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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||||
5 | Lincoln Promise Zone Act. | ||||||
6 | Section 5. Definitions. | ||||||
7 | "Authority" means a Lincoln Promise Zone Authority created | ||||||
8 | under this Act. | ||||||
9 | "Board" means the Board of an Authority. | ||||||
10 | "Eligible entity" means the City of Rockford, the City of | ||||||
11 | Aurora, or the City of East St. Louis. | ||||||
12 | "Governing body" means the city council of the applicable | ||||||
13 | eligible entity. | ||||||
14 | "Promise of financial assistance" means a commitment by an | ||||||
15 | eligible entity to provide financial resources for a community | ||||||
16 | college education for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 academic | ||||||
17 | years to eligible students living in a promise zone who have | ||||||
18 | graduated from a public high school located within that promise | ||||||
19 | zone. | ||||||
20 | "Promise zone" means an area designated as a promise zone | ||||||
21 | by a governing body. | ||||||
22 | Section 10. Designation of a promise zone. |
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1 | (a) If a governing body determines that it is necessary for | ||||||
2 | the best interests of the public to promote access to a | ||||||
3 | community college education, the governing body may, by | ||||||
4 | ordinance or resolution, declare its intention to establish a | ||||||
5 | promise zone. | ||||||
6 | (b) The governing body shall set a date for a public | ||||||
7 | hearing on the adoption of a proposed resolution establishing | ||||||
8 | the promise zone. Notice of the public hearing shall be | ||||||
9 | published twice in a newspaper of general circulation in the | ||||||
10 | eligible entity, not less than 20 or more than 40 days before | ||||||
11 | the date of the hearing. Notice of the hearing shall be posted | ||||||
12 | in at least 20 conspicuous and public places in the eligible | ||||||
13 | entity not less than 20 days before the hearing. The notice | ||||||
14 | shall state the date, time, and place of the hearing and shall | ||||||
15 | describe the proposed promise zone, the details of the promise | ||||||
16 | of financial assistance, and the criteria for eligibility to | ||||||
17 | receive that financial assistance. | ||||||
18 | (c) If the governing body of the eligible entity intends to | ||||||
19 | proceed with the establishment of the promise zone, the | ||||||
20 | governing body shall, by ordinance or resolution, establish a | ||||||
21 | promise zone. | ||||||
22 | Section 15. Promise Zone Authority; creation. | ||||||
23 | (a) If the governing body, by ordinance or resolution, | ||||||
24 | establishes the promise zone, the governing body shall, by | ||||||
25 | ordinance or resolution, create a Lincoln Promise Zone |
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1 | Authority. | ||||||
2 | (b) For the City of Rockford and the City of Aurora, an | ||||||
3 | Authority shall be under the supervision and control of a Board | ||||||
4 | consisting of the mayor and 6 members appointed by the mayor, | ||||||
5 | with the advice and consent of the governing body, with 2 of | ||||||
6 | the 6 members being educators and 2 of the 6 members being | ||||||
7 | community business leaders. With respect to the City of East | ||||||
8 | St. Louis, an Authority shall be under the supervision and | ||||||
9 | control of a Board consisting of the mayor and (i) 2 members | ||||||
10 | who are educators appointed by the State Senator from the 57th | ||||||
11 | Legislative District, with the advice and consent of the | ||||||
12 | governing body; (ii) 2 members who are community business | ||||||
13 | leaders appointed by the State Senator from the 57th | ||||||
14 | Legislative District, with the advice and consent of the | ||||||
15 | governing body; and (iii) 2 members appointed by the mayor, | ||||||
16 | with the advice and consent of the governing body. Each member | ||||||
17 | of an Authority shall serve until the Authority is abolished | ||||||
18 | under Section 90 of this Act. An appointment to fill a vacancy | ||||||
19 | shall be made by the person who made the original appointment, | ||||||
20 | with the advice and consent of the governing body. Members of | ||||||
21 | the Board shall serve without compensation, but may be | ||||||
22 | reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses from funds the | ||||||
23 | Authority receives. The Chairperson of the Board shall be | ||||||
24 | elected by the Board. | ||||||
25 | Section 20. Powers of the Authority. |
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1 | (a) An Authority is a public body corporate that may sue | ||||||
2 | and be sued in any court of this State. An Authority possesses | ||||||
3 | all of the powers necessary to carry out its purpose. The | ||||||
4 | enumeration of a power in this Act shall not be construed as a | ||||||
5 | limitation upon the general powers of the Authority. | ||||||
6 | (b) The Board may employ and fix the compensation of a | ||||||
7 | Director. The Director shall serve at the pleasure of the | ||||||
8 | Board. A member of the Board is not eligible to hold the | ||||||
9 | position of Director. Before beginning his or her duties, the | ||||||
