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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, There are 39 public community college districts
3 serving all 102 counties within the State of Illinois; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Within the 39 community college districts, there
5 are 48 community colleges, serving nearly 1.2 million
6 Illinoisans annually; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Over the past decade, enrollment at the 48
8 community colleges has increased by more than 20% and the role
9 of the community college has expanded dramatically; local
10 communities and businesses have become reliant on community
11 colleges as the primary provider of worker education and
12 training; and
 
13     WHEREAS, The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that by the
14 end of this decade 85% of all jobs in the State of Illinois
15 that are capable of sustaining a middle-class lifestyle will
16 require access to post-secondary education; and
 
17     WHEREAS, The U.S. Department of Labor also reports that 75%
18 of all current workers will require re-skilling or retraining
19 during the current decade in order to maintain the jobs they
20 presently hold; and
 
21     WHEREAS, The reimbursement rules that are currently in
22 place for community colleges are, in some instances, more than
23 30 years old and do not reflect the vast diversity of the
24 structure and operation of the community college model of
25 today; therefore, be it
 
26     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
27 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
28 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created a Joint Task
29 Force on Community Colleges for the purpose of reviewing the

 

 

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1 present community college system and making recommendations to
2 the General Assembly pertaining to whether the mechanisms that
3 are in place will handle the expanded role and demands on the
4 system in the future; and be it further
 
5     RESOLVED, That the Joint Task Force on Community Colleges
6 shall consist of the following members: 2 co-chairpersons, each
7 a member of the General Assembly, with one appointed by the
8 Speaker of the House and one appointed by the President of the
9 Senate; 2 spokespersons, each a member of the General Assembly,
10 with one appointed by the Minority Leader of the House and one
11 appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; 3 community
12 college presidents appointed by the leadership of the Illinois
13 Council of Public Community College Presidents; 3 community
14 college trustees appointed by the leadership of the Illinois
15 Community College Trustees Association; 2 community college
16 faculty members appointed by the Chairperson of the Illinois
17 Community College Board; 2 community college students
18 appointed by the Illinois Community College Board Student
19 Advisory Committee; and 2 members appointed by the Chairperson
20 of the Illinois Community College Board, one of whom is a
21 nationally recognized community college expert; and be it
22 further
 
23     RESOLVED, That the Joint Task Force members shall serve on
24 a voluntary basis and shall not be responsible for any costs
25 associated with their participation in the Joint Task Force;
26 and be it further
 
27     RESOLVED, That the Joint Task Force shall meet initially at
28 the call of the Chairperson of the Illinois Community College
29 Board and thereafter as necessary and shall report its findings
30 to the General Assembly by filing copies of its report with the
31 Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate no later
32 than December 31, 2005; and that upon filing its report the
33 Joint Task Force is dissolved; and be it further
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
2 delivered to the Chairperson of the Illinois Community College
3 Board and to the Illinois Council of Public Community College
4 Presidents, Illinois Community College Trustees Association,
5 and Illinois Community College Board Student Advisory
6 Committee.