Full Text of SB0815 102nd General Assembly
SB0815sam001 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY | Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford Filed: 4/16/2021
| | 10200SB0815sam001 | | LRB102 04603 CMG 25365 a |
|
| 1 | | AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 815
| 2 | | AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 815 by replacing | 3 | | everything after the enacting clause with the following:
| 4 | | "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | 5 | | Commission on Equitable Higher Education Funding Act. | 6 | | Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds all of the | 7 | | following: | 8 | | (1) Historical and continued systemic racism has | 9 | | created significant disparities in college access, | 10 | | affordability, and completion for Black, Latinx, and other | 11 | | underrepresented and historically underserved students in | 12 | | this State. | 13 | | (2) This State's approach to funding education has | 14 | | contributed to racial and socioeconomic inequities in | 15 | | access to resources and educational outcomes. | 16 | | (3) Great strides have been made in this State in |
| | | 10200SB0815sam001 | - 2 - | LRB102 04603 CMG 25365 a |
|
| 1 | | addressing inequity in funding the kindergarten through | 2 | | grade 12 public school system, including the adoption of | 3 | | an evidence-based funding formula, which has resulted in | 4 | | new funds being targeted to the highest-need districts. | 5 | | (4) Adequate and equitable investment in higher | 6 | | education is the key to ensuring that every institution of | 7 | | higher education can provide adequate academic, financial, | 8 | | and social-emotional support and services that improve | 9 | | persistence and completion. | 10 | | (5) In this State, higher education appropriations | 11 | | have effectively been cut in half since fiscal year 2002. | 12 | | Institutions of higher education serving higher | 13 | | percentages of Black students are more reliant on State | 14 | | funds and have been disproportionately harmed by this | 15 | | disinvestment in higher education. | 16 | | (6) The most selective institutions of higher | 17 | | education in this State have received a greater share of | 18 | | State appropriations even as their tuition revenue has | 19 | | grown, while less-selective institutions who serve greater | 20 | | percentages of Black students have had less access to both | 21 | | tuition and State revenue. | 22 | | (7) As a result of historic underfunding and level | 23 | | cuts to institutions of higher education, this State's | 24 | | public universities have had to increase tuition, | 25 | | effectively pricing out students from low-income families. | 26 | | Less selective universities in this State now have the |
| | | 10200SB0815sam001 | - 3 - | LRB102 04603 CMG 25365 a |
|
| 1 | | second highest average net cost in the country for | 2 | | students from the lowest-income households. | 3 | | (8) Wealth and income gaps caused by structural racism | 4 | | have resulted in college tuition rates posing a larger | 5 | | burden to Black and Latinx families. Black and Latinx | 6 | | families in this State pay 44% and 39% of their income, | 7 | | respectively, to attend public universities compared to | 8 | | 31% for white students. Black and Latinx students in this | 9 | | State pay 36% and 24% of their income, respectively, to | 10 | | attend public community colleges, compared to 18% for | 11 | | white students. | 12 | | (9) Combined with the high cost of college and | 13 | | insufficient State financial aid, racial income and wealth | 14 | | disparities contribute to the accumulation of student debt | 15 | | and make college enrollment and persistence more | 16 | | challenging for Black and Latinx students. | 17 | | (10) Despite similar numbers of Black high school | 18 | | graduates, about 25,000 fewer Black students enrolled in | 19 | | institutions of higher education in this State in 2018 | 20 | | compared to 2008. | 21 | | (11) Only 2 of the 12 public universities are | 22 | | representative of the Latinx population in this State, and | 23 | | only 4 public universities are representative of the Black | 24 | | population in this State. | 25 | | (12) Seventeen percent of individuals who are 18 to 24 | 26 | | years old in this State identify as Black, yet Black |
| | | 10200SB0815sam001 | - 4 - | LRB102 04603 CMG 25365 a |
|
