HJ0066 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0066 LRB099 11900 GRL 34058 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Rising tuition costs in Illinois make it increasingly difficult for students to pursue secondary education; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Student Assistance Commission has reported that college costs have risen faster in recent years than any other sector of the economy - even faster than healthcare; and

WHEREAS, Illinois' public universities rank as the fifth highest average tuition costs of any state in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Average tuition costs for Illinois public universities have risen from $6,494 in 2004 to $12,770 in 2014; and

WHEREAS, There has been a 73% increase in average public university total cost of attendance from 2002 to 2014; and

WHEREAS, Increased costs have driven student enrollment downwards in Illinois public universities; and

WHEREAS, A study conducted by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association found that there had been a 10% increase in public university enrollment nationwide from 2008 to 2013; in that same time however, there has been a 4.1% decrease in enrollment at public universities in Illinois, one of only 2 states to have a decrease during that time; and

WHEREAS, Illinois has been hurt with an increasing occurrence of "brain drain" in recent years; and

WHEREAS, According to a 2012 study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, Illinois was the 2nd highest exporter of college freshmen in the country; as these students leave, they are not likely to return to Illinois; and

WHEREAS, By 2018, experts predict that 64% of all jobs in Illinois will require post-secondary education, yet currently only 42% of working-age adults ages 25 to 64 in Illinois hold a 2 or 4-year college degree; and

WHEREAS, It has been shown that State assistance does not reflect the true cost of higher education in Illinois; the Illinois Student Assistance Commission has reported that the Monetary Award Program currently serves about half the applicants who are eligible and covers about 35% of tuitions and fees at a public university in this State; and

WHEREAS, In 2002, the State was able to meet the needs of all eligible applications and fully covered average public university or community college tuition and fees; and

WHEREAS, The average Monetary Award Program grant award covers only $2,700 of tuition and fees; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Higher Education Affordability Task Force is created to study and make recommendations on higher education affordability and student retention, and to determine whether Illinois is doing an adequate job at capturing sufficient available federal grants for higher education; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Higher Education Affordability Task Force shall consist of the following members:

(1) one member appointed by the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives;

(2) one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives;

(3) one member appointed by the President of the Illinois Senate;

(4) one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Illinois Senate;

(5) one member appointed by each President of every public university in the State of Illinois;

(6) one member appointed by the Executive Director of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission; and

(7) one member appointed by the Illinois Board of Higher Education; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Board of Higher Education shall provide administrative and other support to the Task Force; and be it further

RESOLVED, That That the Task Force shall report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly on or before January 1, 2016.