103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB2250

 

Introduced 2/10/2023, by Sen. Michael W. Halpin

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
110 ILCS 805/6-1.5 new
110 ILCS 805/6-2  from Ch. 122, par. 106-2
110 ILCS 805/6-4.1  from Ch. 122, par. 106-4.1

    Amends the Public Community College Act. Adds language to provide that if a resident of a community college district wants to attend the community college maintained by the district of his or her residence, but the student wants to enroll in a program that is not offered by that community college and the community college does not have a contractual agreement for such a program, then the student may attend any recognized public community college in any other district and shall pay tuition and fees at the rate of the sending college. Sets forth provisions concerning financial assistance, a program directory, programmatic differences, application, enrollment, and completion of coursework, records and transcripts, the provision of services, athletic and other eligibility, and State grants. Makes conforming changes.


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STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT
MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Public Community College Act is amended by
5adding Section 6-1.5 and by changing Sections 6-2 and 6-4.1 as
6follows:
 
7    (110 ILCS 805/6-1.5 new)
8    Sec. 6-1.5. Attending community college outside of
9resident district.
10    (a) The purpose of this Section is to expand educational
11services to the greatest number of students in each community
12college district and maximize the utilization of the finances,
13facilities, equipment, and personnel of each district to
14provide educational services that might otherwise be
15impracticable for a district individually. This Section is not
16intended to limit the ability of any community college
17district to establish new units of instruction, research, or
18public service under Section 3-25.1 of this Act.
19    (b) In this Section:
20        "Receiving college" means the community college
21    district receiving a student from another community
22    college district.
23        "Sending college" means the community college district

 

 

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1    sending a student to another community college district.
2    (c) Pursuant to this Section, if a resident of a community
3college district wants to attend the community college
4maintained by the district of his or her residence, but the
5student wants to enroll in a program that is not offered by
6that community college and the community college does not have
7a contractual agreement under Section 3-40 of this Act for
8such a program, then the student, subject to Section 3-17, may
9attend any recognized public community college in any other
10district and shall pay tuition and fees at the in-district
11rate of the receiving college. If the student is seeking State
12or federal financial assistance, then the student shall apply
13for assistance at the receiving college.
14    (d) The State Board shall maintain a program directory on
15the State Board's website to assist community colleges in
16determining which programs are offered at each community
17college. At a minimum, this directory shall provide a
18comparison of program titles and classification of
19instructional program codes. Delivery methods and minor
20program differences, such as the length of a semester, online
21versus in-person instruction, competency-based instruction,
22and program credit hours, and minor course requirement
23differences do not constitute a difference in a program for
24purposes of attending another community college under this
25Section. Programmatic differences shall be based upon
26classification of instructional program codes, the

 

 

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1occupational outlook for completers, or other substantial
2programmatic differences. Determinations regarding
3programmatic differences shall be first determined by the
4sending college. The State Board shall establish a process for
5resolving disputes between community college districts
6regarding programmatic differences.
7    (e) Students who want to enroll at a receiving college
8shall make an application to their sending college in
9accordance with rules and procedures established and published
10by their sending college. Community colleges shall make every
11attempt to review such requests in a timely manner so as to not
12impede the students' educational progress. Students shall
13secure from their sending college a letter designating them as
14participants in an approved program. A copy of such letter
15shall be sent to the receiving college. A student may not
16enroll under the provisions of this Section in a program of a
17receiving college at the in-district tuition rate if the
18student's educational objectives can be met at the sending
19college.
20    (f) Upon written approval from the sending college, a
21student shall register at the receiving college and shall be a
22member of the receiving college's district for the term of the
23student's enrollment. A student may choose to complete any
24required general education coursework and may take approved
25courses at the sending college or at the receiving college.
26Upon successful completion, courses taken at either the

 

 

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1sending college or the receiving college shall be acceptable
2for transfer to the sending college or receiving college for
3completion of any program. The receiving college shall
4maintain admission records and transcripts and issue any
5degrees or certificates to the student upon completing the
6educational program. The receiving college shall provide
7copies of such records to the sending college at the student's
8request or as part of any program verification for the sending
9college.
10    (g) The receiving college shall provide access to its
11learning resources center and other instructional resources
12for students from the sending college, equal to those provided
13for any other student at the receiving college. The receiving
14college shall also provide counseling and guidance and other
15services that facilitate the learning process.
16    (h) The receiving college shall be considered the
17student's district for athletic eligibility, for any activity
18in which the student officially represents a community
19college, for the military, and for scholarships offered by the
20Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Other athletic
21eligibility requirements shall be determined by the rules of
22the receiving college's athletic conference. Students from any
23sending college are eligible at the receiving college for any
24other extracurricular activities, scholarships, or other
25recognition of excellence in the program for which they are
26attending at the receiving college.

 

 

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1    (i) Except for equalization grants, the receiving college
2is eligible to file claims for State grants under Section
32-16.02 of this Act for any student from the sending college
4enrolled in courses offered at the receiving college. The
5receiving college shall provide the sending college with the
6semester credit hours taken by each student from the sending
7college for purposes of equalization grants. If the student
8enrolls in courses offered at the sending college, the sending
9college shall claim semester credit hours provided to the
10student in attendance at the sending college.
 
