SB0930 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB100 08847 MLM 18989 b

100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2017 and 2018
SB0930

Introduced 2/7/2017, by Sen. Dale A. Righter

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

110 ILCS 665/10-92

Amends the Eastern Illinois University Law. Extends the repeal of the tuition affordability discount program from July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2026. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning education.

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

Section 5. The Eastern Illinois University Law is amended by changing Section 10-92 as follows:

(110 ILCS 665/10-92)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on July 1, 2022)

Sec. 10-92. Tuition affordability discount program.

(a) The General Assembly makes all of the following findings:

(1) Both access and affordability are important points in the Illinois Public Agenda for College and Career Success.

(2) This State is in the top quartile with respect to the percentage of family income needed to pay for college.

(3) Research suggests that as loan amounts increase, versus grants-in-aid, the probability of college attendance decreases.

(4) There is further research indicating socioeconomic status may affect the willingness of students to use loans to attend college.

(5) Strategic use of tuition discounting will decrease the amount of loans that students must use to pay for tuition.

(6) A modest, individually tailored tuition discount can make the difference in choosing to attend college and would enhance college access for low (up to 150% of the federal poverty level) and middle income (151% to 300% of the federal poverty level) families.

(7) Even if the federally calculated financial need for college attendance is met, the federally determined Expected Family Contribution can still be a daunting amount.

(8) This State is the second largest exporter of students in the country.

(9) Illinois students need to be kept in this State. State universities in other states have adopted pricing and incentives that make college expenses for residents of this State less than in this State.

(10) A mechanism is needed to stop the outflow of Illinois students to institutions in other states, assisting in State efforts to maintain and educate a highly trained workforce.

(11) By being competitive on costs of attendance, this State can bring out-of-state students to this State.

(12) The program established under this Section will allow Eastern Illinois University to compete for highly qualified students who may reside in other states by mitigating the effect of cost differences.

(13) Modest tuition discounts, individually targeted and tailored, result in enhanced revenue for university programs.

(14) By increasing Eastern Illinois University's capacity to strategically use tuition discounting, the University will be capable of creating enhanced tuition revenue by increasing enrollment yields.

(15) The Board of Higher Education's current institutional tuition waiver limitation is 3% of total available undergraduate tuition revenue.

(b) The Board shall establish a program to increase the Board of Higher Education's institutional tuition waiver limitation for the university over a 4-year period to increase access to college and make college more affordable for undergraduate students. Under the program, the institutional tuition waiver limitation shall be increased by 2 percentage points in the 2012-2013 academic year, 2 percentage points in the 2013-2014 academic year, 2 percentage points in the 2014-2015 academic year, and one percentage point in the 2015-2016 academic year, resulting in an institutional tuition waiver limitation of 10% in the fourth year of the program and thereafter.

(c) The program shall require that students who receive a tuition discount under the program be accepted to the university through normal admissions standards and processes. Individual tuition discounts granted under the program must not exceed $2,500 per academic year. The program shall provide a maximum of one discount per academic year for a maximum of 4 years to each student in the program who maintains satisfactory academic progress. The program shall be terminated after the 2022-2023 2018-2019 academic year, with no new students receiving discounts. However, notwithstanding the Board of Higher Education's institutional tuition waiver limitation, existing students receiving discounts under the program are eligible to maintain those discounts, with satisfactory academic progress, under the 4-year limitation, after the 2022-2023 2018-2019 academic year due to maintenance of effort within their 4-year window. Sunset dates for discounted support shall be based upon the first academic year in which a student receives a discount.

(d) Every 2 years, the Board shall report to the Board of Higher Education on the program's impact on tuition revenue, enrollment goals, and increasing access and affordability on such dates as the Board of Higher Education shall determine.

(e) The Board of Higher Education may adopt any rules that are necessary to implement this Section.

(f) This Section is repealed on July 1, 2026 2022.

(Source: P.A. 97-290, eff. 8-10-11; 98-1100, eff. 1-1-15.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.