HB2984ham001 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Rep. Joe Sosnowski

Filed: 3/8/2011

09700HB2984ham001 LRB097 05307 RPM 52433 a

AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 2984

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 2984 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section 22-70 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/22-70 new)

Sec. 22-70. Tuition Voucher Program Task Force.

(a) The Tuition Voucher Program Task Force is created to study the feasibility of a statewide tuition voucher program. The task force shall consist of all of the following members:

(1) Two members of the public appointed by the Governor.

(2) Two members of the General Assembly appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(3) Two members of the General Assembly appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

(4) Two members of the General Assembly appointed by the President of the Senate.

(5) Two members of the General Assembly appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate.

(6) One representative of a statewide professional teachers organization appointed by the head of that organization.

(7) One representative of a different statewide professional teachers organization appointed by the head of that organization.

(8) Two representatives of a statewide school management alliance organization.

(9) One representative of the State Board of Education.

The members of the task force shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and necessary expenses from appropriations to the State Board of Education for that purpose. Reimbursement for travel expenses shall be subject to the rules of the appropriate travel control board.

The members of the task force shall meet initially at the call of the Governor, shall select one member as chairperson at its initial meeting, and shall thereafter meet at the call of the chairperson.

The State Board of Education shall provide administrative and other support to the task force.

(b) The Tuition Voucher Program Task Force shall file a report on the feasibility of a statewide tuition voucher program with the Governor and the General Assembly as provided in Section 3.1 of the General Assembly Organization Act. The following topics must be included without limitation in the report:

(1) Eligible students, either in grades kindergarten through 7 or in grades kindergarten through 12.

(2) Education expenses and what are the reasonable costs incurred by a student in attending a nonpublic school, such as for books, tuition, fees, and extra curricular activities.

(3) What qualifies as a nonpublic school to be eligible for a tuition voucher program and whether the school must consent to participate in the tuition voucher program.

(4) Application processes and application date limitations as prescribed in Senate Bill 2494 of the 96th General Assembly.

(5) The amount of a voucher as prescribed in Senate Bill 2494 of the 96th General Assembly.

(6) Assessments of students using vouchers as prescribed in Senate Bill 2494 of the 96th General Assembly.

(7) Possible fiscal impacts of a tuition voucher program.

Upon filing its report with the Governor and the General Assembly, the Tuition Voucher Program Task Force is dissolved.".