093_HB0919eng

 
HB0919 Engrossed                     LRB093 07119 NHT 07273 b

 1        AN ACT regarding public community colleges.

 2        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section 5.  The Public Community College Act  is  amended
 5    by changing Section 2-16.02 as follows:

 6        (110 ILCS 805/2-16.02) (from Ch. 122, par. 102-16.02)
 7        Sec.  2-16.02.  Grants.   Any  community college district
 8    that maintains a community college recognized  by  the  State
 9    Board  shall  receive, if when eligible, grants enumerated in
10    this Section.  Funded semester credit hours or other measures
11    or both as specified by the State  Board  shall  be  used  to
12    distribute  grants  to  community  colleges.  Funded semester
13    credit hours shall be defined, for purposes of this  Section,
14    as the greater of (1) the number of semester credit hours, or
15    equivalent,   in   all  funded  instructional  categories  of
16    students who have been certified as being  in  attendance  at
17    midterm  during  the respective terms of the base fiscal year
18    or (2) the average of semester credit hours,  or  equivalent,
19    in  all  funded instructional categories of students who have
20    been certified as being in attendance at midterm  during  the
21    respective  terms  of  the  base  fiscal year and the 2 prior
22    fiscal years.  For purposes of  this  Section,  "base  fiscal
23    year"  means the fiscal year 2 years prior to the fiscal year
24    for which the grants are appropriated.  Such  students  shall
25    have  been residents of Illinois and shall have been enrolled
26    in courses that are part of instructional program  categories
27    approved by the State Board and that are applicable toward an
28    associate  degree  or  certificate.  Courses are not eligible
29    for reimbursement where  the  district  receives  federal  or
30    State  financing  or both, except financing through the State
31    Board, for  50%  or  more  of  the  program  costs  with  the
 
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 1    exception  of courses offered by contract with the Department
 2    of Corrections in correctional institutions.  Base  operating
 3    grants  shall  be  paid  based  on  rates per funded semester
 4    credit hour or equivalent calculated by the State  Board  for
 5    funded  instructional  categories  using cost of instruction,
 6    enrollment, inflation, and other relevant factors. A  portion
 7    of  the  base operating grant shall be allocated on the basis
 8    of non-residential gross square footage of  space  maintained
 9    by the district.
10        Equalization  grants  shall  be  calculated  by the State
11    Board by determining a local revenue factor for each district
12    by:   (A)  adding  (1)  each  district's  Corporate  Personal
13    Property Replacement Fund allocations from  the  base  fiscal
14    year  or  the average of the base fiscal year and prior year,
15    whichever  is  less,  divided  by  the  applicable  statewide
16    average tax rate to (2) the district's most recently  audited
17    year's  equalized  assessed  valuation  or the average of the
18    most recently audited year and prior year, whichever is less,
19    (B)  then  dividing  by  the  district's  audited   full-time
20    equivalent  resident students for the base fiscal year or the
21    average for the base  fiscal year  and  the  2  prior  fiscal
22    years,  whichever is greater, and (C) then multiplying by the
23    applicable statewide average tax rate.  The State Board shall
24    calculate a statewide weighted average threshold by  applying
25    the   same  methodology  to  the  totals  of  all  districts'
26    Corporate Personal Property Tax Replacement Fund allocations,
27    equalized  assessed   valuations,   and   audited   full-time
28    equivalent  district resident students and multiplying by the
29    applicable  statewide  average  tax  rate.   The   difference
30    between  the  statewide  weighted  average  threshold and the
31    local revenue factor, multiplied by the number  of  full-time
32    equivalent  resident  students, shall determine the amount of
33    equalization  funding  that  each  district  is  eligible  to
34    receive.  A percentage factor, as  determined  by  the  State
 
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 1    Board,  may be applied to the statewide threshold as a method
 2    for allocating equalization funding.  A minimum  equalization
 3    grant  of  an  amount per district as determined by the State
 4    Board shall be established for any community college district
 5    which qualifies for an  equalization  grant  based  upon  the
 6    preceding  criteria,  but becomes ineligible for equalization
 7    funding, or would have received a  grant  of  less  than  the
 8    minimum  equalization  grant,  due  to  threshold  prorations
 9    applied  to reduce equalization funding.  As of July 1, 1997,
10    community college districts must maintain a minimum  required
11    in-district   tuition   rate  per  semester  credit  hour  as
12    determined by the State Board.  For each fiscal year  between
13    July  1,  1997  and  June 30, 2001, districts not meeting the
14    minimum required rate will be subject to a percent  reduction
15    of equalization funding as determined by the State Board.  As
16    of  July  1,  2001,  districts must meet the required minimum
17    in-district tuition rate to qualify for equalization funding.
18        The State Board shall distribute such other grants as may
19    be authorized or appropriated by the General Assembly.
20        Each community college district entitled to State  grants
21    under  this Section must submit a report of its enrollment to
22    the State Board not later than 30 days following the  end  of
23    each semester, quarter, or term in a format prescribed by the
24    State  Board.   These  semester  credit hours, or equivalent,
25    shall be certified by each district on forms provided by  the
26    State  Board.   Each  district's  certified  semester  credit
27    hours,  or  equivalent,  are  subject  to  audit  pursuant to
28    Section 3-22.1.
29        The State Board shall certify, prepare, and submit to the
30    State Comptroller during August, November, February, and  May
31    of each fiscal year vouchers setting forth an amount equal to
32    25%  of  the  grants  approved  by  the  State Board for base
33    operating grants and equalization grants.   The  State  Board
34    shall  prepare  and  submit to the State Comptroller vouchers
 
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 1    for payments of other grants as appropriated by  the  General
 2    Assembly.  If the amount appropriated for grants is different
 3    from  the amount provided for such grants under this Act, the
 4    grants  shall  be  proportionately   reduced   or   increased
 5    accordingly.
 6        For  the  purposes  of  this  Section, "resident student"
 7    means a student in a community college district who maintains
 8    residency  in  that  district  or   meets   other   residency
 9    definitions  established  by  the  State  Board,  and who was
10    enrolled either in one of the approved instructional  program
11    categories  in that district, or in another community college
12    district to which the resident's district is  paying  tuition
13    under  Section  6-2 or with which the resident's district has
14    entered into a cooperative agreement in lieu of such tuition.
15        For  the  purposes  of   this   Section,   a   "full-time
16    equivalent" student is equal to 30 semester credit hours.
17        The Illinois Community College Board Contracts and Grants
18    Fund  is  hereby  created  in  the  State Treasury.  Items of
19    income  to  this  fund  shall  include  any  grants,  awards,
20    endowments, or like proceeds, and  where  appropriate,  other
21    funds  made  available  through  contracts with governmental,
22    public,  and  private  agencies  or  persons.   The   General
23    Assembly  shall from time to time make appropriations payable
24    from such fund for the support, improvement, and expenses  of
25    the State Board and Illinois community college districts.
26    (Source:  P.A.  89-141,  eff.  7-14-95; 89-281, eff. 8-10-95;
27    89-473, eff.  6-18-96;  89-626,  eff.  8-9-96;  90-468,  eff.
28    8-17-97;  90-486, eff. 8-17-97; 90-497, eff. 8-18-97; 90-587,
29    eff. 8-7-98 (contingent upon 90-720); 90-655,  eff.  7-30-98;
30    90-720, eff. 8-7-98.)