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ICCTA Action Alert
March 1, 2001
The Illinois General Assembly is scheduled to
adjourn today after a week filled with committee hearings on recently introduced
legislation. Lawmakers will return to Springfield on Tuesday, March 6, to resume
committee hearings. The deadline for bills to be considered in a committee is
Friday, March 16.
FY 02 Budget Highlights
Last week Gov. George Ryan proposed an FY 2002
budget of nearly $50 billion. The Governor said that no new taxes or fee increases
of any kind would be needed to sustain his budget recommendations. He also said
that 51 percent of the projected revenue growth from FY 2001 to FY 2002 would
be allocated to education and workforce initiatives.
According to the Governor's budget documents, $724 million in new general funds
dollars will be available for spending, with $460 million in increased funding
earmarked for education. Higher education funding appears to be increasing by
$134 million over FY 2001, which is about $10 million less than the Illinois
Board of Higher Education had recommended. The IBHE is expected to complete
its allocation of the higher education component of the state budget by next week.
Gov. Ryan has also recommended a two-year $250 million capital construction program
for community colleges. Under this proposal, community colleges would receive
a lump-sum appropriation of $125 million in capital funding for each of the next
two years.
Colleges Response to Chicago Tribune Editorial
Just one day before Gov. Ryan's Feb. 21 budget address,
the Chicago Tribune ran a scathing editorial attacking his proposed $250 million capital
improvement program for community colleges. Among the paper's claims:
"But reality is that none of them (community colleges) is in dire financial
straits, and some of them are fatter than hogs. The community college board has seen its
budget increase 11 percent since fiscal year 1999."
Trustees and presidents responded by deluging the Tribune with letters, faxes
and e-mails protesting its incorrect portrayal of community colleges' capital needs.
To date, three responses (from Southeastern president Dr. Mary Jo Oldham, Lake Land
president Dr. Robert Luther, and Harper trustee Richard Gillette) have been published.
Illinois Community College Board chair Edward Duffy and president Dr. Joseph Cipfl
have also scheduled a meeting with the newspaper's editorial board to discuss the
community college agenda.
Bills of Interest to Community Colleges
House Bill 131 -- Local Government Joint Investments (Schoenberg)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Provides that with the authorization of the governing body, the treasurer of a
governmental unit may join with the treasurers of other governmental units to
jointly invest funds of which the treasurer has custody. HB 131 is currently on
second reading (when amendments may be added or deleted) in the House.
HB 192 -- Extension of SURS "30 and Out" Provision (M. Smith)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Amends the State Universities Retirement System Act to allows retirement at
any age with 30 years of service. Current law allows this temporarily through 2002.
Sen. Judy Myers is sponsoring similar legislation (SB 584) in the Senate.
HB 192 has been assigned to the House Personnel and Pensions Committee.
HB 258 -- Re-Map for the Southwestern Illinois Community College District (Holbrook)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Provides for the new division of Community College District No. 522 into trustee
districts in the year following each decennial census. HB 258 passed the House
116-0 and has been assigned to the Senate Rules Committee.
HB 501 -- Foundation Matching Grants (Scully)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Appropriates $1 million to the Illinois Community College Board for community college
foundation matching grant awards as authorized by Public Act 91-664
(legislation originally advanced by ICCTA). HB 501 has been assigned to the
House Higher Education Appropriations Committee.
HB 583 -- Scholarships for "B" Students (Lang)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Allows scholarships to be awarded to entering freshman, sophomores, juniors, and
seniors who have and maintain at least a "B" average at public and private community
colleges, colleges, and universities in Illinois. HB 583 is on third reading
(when it may be called for a recorded roll-call vote) in the House.
HB 655 -- Repeal of City Colleges of Chicago Management Rights (McCarthy)
ICCTA Position: OPPOSE
Repeals management rights legislation approved in 1996 that affected prohibited
subjects of collective bargaining at City Colleges of Chicago. HB 655 has been
assigned to the House Labor Committee.
HB 701 -- Tuition Tax Credits (Reitz)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Creates a tuition tax credit for taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of
less than $100,000. The credit would not exceed $500 for amounts spent during
the taxable year for the tuition and fees of the taxpayer and any dependent
enrolled in full- or part-time undergraduate studies at any public or private
college, university, or community college in Illinois. HB 701 has been assigned
to the House Revenue Committee.
HB 753 -- Speech Language Pathology Assistants (Hartke)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
This bill will be used to advance any agreements between the community college system
and the Speech Language Pathologists to create a recognized Speech Language
Pathologist Assistant designation in the K-12 system and other entities.
Sen. Judy Myers is sponsoring similar legislation (SB 682) in the Senate. HB 753
has been assigned to the House Executive Committee.
HB 815 -- Release from Liability for Snow Removal (Hoffman)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Provides that a local public entity or its employees and agents who remove or attempt
to remove snow or ice from a street, sidewalk, or other public way is liable for any
injury that results from a condition caused by that undertaking unless the alleged
misconduct was willful and wanton. HB 815 has been assigned to the House
Judiciary I -- Civil Law Committee.
