Bill Text: IL SB0274 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Engrossed

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Bill Title: Amends the School Code. Provides that the committee of agriculturalists established to represent the various and diverse areas of the agricultural industry in Illinois shall, among other duties, advise the State Board of Education on the administration of the agricultural education line item appropriation and agency rulemaking that affects agricultural education educators. Sets forth changes in the composition of the committee's membership.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2022-12-22 - Chief Sponsor Changed to Sen. Don Harmon [SB0274 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2021-SB0274-Engrossed.html

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SB0274 Engrossed LRB102 10378 CMG 15705 b
AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
2-3.80 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/2-3.80) (from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.80)
Sec. 2-3.80. (a) The General Assembly recognizes that
agriculture is the most basic and singularly important
industry in the State, that agriculture is of central
importance to the welfare and economic stability of the State,
and that the maintenance of this vital industry requires a
continued source of trained and qualified individuals for
employment in agriculture and agribusiness. The General
Assembly hereby declares that it is in the best interests of
the people of the State of Illinois that a comprehensive
education program in agriculture be created and maintained by
the State's public school system in order to ensure an
adequate supply of trained and skilled individuals and to
ensure appropriate representation of racial and ethnic groups
in all phases of the industry. It is the intent of the General
Assembly that a State program for agricultural education shall
be a part of the curriculum of the public school system K
through adult, and made readily available to all school

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districts which may, at their option, include programs in
education in agriculture as a part of the curriculum of that
district.
(b) The State Board of Education shall adopt such rules
and regulations as are necessary to implement the provisions
of this Section. The rules and regulations shall not create
any new State mandates on school districts as a condition of
receiving federal, State, and local funds by those entities.
It is in the intent of the General Assembly that, although this
Section does not create any new mandates, school districts are
strongly advised to follow the guidelines set forth in this
Section.
(c) The State Superintendent of Education shall assume
responsibility for the administration of the State program
adopted under this Section throughout the public school system
as well as the articulation of the State program to the
requirements and mandates of federally assisted education.
There is currently within the State Board of Education an
agricultural education unit to assist school districts in the
establishment and maintenance of educational programs pursuant
to the provisions of this Section. The staffing of the unit
shall at all times be comprised of an appropriate number of
full-time employees who shall serve as program consultants in
agricultural education and shall be available to provide
assistance to school districts. At least one consultant shall
be responsible for the coordination of the State program, as

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Head Consultant. At least one consultant shall be responsible
for the coordination of the activities of student and
agricultural organizations and associations.
(d) A committee of 13 agriculturalists representative of
the various and diverse areas of the agricultural industry in
Illinois shall be established to at least develop a curriculum
and overview the implementation of the Build Illinois through
Quality Agricultural Education plans of the Illinois
Leadership Council for Agricultural Education and to advise
the State Board of Education on vocational agricultural
education, including the administration of the agricultural
education line item appropriation and agency rulemaking that
affects agricultural education educators. The committee
Committee shall be composed of the following:
(1) 3 (6) agriculturalists representing the Illinois
Leadership Council for Agricultural Education;
(2) 3 agriculturalists;
(3) 2 secondary agriculture teachers (2) Secondary
Agriculture Teachers;
(4) one representative of (1) "Ag In The Classroom"
Teacher;
(5) one community college agriculture teacher (1)
Community College Agriculture Teacher;
(6) one adult agriculture educator (1) Adult
Agriculture Education Teacher;
(7) one university agriculture teacher educator (1)

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University Agriculture Teacher Educator; and
(8) one FFA representative (1) FFA Representative.
All members of the committee Committee shall be appointed
by the Governor by and with the advice and consent of the
Senate. The terms of all members so appointed shall be for 3
years, except that of the members initially appointed, 5 shall
be appointed to serve for terms of one 1 year, 4 shall be
appointed to serve for terms of 2 years, and 4 shall be
appointed to serve for terms of 3 years. All members of the
committee Committee shall serve until their successors are
appointed and qualified. Subject to a requirement that
committee members in office before the effective date of this
amendatory Act of 102nd General Assembly may serve the full
term to which they were appointed, the appointment of
committee members to terms that commence on or after the
effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General
Assembly shall be made in a manner that gives effect at the
earliest possible time to the changes that are required by
this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly in the
representative composition of the committee's membership.
Vacancies in terms shall be filled by appointment of the
Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate for the
extent of the unexpired term.
The State Board of Education shall implement a Build
Illinois through Quality Agricultural Education plan following
receipt of these recommendations, which shall be made

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available on or before March 31, 1987. Recommendations shall
include, but not be limited to, the development of a
curriculum and a strategy for the purpose of establishing a
source of trained and qualified individuals in agriculture, a
strategy for articulating the State program in agricultural
education throughout the public school system, and a consumer
education outreach strategy regarding the importance of
agriculture in Illinois.
The committee of agriculturalists shall serve without
compensation.
(e) A school district that offers a secondary agricultural
education program that is approved for State and federal
funding must ensure that, at a minimum, all of the following
are available to its secondary agricultural education
students:
(1) An instructional sequence of courses approved by
the State Board of Education.
(2) A State and nationally affiliated FFA (Future
Farmers of America) chapter that is integral to
instruction and is not treated solely as an
extracurricular activity.
(3) A mechanism for ensuring the involvement of all
secondary agricultural education students in formal,
supervised, agricultural-experience activities and
programs.
(f) Nothing in this Section may prevent those secondary

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agricultural education programs that are in operation before
January 1, 2007 (the effective date of Public Act 94-855) this
amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly and that do not
have an active State and nationally affiliated FFA chapter
from continuing to operate or from continuing to receive
funding from the State Board of Education.
(Source: P.A. 94-855, eff. 1-1-07; revised 8-24-20.)