10 | Director shall furnish bond by posting a bond in the sum | ||||||
11 | determined in the ordinance or resolution establishing the | ||||||
12 | Authority payable to the Authority for use and benefit of the | ||||||
13 | Authority, approved by the Board, and filed with the clerk of | ||||||
14 | the eligible entity. The premium on the bond shall be | ||||||
15 | considered an operating expense of the Authority, payable from | ||||||
16 | funds available to the Authority for expenses of operation. The | ||||||
17 | Director shall be the chief executive officer of the Authority. | ||||||
18 | (c) Subject to the approval of the Board, the Director | ||||||
19 | shall supervise and be responsible for implementing the promise | ||||||
20 | zone development plan established under Section 25 of this Act | ||||||
21 | and the performance of the functions of the Authority in the | ||||||
22 | manner authorized by this Act. The Director shall attend the | ||||||
23 | meetings of the Board and shall provide to the Board, the | ||||||
24 | governing body, and the chief executive officer of the eligible | ||||||
25 | entity a regular report covering the activities and financial | ||||||
26 | condition of the Authority. If the Director is absent or |
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1 | disabled, the Board may designate a qualified person as Acting | ||||||
2 | Director to perform the duties of the office. | ||||||
3 | (d) The Board may employ and fix the compensation of a | ||||||
4 | Treasurer, who shall keep the financial records of the | ||||||
5 | Authority and who, together with the Director, shall approve | ||||||
6 | all vouchers for the expenditure of funds of the Authority. The | ||||||
7 | Treasurer shall perform all duties delegated to him or her by | ||||||
8 | the Board and shall furnish a bond in an amount prescribed by | ||||||
9 | the Board. | ||||||
10 | (e) The Board may employ and fix the compensation of a | ||||||
11 | Secretary, who shall maintain custody of the official seal and | ||||||
12 | of records, books, documents, or other papers not required to | ||||||
13 | be maintained by the Treasurer. The Secretary shall attend | ||||||
14 | meetings of the Board and keep a record of its proceedings and | ||||||
15 | shall perform other duties delegated by the Board. | ||||||
16 | (f) The Board may retain legal counsel to advise the Board | ||||||
17 | in the proper performance of its duties. | ||||||
18 | (g) The Board may employ other personnel considered | ||||||
19 | necessary by the Board. | ||||||
20 | (h) The Board may do any of the following: | ||||||
21 | (1) prepare an analysis of the community college | ||||||
22 | educational opportunities for the residents of the promise | ||||||
23 | zone; | ||||||
24 | (2) study and analyze the need for financial resources | ||||||
25 | to provide community college educational opportunities for | ||||||
26 | residents of the promise zone; |
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1 | (3) acquire, by purchase or otherwise, on terms and | ||||||
2 | conditions and in a manner the Authority considers proper, | ||||||
3 | own, convey, or otherwise dispose of, or lease as lessor or | ||||||
4 | lessee land and other property, real or personal, or rights | ||||||
5 | or interests in the property that the Authority determines | ||||||
6 | is reasonably necessary to achieve the purposes of this Act | ||||||
7 | and grant or acquire licenses, easements, and options; | ||||||
8 | (4) fix, charge, and collect fees, rents, and charges | ||||||
9 | for the use of any facility, building, or property under | ||||||
10 | its control or any part of the facility, building, or | ||||||
11 | property; | ||||||
12 | (5) lease, in whole or in part, any facility, building, | ||||||
13 | or property under its control; or | ||||||
14 | (6) solicit and accept grants and donations of money, | ||||||
15 | property, labor, or other things of value from a private | ||||||
16 | source, except as otherwise prohibited by law. | ||||||
17 | Section 25. Promise zone development plan. A Lincoln | ||||||
18 | Promise Zone Authority created under Section 15 of this Act | ||||||
19 | shall prepare and adopt a promise zone development plan, which | ||||||
20 | shall include all of the following: | ||||||
21 | (1) A complete description of the proposed promise of | ||||||
22 | financial assistance. The proposed promise of financial | ||||||
23 | assistance shall include, without limitation, a promise of | ||||||
24 | financial assistance for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 | ||||||
25 | academic years to all students residing within the promise |
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1 | zone who graduate from a public high school located within | ||||||
2 | that promise zone to attend community college in the public | ||||||
3 | community college district where the eligible entity is | ||||||
4 | located. The proposed promise of financial assistance | ||||||
5 | shall, at a minimum, provide funding sufficient to provide | ||||||
6 | an eligible student the tuition necessary to obtain an | ||||||
7 | associate degree or its equivalent at the local community | ||||||
8 | college during the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 academic years, | ||||||