11    (110 ILCS 805/6-2)  (from Ch. 122, par. 106-2)
12    Sec. 6-2. Any graduate of a recognized high school or
13student otherwise qualified to attend a public community
14college and residing outside a community college district but
15within this State may, subject to Section 3-17, attend any
16recognized public community college in the State at the
17tuition rate of a student residing in the district. Subject to
18appropriation, the State Board shall pay the difference
19between the in-district and out-of-district tuition amounts to
20the community college district for any semester or term of
21that academic year.
22    If he or she becomes a resident of a community college
23district, he or she shall be classified as a resident of that
24district at the beginning of any semester or term following
25that change of residence and the State Board shall no longer

 

 

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1pay the difference in tuition rates.
2    If a resident of a community college district wishes to
3attend the community college maintained by the district of his
4or her residence but the program in which the student wishes to
5enroll is not offered by that community college, and the
6community college maintained by the district of his residence
7does not have a contractual agreement under Section 3-40 of
8this Act for such program, the student may attend any
9recognized public community college in some other district,
10subject to the provisions of Section 3-17, and have his or her
11tuition, as defined herein, paid by the community college
12district of his or her residence while enrolled in a program at
13that college which is not offered by his or her home community
14college if he or she makes application to his or her home board
15at least 30 days prior to the beginning of any semester,
16quarter or term in accordance with rules, regulations and
17procedures established and published by his or her home board.
18The payment of tuition by his or her district of residence may
19not exceed the per Per capita cost shall of the community
20college attended for the previous year, less certain
21deductions, to be computed by adding all of the non-capital
22expenditures for the previous year, including interest, to the
23depreciation on the capital outlay expenditures paid from
24sources other than State and federal funds, less any payments
25toward non-capital expenditures received from State and
26federal sources for the previous year (except for grants

 

 

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1through the State Board under Section 2-16.02 of this Act),
2and dividing that amount by the number of full-time equivalent
3students for that fiscal year as defined under this Section.
4This average per student computation shall be converted to a
5semester hour base and further reduced by the combined rate of
6State grants, other than equalization grants for the current
7year as provided under Section 2-16.02 of this Act, and any
8rate of tuition and fees assessed for all students for the
9current year as authorized under Section 6-4 of this Act.
10    Payment shall be made hereunder to the community college
11district of attendance immediately upon receipt, by the
12district liable for the payment, of a statement from that
13community college district of the amount due it. Before
14sending such a statement requesting payment, however, the
15community college district of attendance shall make all
16calculations and deductions required under this Section so
17that the amount requested for payment is the exact amount
18required under this Section to be paid by the district liable
19for payment.
20    If the moneys in the educational fund are insufficient to
21meet such payments, the district liable for such payments may
22issue tax anticipation warrants as provided in Section
233-20.10.
24    A full-time equivalent student for a semester or term is
25defined as a student doing 15 semester hours of work per
26semester or the equivalent thereof, and the number of

 

 

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1full-time equivalent students enrolled per term shall be
2determined by dividing by 15 the total number of semester
3hours for which State Board grants are received, or the
4equivalent thereof, carried by all students of the college
5through the mid-term of each semester or term. The number of
6full-time equivalent students for a fiscal year shall be
7computed by adding the total number of semester hours of work
8or the equivalent thereof carried by all students of the
9college through the mid-term of each semester or term during
10that fiscal year and dividing that sum by 30 semester hours.
11Tuition of students carrying more or less than 15 semester
12hours of work per semester or the equivalent thereof shall be
13computed in the proportion which the number of hours so
14carried bears to 15 semester hours or the equivalent thereof.
15    If the United States Government, the State of Illinois, or
16any agency pays tuition for any community college student,
17neither the district of residence of the student nor the
18student may be required to pay that tuition or such part
19thereof as is otherwise paid. No part of the State's financial
20responsibility provided for in Section 2-16 may be transferred
21to a student's district of residence under this Section.
22(Source: P.A. 100-884, eff. 1-1-19.)
 
23    (110 ILCS 805/6-4.1)  (from Ch. 122, par. 106-4.1)
24    Sec. 6-4.1. If a resident of Illinois qualifies for
25admission to a public community college under Section 3-17 but

 

 

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1does not qualify for financial support under Section 6-1.5 or
26-2, that person he may be enrolled in the college upon payment
3of the difference between the per capita cost as defined in
4Section 6-2 less any payments toward noncapital expenditures
5received from State and federal sources for the previous year
6except grants through the State Board as authorized in Section
72-16 or 2-16.02, as the case may be, converted to a semester
8hour base, and the combined rate of State grants other than
9equalization grants for the current year as authorized in
10Section 2-16.02, notwithstanding tuition limits of Section
116-4. Subject to Section 3-17, a public community college may
12accept out-of-state students upon payment of the per capita
13cost as defined in Section 6-2. Notwithstanding the provisions
14of this Section, the out-of-district or out-of-state tuition,
15whichever is applicable, may be waived for a student who is
16employed for at least 35 hours per week by an entity located in
17the district or is enrolled in a course that is being provided
18under terms of a contract for services between the employing
19entity and the college.
20(Source: P.A. 100-884, eff. 1-1-19.)