals defined by all of the following key performance indicators:

(1) The University shall maintain an overall retention rate in undergraduate programs that is greater than or equal to 75% for entering, full-time degree-seeking students based on a full-year cohort.

(2) The University shall maintain a 6-year graduation rate for first-time students in undergraduate programs, as defined by the Student Achievement Measure (SAM), that is greater than or equal to 50%.

(3) The University shall maintain a 6-year graduation rate for full-time, degree-seeking transfer students in undergraduate programs, as defined in the Student Achievement Measure, that is greater than or equal to 70%.

(4) Fifty percent of the incoming freshmen shall be Illinois students of historically underserved populations, as described under subsection (d).

(f) On or before September 1, 2020 and every September 1 thereafter, the University shall publish on its website and make publicly available an annual report related to the previous academic and fiscal year. The annual report shall include all of the following information:

(1) The number of first-time freshmen enrolled.

(2) The number of new transfer students enrolled.

(3) The number of undergraduate students enrolled who are residents of this State.

(4) The number of underrepresented minority, undergraduate students enrolled.

(5) The total undergraduate enrollment.

(6) The number of undergraduate degrees issued.

(7) The number of graduate degrees issued.

(8) The number of law degrees issued.

(9) The total number of degrees issued.

(10) The number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics degrees issued.

(11) The direct appropriation per undergraduate degree.

(12) The direct appropriation as a percentage of total expenditures.

(g) The requirements of subsections (c), (d), and (e) are not applicable to the University in any fiscal year in which the General Assembly fails to appropriate and the State Comptroller fails to make available the amounts required under subsection (b). Nothing in this Section is intended to grant the University a vested, contractual right to a particular level of funding for any fiscal year.

(h) This Section is repealed on June 30, 2024.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.