Bill Text: IL SB0815 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Enrolled

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Reinserts the contents of the engrossed bill with changes. Adds to the membership of the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding. Makes conforming and other changes. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-08-23 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 102-0570 [SB0815 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2021-SB0815-Enrolled.html

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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 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Commission on Equitable Public University Funding Act.
Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds all of the
following:
(1) Historical and continued systemic racism has
created significant disparities in college access,
affordability, and completion for Black, Latinx, and other
underrepresented and historically underserved students in
this State.
(2) Improvements in postsecondary access, completion,
and success rates are required in order to meet State
goals for equity in attainment and will require further
investments in the higher education system to support
historically underrepresented and underserved groups,
including Black, Latinx, and low-income students in
particular.
(3) This State's approach to funding education has
contributed to racial and socioeconomic inequities in
access to resources and educational outcomes.
(4) Great strides have been made in this State in

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addressing inequity in funding the kindergarten through
grade 12 public school system, including the adoption of
an evidence-based funding formula, which has resulted in
new funds being targeted to the highest-need districts.
(5) Adequate, equitable, and stable investment in
higher education is the key to ensuring that every
institution of higher education can provide adequate
academic, financial, and social-emotional support and
services that improve persistence and completion.
(6) In this State, higher education appropriations
have effectively been cut in half since fiscal year 2002.
Institutions of higher education serving higher
percentages of Black students are more reliant on State
funds and have been disproportionately harmed by this
disinvestment in higher education.
(7) As a result of historic underfunding and level
cuts to institutions of higher education, this State's
public universities have needed to increase tuition to
make up the funding shortfalls.
(8) Combined with the high cost of college and
insufficient State financial aid, racial income and wealth
disparities caused by structural racism contribute to the
accumulation of student debt and make college enrollment
and persistence more challenging for Black and Latinx
students.
(9) Despite similar numbers of Black high school

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graduates, about 25,000 fewer Black students enrolled in
institutions of higher education in this State in 2018
compared to 2008.
(10) State appropriations make it possible for
colleges to provide essential academic services,
social-emotional support and services, and institutional
aid to students to improve student persistence and
completion.
(11) This State must strategically invest in higher
education to address wide disparities in degree
completion. Public community colleges currently graduate
Black and Latinx students at a rate of 14% and 26% within 3
years, respectively, compared to 38% of white students. At
public universities, Black and Latinx students currently
graduate at a rate of 34% and 49%, respectively, compared
to 66% of white students, within 6 years.
(12) This State has a moral obligation and economic
interest in dismantling and reforming structures that
create or exacerbate racial and socioeconomic inequities
in higher education.
(13) This State benefits from a public higher
education system that receives adequate and stable
resources for student success and that strategically uses
those resources to maximize the potential of each public
institution of higher education and to maximize the
benefits to this State, including, but not limited to,

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improved college access and attainment and higher median
wages for all residents, reduced income inequalities,
improved economic output and innovation, increased access
and engagement in world-class research opportunities, and
improved college enrollment, persistence, and completion
of underrepresented and historically underserved students,
including Black and Latinx students and students from
low-income families.
Section 10. Commission on Equitable Public University
Funding; purpose.
(a) There is created the Commission on Equitable Public
University Funding.
(b) The purpose of the Commission is to, at a minimum,
recommend specific data-driven criteria and approaches to the
General Assembly to adequately, equitably, and stably fund
public universities in this State and to evaluate the existing
funding methods used for public universities.
Section 15. Membership; administrative support;
compensation.
(a) The membership of the Commission shall include, at a
minimum:
(1) One member of the Senate appointed by the
President of the Senate, who shall serve as
co-chairperson.

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(2) One member of the House of Representatives
appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
who shall serve as co-chairperson.
(3) The chairperson of the Board of Higher Education
or a designee, who shall serve as co-chairperson.
(4) One member appointed by the Governor, who shall
serve as co-chairperson.
(5) One member of the Senate appointed by the Minority
Leader of the Senate.
(6) One member of the House of Representatives
appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of
Representatives.
(7) The chairperson of the Illinois Student Assistance
Commission or a designee.
(8) The chairperson of the Higher Education Committee
of the House of Representatives or a designee.
(9) The Minority Spokesperson of the Higher Education
Committee of the House of Representatives or a designee.
(10) The chairperson of the Higher Education Committee
of the Senate or a designee.
(11) The Minority Spokesperson of the Higher Education
Committee of the Senate or a designee.
(12) Twelve members representing the public
universities in this State each appointed by the President
of each public university.
(13) One member representing a higher education