9 | subject to any limitations authorized under this Section. | ||||||
10 | The proposed promise of financial assistance may also | ||||||
11 | authorize the expenditure of funds for educational | ||||||
12 | improvement activities designed to increase readiness for | ||||||
13 | postsecondary education at public schools located in the | ||||||
14 | promise zone. | ||||||
15 | (2) A complete description of any limitation on the | ||||||
16 | promise of financial assistance, including, but not | ||||||
17 | limited to, the following: | ||||||
18 | (A) whether the promise of financial assistance | ||||||
19 | will be prorated based on the number of years the | ||||||
20 | student has resided within the promise zone; | ||||||
21 | (B) whether the promise of financial assistance | ||||||
22 | will be restricted to students who have resided within | ||||||
23 | or attended a public high school within the promise | ||||||
24 | zone for a minimum number of years; | ||||||
25 | (C) whether the promise of financial assistance is | ||||||
26 | predicated on the student maintaining a minimum |
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1 | college grade point average and carrying a minimum | ||||||
2 | college credit hour classload. | ||||||
3 | (3) A requirement that graduates of a public high | ||||||
4 | school exhaust all other known and available grants for | ||||||
5 | tuition and fees for postsecondary education provided by a | ||||||
6 | federal, State, or local governmental entity, as | ||||||
7 | determined by the Board. | ||||||
8 | (4) A description of how the funds necessary to | ||||||
9 | accomplish the promise of financial assistance will be | ||||||
10 | raised. The promise zone development plan shall be financed | ||||||
11 | from one or more of the following sources: | ||||||
12 | (A) private donations; | ||||||
13 | (B) money obtained from other private sources | ||||||
14 | approved by the governing body or otherwise authorized | ||||||
15 | by law; or | ||||||
16 | (C) interest or other investment income, earnings, | ||||||
17 | or proceeds from item (A) or (B) of this subdivision | ||||||
18 | (4). | ||||||
19 | (5) An actuarial model of how much the proposed plan is | ||||||
20 | estimated to cost. | ||||||
21 | The Board shall submit the promise zone development plan to | ||||||
22 | the review committee established under Section 35 of this Act | ||||||
23 | promptly after the plan's adoption. The promise zone | ||||||
24 | development plan shall be published on the Internet website of | ||||||
25 | the eligible entity that established the promise zone. |
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1 | Section 30. Deposit and expenditure of moneys received by | ||||||
2 | the Authority. Moneys received by the Authority shall | ||||||
3 | immediately be deposited to the credit of the Authority, | ||||||
4 | subject to disbursement under this Act. The Authority shall not | ||||||
5 | expend more than 15% of its proposed annual budget for | ||||||
6 | administrative costs. | ||||||
7 | Section 35. Review committee. | ||||||
8 | (a) There is created a review committee consisting of the | ||||||
9 | following members: | ||||||
10 | (1) The Chairperson of the Senate's Higher Education | ||||||
11 | Committee. | ||||||
12 | (2) The Minority Spokesperson of the Senate's Higher | ||||||
13 | Education Committee. | ||||||
14 | (3) The Chairperson of the Senate's Education | ||||||
15 | Committee. | ||||||
16 | (4) The Chairperson of the House of Representative's | ||||||
17 | Higher Education Committee. | ||||||
18 | (5) The Minority Spokesperson of the House of | ||||||
19 | Representative's Higher Education Committee. | ||||||
20 | (6) The Chairperson of the House of Representative's | ||||||
21 | Elementary & Secondary Education Committee. | ||||||
22 | (7) One representative of the Illinois Student | ||||||
23 | Assistance Commission, appointed by the Chairman of the | ||||||
24 | Illinois Student Assistance Commission. | ||||||
25 | (8) One representative of the Board of Higher |
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1 | Education, appointed by the Chairman of the Board of Higher | ||||||
2 | Education.
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3 | (9) One representative of the Illinois Community | ||||||
4 | College Board, appointed by the Chairman of the Illinois | ||||||
5 | Community College Board. | ||||||
6 | (b) The review committee shall review each promise zone | ||||||
7 | development plan submitted under Section 25 of this Act, as | ||||||
8 | well as the plan's implementation. An Authority must submit | ||||||
9 | such information as the review committee may request from time | ||||||
10 | to time. | ||||||
11 | (c) The review committee shall report to the General | ||||||
12 | Assembly on all aspects of this Act's implementation on or | ||||||
13 | before December 31, 2017. | ||||||
14 | Section 90. Abolishment of Authority; expiration of Act. | ||||||
15 | (a) An Authority created under this Act is abolished on | ||||||
16 | January 31, 2018. | ||||||
17 | (b) This Act is repealed on January 31, 2018.
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18 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
19 | becoming law.
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