Full Text of HJR0122 101st General Assembly
HJ0122 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Creating a clear path to the middle class and | 3 | | ensuring our nation's economic prosperity means opening the | 4 | | doors of higher education to more Illinois citizens; today, | 5 | | three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require | 6 | | education and training beyond a high school diploma, yet, | 7 | | nearly half of the students who begin college in this country | 8 | | do not finish within six years, and tuition continues to rise, | 9 | | putting college out of reach for the very families that need it | 10 | | most to join the middle class; a generation ago, the U.S. led | 11 | | the world in college attainment of young adults, and now, we | 12 | | rank 13th; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, In today's economy, higher education is no longer | 14 | | a luxury for the privileged few but is a necessity for | 15 | | individual economic opportunity and America's competitiveness | 16 | | in the global economy; at a time when jobs can move anywhere in | 17 | | the world, skills and education will determine success for | 18 | | individuals and for nations; as a result, a college education | 19 | | remains the best investment a student can make in his or her | 20 | | future; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Addressing growing college costs and debt is | 22 | | absolutely critical; many more students need access to vastly | 23 | | more affordable and quality higher education opportunities, |
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| 1 | | including tuition-free degree options; for too long, America's | 2 | | higher education system has focused almost exclusively on | 3 | | inputs, enrolling students in college, and too little on | 4 | | outcomes, graduating from college with high-quality degrees; | 5 | | and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, We must reset the incentives that underpin the | 7 | | system so that the focus is on the outcome that matters, | 8 | | completing a quality degree at a reasonable cost; otherwise, we | 9 | | will merely be finding better ways of paying for an | 10 | | unsustainable status quo; therefore, be it
| 11 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 12 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | 13 | | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Free | 14 | | College Tuition Task Force which is charged with conducting a | 15 | | study on what the cost to the State would be to provide free | 16 | | college tuition through first dollar programs, middle dollar | 17 | | programs, last dollar programs, and any other possible funding | 18 | | sources; the study shall consist of, but not be limited to: (1) | 19 | | the potential rise in cost to the various community colleges | 20 | | and universities, (2) the potential rise in administrative cost | 21 | | for the state agency that will administer the grant, (3) how | 22 | | much it would cost to fund a grant for community colleges only | 23 | | and a grant for 4-year universities only, and (4) how funding | 24 | | will intersect with eligibility criteria; the study shall also |
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| 1 | | look at innovative ways to keep Illinois students from leaving | 2 | | the State to attend college; and be it further | 3 | | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall consist of the | 4 | | following members, who shall serve without compensation: | 5 | | (1) Two members of the House of Representatives | 6 | | appointed by the Speaker of the House; | 7 | | (2) Two members of the House of Representatives | 8 | | appointed by the Minority Leader of the House; | 9 | | (3) Two members of the Senate appointed by the Senate | 10 | | President; | 11 | | (4) Two members of the Senate appointed by the Senate | 12 | | Minority Leader; | 13 | | (5) Two members appointed by the Governor; | 14 | | (6) The Governor, or his or her designee; | 15 | | (7) The Executive Director of the Illinois Board of | 16 | | Higher Education, or his or her designee; | 17 | | (8) The Executive Director of the Illinois Student | 18 | | Assistance Commission, or his or her designee; and | 19 | | (9) The Executive Director of the Illinois Community | 20 | | College Board, or his or her designee; and be it further | 21 | | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Student Assistant Commission | 22 | | shall provide administrative support to the Task Force; and be | 23 | | it further |
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall hold quarterly meetings | 2 | | and shall select a chairperson at its first meeting; and be it | 3 | | further | 4 | | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall have the option to | 5 | | bring in subject matter experts in order to conduct a complete | 6 | | analysis and provide Illinois with the best possible program | 7 | | aimed to increase access to education and to make social equity | 8 | | the center of our efforts; and be it further | 9 | | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall submit its final report | 10 | | to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than January | 11 | | 1, 2021 and is dissolved upon the filing of the report.
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