HB 887 -- Grants for Community Colleges (Erwin)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
This is a "shell" (empty) bill initiated by ICCB that can be amended with new
legislation later in the session.
HB 914 -- Public Building Commission Bond Refinancing (Moore)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Provides that, as a revenue source for alternate bonds, any unit of local government
having a public building commission lease rental base is authorized to levy a public
building commission lease rental base alternate tax levy. HB 914 has been assigned
to the House Revenue Committee.
HB 921 -- Interior Design Title Act Reauthorization (Pankau)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Reauthorizes the Interior Design Title Act for 10 years. The Act, which sunsets at
the end of 2001, is vigorously opposed by architects and others. Several community
colleges currently offer programs in interior design. Sen. Brad Burzynski is sponsoring
similar legislation (SB 1228) in the Senate. HB 921 has been assigned to the House
Registration and Regulation Committee.
HB 975 -- Mandated Ratio of Full-time and Part-time Faculty (Hoffman)
ICCTA Position: OPPOSE
Requires the governing board of each public university and community college to
achieve a ratio between full-time and part-time teachers in which at least
75 percent of all full-time equivalent teaching positions are held by full-time
faculty members and not more than 25 percent of all FTE teaching positions are
held by part-time teachers. HB 975 has been assigned to the House Higher
Education Committee.
HB 981 -- Grants to Increase Number of Full-Time Faculty (Crotty)
ICCTA Position: MONITOR
Appropriates $10 million to ICCB for a program that awards grants to community
college districts to increase the amount of credit hours taught by full-time
faculty. HB 981 has been assigned to the House Higher Education Appropriations Committee.
HB 1720 -- Collective Bargaining Rights for Part-Time Faculty (Ryder)
ICCTA Position: OPPOSE
Amends the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act to redefine a "short-term employee."
The change -- which provides that the employee must not have a reasonable expectation
(instead of a reasonable assurance) that he or she will be rehired -- would permit
part-time employees to organize and be recognized as a bargaining unit. ICCTA opposes
this legislation because IBHE has not yet completed its General Assembly-mandated study
on part-time faculty. B 1720 has been assigned to the House Labor Committee.
HB 1851 -- Increase in Illinois Incentive for Access Grants (Myers)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Increases the Illinois Incentive for Access grants by raising the maximum amount
paid per applicant per year from $500 to $1,000. HB 1851 is currently on second
reading in the House.
HB 1852 -- Minority Male Teacher Scholarships (Righter)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Provides that the Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall set a goal to award
at least 30 percent of its Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarships in each
fiscal year to qualified male minority applicants (rather than requiring that
30 percent of these scholarships be awarded to qualified male minority applicants).
HB 1852 has been assigned to the House Higher Education Committee.
HB 1871 -- Repeal of Management Rights at City Colleges and Chicago Schools (Delgado)
ICCTA Position: OPPOSE
Repeals provisions added by Public Act 89-15 that establish prohibited subjects of
collective bargaining between the City Colleges of Chicago or the Chicago Public
Schools system and an exclusive representative of the employees of that educational
employer. HB 1871 has been assigned to the House Executive Committee.
HB 1905 -- Reduction of Community College Treasurers Bond (Wirsing)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Changes the amount of the required bond for community college treasurers
(outside of Chicago) to equal the rate for K-12 board treasurers. HB 1905 is
currently on second reading in the House.
HB 1974 -- Redefinition of Athletic Trainers (Brunsvold)
ICCTA Position: OPPOSE
Changes the definitions of the terms "licensed athletic trainer" and "referral,"
and permits athletic trainers to perform many of the functions of a physical therapist.
HB 1974 has been assigned to the House Registration and Regulation Committee.
Senate Bill 107 -- Certification of Adult Education Teachers (Del Valle)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Provides additional authority to the Illinois Community College Board to develop
requirements and adopt rules to establish a system for the credentialing of adult
education teachers. SB 107 is currently on second reading in the Senate.
SB 314 & 716 -- Retirees Health Insurance for Part-Time Employees (Cronin)
ICCTA Position: MONITOR
Permits part-time employees to enroll in the community college retirees health
insurance program. SB 314 and SB 716 have been assigned to the Senate Insurance
and Pensions Committee.
SB 1394 -- FY 02 Community College Appropriation (Donahue)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Contains the IBHE recommendations for community college funding in FY 2002.
SB 1394 has been assigned to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
For additional information on state legislative issues,
contact ICCTA at 1-800-454-2282.
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Illinois Community College Trustees Association
401 E. Capitol Ave., Suite 200
Springfield, IL 62701-1711
217-528-2858 (phone)
217-528-8662 (fax)
ICCTA@communitycolleges.org (e-mail)
http://www.communitycolleges.org |
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