 |
ICCTA Action Alert
May 19, 2003
The Illinois General Assembly adjourned last Friday and changed the
schedule for the balance of the spring legislative session. Originally the House and Senate had been
scheduled to complete the spring session on May 23, but that date has now been rescheduled for May 31.
The Senate will return to Springfield later today (May 19), and the House will return tomorrow to
continue toward final adjournment.
Friday, May 16, marked the final day for passage of bills out of the second chamber of consideration.
Bills that have not passed out of both houses by that date are not likely to pass during the balance of
the legislative session, although there some procedural ways that certain legislation could be passed.
The next two weeks of the spring session will be dedicated to final passage of bills that are still
advancing and final negotiations on the Fiscal Year 2004 state budget.
BILLS OF INTEREST TO COMMUNITY COLLEGES
BILLS SIGNED INTO LAW BY THE GOVERNOR
HB 60 -- In-State Tuition for Undocumented Immigrants (del Valle / Acevedo)
ICCTA Position: MONITOR
Requires in-state tuition rates to be charged to undocumented immigrant students who have established
residence in Illinois. The student must have graduated from an Illinois high school and spent at least
three years residing in the state. Most community colleges are not impacted by this legislation since
residency requirements are used for admission of students, instead of citizenship criteria.
BILLS PASSED BY BOTH HOUSES AND SENT TO THE GOVERNOR
HB 1119 -- Increase in IIA Grants (Turner)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Changes the name of the Illinois Incentive for Access Grant Program to the Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive
for Access Grant Program and increases the maximum annual amount to $1,000 (from $500) for applicants with
an expected family contribution of $0.
HB 1387 -- City Colleges of Chicago Treasurer’s Bond (McCarthy - Wirsing)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Makes the penalty of the treasurer’s bond of the Chicago community college district the same as the penalty
of the treasurers’ bonds of all other community college districts in Illinois.
HB 1457 -- Redefinition of Educational Employee (O’Brien)
ICCTA Position: OPPOSE
Amends the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act to provide that an academic employee of a community
college who provides less than 3 (currently 6) credit hours of instruction per academic semester is not an
"educational employee" within the meaning of the Act. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation
without reimbursement.
HB 221 -- Surplus State Property (Slone / Shadid)
ICCTA Position: OPPOSE (in its current form)
Amends the State Property Control Act to redefine the term "responsible officer" to exclude community college
presidents. It also requires that unused state property leased by the Illinois Department of Central Management
Services may not be leased at less than 60% of the fair market rental value rate unless specified conditions
are met; provides procedures for determining the fair market rental value; and prohibits the sale of surplus
real property if any state agency requests its transfer. The bill was introduced in response to the
disposition of the former Zeller Mental Health Center to Illinois Central College.
BILLS THAT ARE ADVANCING
HB 761 -- Sale of Higher Education Directory Information (Flider)
ICCTA Position: MONITOR
HB 761 began as a "shell bill" (legislation without substantive content) that was amended in the Senate
to prohibit a university or community college from providing a student's name, address, or telephone number
to a business organization or financial institution that issues credit or debit cards.
SB 1980 -- Lincoln Land Community College Election By Subdistricts (Demuzio)
ICCTA Position: MONITOR
This is another "shell bill" that is being amended as it goes through the legislative process.
SB 1980 may be amended to require the election of Lincoln Land Community College trustees by subdistrict rather
than at-large, beginning with the 2005 consolidated election. The term of each trustee elected before the
effective date of the amendatory Act would end on the date that the trustees elected in 2005 are officially
determined. The bill would also provides for 4-year and 2-year terms (rather than 6).
BILLS THAT HAVE NOT ADVANCED TO DATE
SB 1021 -- Community College Bookstores (Jefferson)
ICCTA Position: OPPOSE
Adds community colleges to the University Retail Sales Act by defining "state institution of higher learning"
to mean "a university, college, community college, or junior college in this state that is publicly supported
by taxes levied and collected within the State on income, sales, or property."
SB 1586 -- Verbatim Minutes of Closed Sessions (Obama)
ICCTA Position: OPPOSE
Requires that a public body make a verbatim audio or video recording of closed meetings. Establishes procedures
for the availability to the public and the court of closed meeting minutes and recordings.
HB 2279 -- Community College Dormitories (Leitch)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Amends the Public Community College Act to allow a community college board to provide or contract for
residential housing for students and employees.
SB 334 -- Mobile Home Tax (Clayborne)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Provides that mobile homes placed outside of mobile home parks shall be taxed as real property.
SB 22 -- School Exemption From Property Tax Caps (Woolard /Lang)
ICCTA Position: SUPPORT
Changes the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law to exclude bonds issued by school boards for fire
prevention and safety purposes from the definition of "debt service extension base" and the exclusion of
certain extensions for fire prevention and safety purposes from the aggregate extension for a school district.
Call ICCTA at
1-800-454-2282 for the latest legislative updates
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 |
| Home | News
| Events | Links |
|