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LEGISLATIVE HIGHLIGHTS
Creating Higher Education Policy for the Future – House Joint Resolution 69, sponsored by Representative
Kevin McCarthy and Senator Edward Maloney, directs the Illinois Board of Higher Education to develop a
long-term, comprehensive master plan for higher education in Illinois through creation of the Task Force on
Higher Education and the Economy, chaired by IBHE Chairwoman Carrie J. Hightman.
Fostering a Coordinated P-20 Education System – House Bill 1648 creates a P-20 (Preschool through Grade
20) Council, which will be responsible for establishing a statewide agenda that better integrates all levels of
learning in Illinois. The bill was sponsored by Representative Jerry Mitchell and Senator Deanna Demuzio.
In addition, House Resolution 491, sponsored by Representative Sandra Pihos, provides that the Council’s
duties shall include proposing recommendations concerning accountability in education.
Increasing College Readiness – Senate Bill 858, the College and Career Readiness Pilot Program sponsored by
Senator Maloney and Representative David Miller, creates teams of advisers from high schools and commu-nity
colleges who will assess ACT scores and help students select classes that meet college admissions re-quirements
or the demands of the modern workplace. This pilot program will better prepare students for the
rigors of college and the workplace.
Developing Strong School Leaders – House Joint Resolution 66, sponsored by Representative Mike Smith and
Senator Demuzio, creates a task force to recommend improvements in training of school leaders. The task
force will develop strategies for implementing various recommendations of the Commission on School
Leadership as outlined in its report to the Board last August, “School Leader Preparation: Blueprint for
Change.”
Reining in Textbook Costs – Senate Resolution 298, sponsored by Senator Mattie Hunter, resolves that each
public university and community college must undertake measures to reduce textbook costs. Institutions
must document measures taken to curb textbook expenses and report progress to the Illinois Board of Higher
Education and the Illinois Community College Board, which in turn will brief the General Assembly.
Other legislative action of note includes:
Senate Joint Resolution 59, sponsored by Senator Maloney, proposes that educators and policymakers use exist-ing
test results to guide students toward using their senior year to improve college readiness. The resolution
also requires policymakers to develop an improved high school feedback report.
House Bill 574 creates the Social Security Number Task Force within the Attorney General’s Office. The task
force, which includes the IBHE Executive Director or designee, is to consider measures to protect citizen
privacy through limiting access to social security numbers used by state and local governments for various
purposes. The bill was sponsored by Representative Ruth Munson and Senator Susan Garrett.
House Bill 3504, sponsored by Representative Kurt Granberg and Senator Gary Forby, classifies community
colleges as units of local government for purposes of regulating political activities and acceptance and solici-tation
of gifts. The Governor vetoed the bill, although a court ruling has designated community colleges as
local units of government, not subject to the state’s ethics code.
House Bill 1313, sponsored by Representative Jay Hoffman and Senator William Haine, directs the Illinois
Ethanol Research Advisory Board to establish and operate, subject to appropriation, the National Corn-to-
Ethanol Research Center at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville as a State Biorefining Center of Ex-cellence.
The measure has been signed into law.
House Bill 182 creates forensic psychiatrist fellowship training programs at the University of Illinois at Chicago
and the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield. The bill was sponsored by Represen-tative
Patricia Bellock and Senator Hunter.
Senate Bill 1446 provides that the Illinois Community College Board may undertake the We Want to Learn
English Initiative aimed at supporting local programs to teach English to U.S. citizens and others with