| 1 | | students represent less than 7% of the student body at | 2 | | selective universities in this State. | 3 | | (13) State appropriations make it possible for | 4 | | colleges to provide essential academic services, | 5 | | social-emotional support and services, and institutional | 6 | | aid to students to improve student persistence and | 7 | | completion. | 8 | | (14) This State must strategically invest in higher | 9 | | education to address wide disparities in degree | 10 | | completion. Public community colleges currently graduate | 11 | | Black and Latinx students at a rate of 14% and 26% within 3 | 12 | | years, respectively, compared to 38% of white students. At | 13 | | public universities, Black and Latinx students currently | 14 | | graduate at a rate of 34% and 49%, respectively, compared | 15 | | to 66% of white students, within 6 years. | 16 | | (15) This State has a moral obligation and economic | 17 | | interest in dismantling and reforming structures that | 18 | | create or exacerbate racial and socioeconomic inequities | 19 | | in higher education. | 20 | | (16) This State benefits from a public higher | 21 | | education system that receives adequate and stable | 22 | | resources for student success and that strategically uses | 23 | | those resources to maximize college enrollment, | 24 | | persistence, and completion of underrepresented and | 25 | | historically underserved students, including Black and | 26 | | Latinx students and students from low-income families. |
| | | 10200SB0815sam001 | - 5 - | LRB102 04603 CMG 25365 a |
|
| 1 | | Section 10. Commission on Equitable Higher Education | 2 | | Funding; purpose. | 3 | | (a) There is created the Commission on Equitable Higher | 4 | | Education Funding. | 5 | | (b) The purpose of the Commission is to, at a minimum, | 6 | | recommend specific criteria and approaches to the General | 7 | | Assembly to equitably fund public universities in this State | 8 | | and to evaluate the existing formula used for public community | 9 | | colleges using similar criteria and approaches. | 10 | | Section 15. Membership; administrative support; | 11 | | compensation. | 12 | | (a) The membership of the Commission shall include, at a | 13 | | minimum: | 14 | | (1) One member of the Senate appointed by the | 15 | | President of the Senate, who shall serve as | 16 | | co-chairperson. | 17 | | (2) One member of the House of Representatives | 18 | | appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, | 19 | | who shall serve as co-chairperson. | 20 | | (3) The chairperson of the Board of Higher Education | 21 | | or a designee, who shall serve as co-chairperson. | 22 | | (4) The chairperson of the Illinois Community College | 23 | | Board or a designee, who shall serve as co-chairperson. | 24 | | (5) One member appointed by the Governor, who shall |
| | | 10200SB0815sam001 | - 6 - | LRB102 04603 CMG 25365 a |
|
| 1 | | serve as co-chairperson. | 2 | | (6) One senator appointed by the Minority Leader of | 3 | | the Senate. | 4 | | (7) One representative appointed by the Minority | 5 | | Leader of the House of Representatives. | 6 | | (8) The Chairperson of the Illinois Student Assistance | 7 | | Commission or a designee. | 8 | | (9) The Chairperson of the State Board of Education or | 9 | | a designee. | 10 | | (10) Twelve representatives of the public universities | 11 | | in this State appointed by the chairperson of the Board of | 12 | | Higher Education. | 13 | | (11) Four representatives of the public community | 14 | | colleges in this State appointed by the chairperson of the | 15 | | Illinois Community College Board. | 16 | | (12) One member representing a higher education | 17 | | advocacy organization focused on eliminating disparities | 18 | | in college completion in this State for low-income and | 19 | | first-generation college students and students of color | 20 | | appointed by the Board of Higher Education. | 21 | | (13) One member representing a statewide advocacy | 22 | | organization focused on improving educational and | 23 | | employment opportunities for women and adults appointed by | 24 | | the Board of Higher Education. | 25 | | (14) One member representing a statewide advocacy | 26 | | organization focused on developing an equitable |
| | | 10200SB0815sam001 | - 7 - | LRB102 04603 CMG 25365 a |
|
| 1 | | birth-to-career educational system appointed by the Board | 2 | | of Higher Education. | 3 | | (15) One member representing a fiscal policy research | 4 | | organization focused on the impact that State-level budget | 5 | | and tax policies have on equitable education funding | 6 | | solutions appointed by the Board of Higher Education. | 7 | | (16) One member representing a business organization | 8 | | or business trade association appointed by the Board of | 9 | | Higher Education. | 10 | | (17) One research expert in higher education finance | 11 | | and funding formulas appointed by the Board of Higher | 12 | | Education. | 13 | | (18) One member representing an organization that | 14 | | advocates on behalf of public university faculty members | 15 | | appointed by the Board of Higher Education. | 16 | | (19) One member representing an organization that | 17 | | advocates on behalf of public community college faculty | 18 | | members appointed by the Illinois Community College Board. | 19 | | (20) One postsecondary student enrolled at a public | 20 | | university in this State appointed by the Board of Higher | 21 | | Education. | 22 | | (21) One postsecondary student enrolled at a public | 23 | | community college in this State appointed by the Illinois | 24 | | Community College Board. | 25 | | (b) The Board of Higher Education and Illinois Community | 26 | | College Board shall provide administrative support to the |
