2005 Higher Education Legislative Report

By Leo Welch

Although the appropriations for higher education were bleak, there were some bright spots that came out of the Illinois General Assembly. Some of the bills that have become Public Acts were as follows:

HB 521 Group Insurance
Allows state employees and annuitants to purchase supplemental life insurance under the age of 60 up to 8 times the basis life insurance benefits.

HB 715 Elections – College Address
Requires each public university and college, at the beginning of each academic year, to provide the opportunity to change his or her voter registration address. This Act also requires public colleges and universities to provide mechanisms for voter registration.

HB 908 Fair Share
Provides that if a collective bargaining agreement that includes a fair share clause expires the employer will continue to abide by the fair share clause until a successor agreement is reached.

HB 1384 Medicare
Allows employees continually employed by the same employer since March 31, 1986 to irrevocably elect to participate in the federal Medicare program.

HB 2515 Transferable Courses
Requires colleges and universities to post on the World Wide Web information regarding transfer courses and their applicability towards degree requirements.

HB Health Education Grants
Provides that the Illinois Board of Higher Education will distribute funds to non-profit health service educational institutions a priority basis.

SB 445 Social Security Number
Prohibits the use of social security numbers by entities except for specific uses.

SB 2112 ICCB Faculty Member
Provides that one of the 11 members appointed to the Illinois Community College Board by the Governor must be a faculty member at an Illinois public community college.

Note: Bill Naegele of South Suburban College of Cook County has been appointed.
The bill descriptions are highly edited and for more details consult the Illinois General Assembly web site at http://www.ilga.gov.