Full Text of HB5037

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB5037

Introduced 2/10/2026, by Rep. Jeff Keicher

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Fixing Illinois Higher Education Funding Act. Requires the Board of Higher Education to study the cost drivers of State universities and develop a comprehensive, 10-year plan to ensure the long-term performance and sustainability of higher education in the State that ensures funding supports education outcomes, assesses the affordability of higher education for students, and supports long-term economic and workforce development goals. Sets forth factors to be studied. Requires the Board to issue a report based on the findings of the study to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than March 31, 2027. 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 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Fixing Illinois Higher Education Funding Act.

Section 5. Findings and intent.

(a) The General Assembly finds that higher education in this State has faced dropping enrollment and is facing an enrollment cliff with declining birth rates, waning public confidence in bachelor's degrees, and artificial intelligence rapidly reshaping the entry-level job market for college graduates and that despite serving fewer students, State universities are spending more per student than other states in the country, while in-state tuition continues to increase.

(b) It is the intent of the General Assembly that:

(1) funding for State universities align with the needs of their students and toward programs that will prepare students for long-term success in the labor market, now and in the future;

(2) tuition and fees be affordable for in-state students and competitive for students from outside the State; and

(3) higher education funding be made transparent to taxpayers and higher education be held accountable for how those funds are spent.

Section 10. Study and report. The Board of Higher Education shall study the cost drivers of State universities and develop a comprehensive, 10-year plan to ensure the long-term performance and sustainability of higher education in this State that ensures funding supports education outcomes, assesses the affordability of higher education for students, and supports long-term economic and workforce development goals.

Section 15. Factors to be studied. In conducting the study required under Section 5, the Board of Higher Education shall consider, without limitation:

(1) how public funds are spent by each State university, providing amounts and percentages spent on categories that include, but are not limited to, instruction, research, and administration;

(2) the historical changes in this State's population of high school graduates and its relation to higher education spending;

(3) the historical changes of the price of tuition and fees for higher education in this State compared to that of other states;

(4) the amount of funding provided to State universities compared to the number of students enrolled, including historical trends;

(5) the extent to which State university programs of study and their funding allocation are aligned with the needs of the current and future market;

(6) the extent to which each State university is overfunded or underfunded based on the number of students enrolled compared to other State universities;

(7) the extent to which programs are comparatively overfunded or underfunded based on their alignment with the current and future marketplace; and

(8) the extent to which specialization could attract more students from within this State and outside this State and mitigate the competition for students between State universities.

Section 20. Comprehensive report. The Board of Higher Education shall issue a report based on the findings of the study as set forth in Sections 10 and 15, which shall include a 10-year plan to increase the affordability of higher education for students in this State, attract students from other states, and align funding to student enrollment, workforce preparation, and the future needs of the labor market. The Board of Higher Education shall submit its report to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than March 31, 2027.

Section 90. Repealer. This Act is repealed on March 31, 2028.

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