Bill Text: IL HB1630 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Public Community College Act. Allows the Board of Trustees of Community College District No. 506 to establish and offer at Sauk Valley Community College a baccalaureate-level nursing education pilot program that confers a bachelor of science degree in nursing upon the meeting of specified conditions. Requires the Illinois Community College Board to conduct a statewide evaluation of the nursing program and report on the results of the evaluation by July 1, 2028; specifies evaluation requirements. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-08 - Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Ryan Spain [HB1630 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB1630-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB1630 Introduced , by Rep. Bradley Fritts SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
110 ILCS 805/3-80 new
Amends the Public Community College Act. Allows the Board of Trustees of Community College District No. 506 to establish and offer at Sauk Valley Community College a baccalaureate-level nursing education pilot program that confers a bachelor of science degree in nursing upon the meeting of specified conditions. Requires the Illinois Community College Board to conduct a statewide evaluation of the nursing program and report on the results of the evaluation by July 1, 2028; specifies evaluation requirements. Effective immediately.
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A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Public Community College Act is amended by
adding Section 3-80 as follows:
(110 ILCS 805/3-80 new)
Sec. 3-80. Baccalaureate degree in nursing pilot program.
(a) The Board of Trustees of Community College District
No. 506 may establish and offer at Sauk Valley Community
College a baccalaureate-level nursing education pilot program,
commonly referred to as a baccalaureate completion program (RN
to BSN), that confers a bachelor of science degree in nursing
if all of the following conditions are met:
(1) The Board of Trustees meets all of the
requirements as set forth in subsection (b) of this
Section, and the program has been approved by the State
Board to offer a bachelor of science degree in nursing.
(2) After the program has been approved by the State
Board, the Board of Higher Education shall consider the
program for approval in a manner consistent with new
bachelor's degree programs at public and private
universities in this State.
(3) The Board of Trustees has identified and

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documented, in writing, unmet workforce needs in the
subject area of the baccalaureate degree to be offered.
The Board of Trustees shall publish on the community
college district's website and make publicly available the
documentation and shall present the documentation to the
State Board.
(4) The community college shall hold a national
professional nursing accreditation or have applied for the
accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing
Education, the Accreditation Commission for Education in
Nursing, or the Commission for Nursing Education
Accreditation.
(5) The community college shall offer and maintain an
associate degree in nursing.
(6) The Board of Trustees must demonstrate, in
writing, how the community college will enhance future
opportunities for minority and bilingual populations by
focusing outreach efforts and giving preference to those
students in order to meet workforce needs.
(b) The Board of Trustees shall demonstrate that the
community college has the expertise, resources, and student
interest to offer a quality bachelor of science degree in
nursing. An application for approval from the State Board
shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:
(1) The Board of Trustees shall describe the labor
market need as specified in paragraph (3) of subsection

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(a) of this Section.
(2) The Board of Trustees shall describe the program's
purpose, its target population, related occupations, and
career paths.
(3) The Board of Trustees shall demonstrate that the
community college has developed quality curricula that
aligns with federal, State, and local requirements and
will prepare graduates with the appropriate level of skill
to meet their educational goals.
(4) The Board of Trustees shall verify the community
college district has the fiscal resources in place or has
budgeted for financial support for the program in a
cost-effective manner.
(5) The Board of Trustees shall identify and document
the faculty available for teaching the program, including
the number of full-time faculty anticipated to teach in
the program, a description of their qualifications
(including highest degree earned), teaching experience,
professional experience, and licenses held. The Board of
Trustees must also indicate how faculty are to be
evaluated.
(c) The community college district is prohibited from
using semester credit hours generated in baccalaureate degree
programs for grants received pursuant to Section 2-16.02 of
this Act.
(d) The State Board shall conduct a statewide evaluation

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of a pilot program established under this Section. The results
of the evaluation shall be reported on or before July 1, 2028
to all of the following:
(1) The Board of Higher Education.
(2) The Speaker of the House of Representatives.
(3) The Minority Leader of the House of
Representatives.
(4) The President of the Senate.
(5) The Minority Leader of the Senate.
(6) The Governor's Office of Management and Budget.
The reports to the General Assembly shall be filed with
the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of
the Senate in electronic form only, in the manner that the
Clerk and the Secretary shall direct.
The evaluation shall include, but is not limited to, all
of the following:
(i) Information identifying applicants, admissions,
enrollment, the demographic characteristics of students,
and degree recipients.
(ii) The extent to which the program fulfills
identified workforce needs.
(iii) Information on the pace of employment of
students and the subsequent job placement of graduates.
(iv) The cost of the program and the funding sources
that were used to finance the program.
(v) Time-to-degree rates and completion rates for the

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program.
(vi) The extent to which the program is in compliance
with the requirements of this Section.
The Board of Trustees shall submit the information
necessary to conduct the evaluation required under this
subsection (d), as determined by the evaluator, to the State
Board.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.