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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The American Association of Community Colleges
3(AACC) has identified 1,132 community colleges in the United
4States, and 980 are public colleges; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Nearly half of all undergraduates in the United
6States, or just over 13 million or 25% of all graduates, enroll
7in community colleges; and
 
8    WHEREAS, 6,000 students from 10 community colleges in
9California, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Dakota,
10Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, responding to a recent
11North Carolina State University research team, identified the
12top two reasons they find it difficult to complete community
13college; the top two reasons, tied at 34% each, were having to
14work and not being able to afford the expense; and
 
15    WHEREAS, In 1965, the average public college tuition was
16$256 annually; today, the average annual public community
17college tuition has risen to $3,347; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Individuals earning at least a two-year community
19college degree will earn nearly $400,000 more over their career
20than a person with a high school diploma; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, 44 million people in the U.S. are currently in
2$1.48 trillion debt, and attending a community college could
3cut down on cost and indebtedness, even for those choosing to
4transfer credits to a four-year institution; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics cites that
6some of the highest paying jobs in the United States will
7increase over the decade and will require at least a two-year
8college degree; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Economies once built on low skilled industries,
10specifically in the south, must now compete globally for jobs
11that require training beyond high school; and
 
12    WHEREAS, In 1944, U.S. Congress passed the G.I. Bill, which
13provided free higher education to millions of World War II
14veterans and was the most successful legislation in modern
15history, laying the groundwork for the post war economic boom
16and growth of the middle class; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The state of California did not begin to charge
18for a college education until the 1980s; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Twenty states offer various forms of free
20community college, including Arkansas, California, Delaware,
21Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Memphis,

 

 

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1Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee,
2West Virginia, and Washington; therefore, be it
 
3    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
4HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
5we urge all municipalities and state governments to provide
6community college education at no cost; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That we urge Congress to pass legislation
8requiring all states to make community college free and to
9provide the necessary supportive funding to assure its reality;
10and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That we recognize the increased burden this will
12place on our educational system and urge that two years at a
13public university or college should be subsidized at a similar
14rate to a local community college; and be it further
 
15    RESOLVED, That we recognize the effect that this could have
16on historically black colleges and universities, as a
17disproportionate share of their students struggle
18economically, and to preserve the heritage and history of these
19culturally significant educational institutions, we must also
20increase funding to these institutions to support their
21scholarship funds to maintain necessary enrollment; and be it
22further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
2delivered to the President of the United States, the Vice
3President of the United States, all members of the United
4States House of Representatives and the United States Senate,
5and other federal and state government officials and agencies
6as appropriate.