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advocacy organization focused on eliminating disparities
in college completion in this State for low-income and
first-generation college students and students of color
appointed by the Board of Higher Education.
(14) One member representing a statewide advocacy
organization focused on improving educational and
employment opportunities for women and adults appointed by
the Board of Higher Education.
(15) One member representing a statewide advocacy
organization focused on developing an equitable
birth-to-career educational system appointed by the Board
of Higher Education.
(16) One member representing a statewide organization
that advocates for alternative education and bridge
programs and the re-enrollment of students in this State
appointed by the Board of Higher Education.
(17) One member representing a fiscal policy research
organization focused on the impact that State-level budget
and tax policies have on equitable education funding
solutions appointed by the Board of Higher Education.
(18) Two members representing an organization that
advocates on behalf of public university faculty members
who are each employed by a different university appointed
by the Board of Higher Education.
(19) One health care expert from the public higher
education arena appointed by the Board of Higher

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Education, in consultation with the presidents and
chancellors of the public universities.
(20) One member who has legal expertise in higher
education funding and finance appointed by the Board of
Higher Education.
(21) One postsecondary student enrolled at a public
university in this State appointed by the Board of Higher
Education.
(b) The Board of Higher Education shall recognize and
consider the representation of underrepresented and
historically underserved groups, including those who are
Black, Latinx, or from low-income families, and the racial and
geographical diversity of this State when making appointments
to the Commission.
(c) The co-chairpersons may identify and invite experts to
speak to the Commission on issues, including, but not limited
to, higher education funding, finance, health care, and
research and development.
(d) The Board of Higher Education shall provide
administrative support to the Commission, including any
related workgroups, and shall be responsible for administering
the Commission's operations and ensuring that the requirements
of this Act are met.
(e) The members of the Commission shall serve without
compensation for their services as members of the Commission.

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Section 20. Meetings; reports.
(a) The Commission shall meet at least once per quarter
beginning no later than October 15, 2021.
(b) On or before July 1, 2023, the Commission shall
deliver to the General Assembly and publish on the Board of
Higher Education's Internet website or otherwise make publicly
available a report on the Commission's recommendations,
including specific criteria and funding approaches in
accordance with all applicable laws, to establish an
equity-based funding model for the allocation of State funds
to public universities. The recommendations included in the
report must be equity-centered and consider all of the
following areas:
(1) Remediating inequities in funding that have led to
disparities in access, affordability, and completion for
underrepresented and historically underserved student
groups, including students who are Black, Latinx, or from
low-income families.
(2) Ensuring that this State adequately, equitably,
and stably funds public institutions of higher education
in a manner that recognizes historical and current
inequities impacting underrepresented minorities' higher
education access and completion.
(3) Providing incentives to all 4-year institutions of
higher education in this State to enroll underrepresented
and historically underserved student groups, including

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students who are Black, Latinx, or from low-income
families, in proportion to the diversity of this State's
population.
(4) Allowing ongoing monitoring and continuous
improvement of the public university funding models by
requiring transparency and accountability in how State
appropriations are expended and identifying a mechanism to
study and review the implementation of any funding model
developed and the long-term implications of this Act.
(5) Creating guidelines for how funding is distributed
during times of significant economic hardship, as defined
by the Commission, so that public institutions of higher
education are able to adequately, equitably, and stably
serve students.
(6) Ensuring that this State adequately and stably
funds public institutions of higher education that serve
underrepresented and historically underserved student
groups, including students who are Black, Latinx, or from
low-income families, and graduate and professional
students, including doctors, dentists, pharmacists, and
veterinarians.
(7) Supporting the diverse individual mission of each
public university, including its commitment to research
and health care enterprises that serve and enhance the
well-being of the residents of this State.
(8) Fostering the economic activity and innovation

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generated by a university's activities, while recognizing
the impact historic funding inequities may have had on the
university's activities.
(9) Taking into consideration the percentage of
institutional aid provided from an institution's annual
budget.
(10) Taking into consideration the number of
undergraduate students engaged in research at each
university.
(11) Supporting institutional efforts to recruit and
retain world-class faculty and university leaders.
(12) Ensuring stable and adequate funding for all
institutions and that all universities are held harmless
to their current funding level. The Commission may
consider and report approaches to and the impact of a hold
harmless funding provision for institutions of higher
education as part of its final recommendations.
(13) Taking into consideration the long-term
implications and outcomes of the funding systems.
The recommendations must fulfill the principles
established by the Board of Higher Education's Strategic Plan.
The recommendations may also be informed by the data-driven
findings and recommendations established by the Chicago State
University Equity Working Group and other groups researching
equity in higher education and higher education funding and be
aligned to this State's postsecondary attainment goal and

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related equity targets.
Section 25. Compliance. Notwithstanding any other law or
provision to the contrary, all public institutions of higher
education and State agencies regulating public institutions of
higher education shall furnish such data and information to
the Commission as the Commission deems necessary to fulfill
the requirements of this Act.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.