| | | 10200SB0815sam001 | - 8 - | LRB102 04603 CMG 25365 a |
|
| 1 | | Commission, including any related workgroups, and shall be | 2 | | responsible for administering the Commission's operations and | 3 | | ensuring that the requirements of this Act are met. | 4 | | (c) The members of the Commission shall serve without | 5 | | compensation for their services as members of the Commission. | 6 | | Section 20. Meetings; reports. | 7 | | (a) The Commission shall meet at least once per quarter | 8 | | beginning no later than October 15, 2021. | 9 | | (b) On or before February 1, 2023, the Commission shall | 10 | | deliver to the General Assembly a report on the Commission's | 11 | | recommendations, including specific criteria and funding | 12 | | approaches, to establish an equity-based higher education | 13 | | funding system for, at a minimum, the allocation of State | 14 | | funds to public universities. The recommendations included in | 15 | | the report must focus on all of the following areas: | 16 | | (1) Remediating inequities in funding that have led to | 17 | | disparities in access, affordability, and completion for | 18 | | Black, Latinx, and other underrepresented and historically | 19 | | underserved students. | 20 | | (2) Ensuring that this State adequately funds public | 21 | | institutions of higher education that serve Black and | 22 | | Latinx students that proportionally reflects, at a | 23 | | minimum, the diversity of this State's population. | 24 | | (3) Providing incentives to all 4-year institutions of | 25 | | higher education in this State to enroll underrepresented |
| | | 10200SB0815sam001 | - 9 - | LRB102 04603 CMG 25365 a |
|
| 1 | | and historically underserved student groups, including | 2 | | students who are Black, Latinx, or from low-income | 3 | | families, in proportion to the diversity of this State's | 4 | | population. | 5 | | (4) Allowing ongoing monitoring and continuous | 6 | | improvement of funding formulas by requiring transparency | 7 | | in how State appropriations are expended and identifying a | 8 | | mechanism to study and review the implementation of any | 9 | | funding model developed as a result of this Act. | 10 | | (5) Creating guidelines for how funding is distributed | 11 | | during times of economic hardship so that public | 12 | | institutions of higher education are able to adequately | 13 | | and equitably serve students. | 14 | | The recommendations must fulfill the principles | 15 | | established by the Board of Higher Education's Strategic Plan. | 16 | | The recommendations must also be informed by the findings and | 17 | | recommendations established by the Chicago State University | 18 | | Equity Working Group. | 19 | | The Commission shall also report to the General Assembly | 20 | | the extent to which the current approach to funding fulfills | 21 | | the principles established by the Board of Higher Education's | 22 | | Strategic Plan. | 23 | | (c) On or before May 1, 2024 and each year thereafter, the | 24 | | Board of Higher Education shall file a report with the General | 25 | | Assembly that includes, at a minimum, all of the following: | 26 | | (1) The State funding allocations and total revenue of |
| | | 10200SB0815sam001 | - 10 - | LRB102 04603 CMG 25365 a |
|
| 1 | | each public institution of higher education for each of | 2 | | the prior 5 academic years. | 3 | | (2) The average institutional funding allocation per | 4 | | student for each of the prior 5 academic years, | 5 | | disaggregated by variables, including, but not limited to, | 6 | | racial group, income status, dependency, and in-state | 7 | | residency status. | 8 | | (3) The average expenditures per student for each of | 9 | | the prior 5 academic years, defined as the sum of academic | 10 | | and student support expenditures, disaggregated by | 11 | | variables, including, but not limited to, racial group, | 12 | | income status, dependency, and in-state residency status. | 13 | | Section 25. Compliance. Notwithstanding any other law or | 14 | | provision to the contrary, all public institutions of higher | 15 | | education and State agencies regulating public institutions of | 16 | | higher education shall furnish such data and information to | 17 | | the Commission as the Commission deems necessary to fulfill | 18 | | the requirements of this Act.
| 19 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 20 | | becoming law.".
|
|