Rep. Carol Ammons

Filed: 3/24/2023

 

 


 

 


 
10300HB3818ham001LRB103 26176 RJT 59938 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 3818

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 3818 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The Board of Higher Education Act is amended
5by adding Section 9.43 as follows:
 
6    (110 ILCS 205/9.43 new)
7    Sec. 9.43. Commission on Higher Education in Prison.
8    (a) As used in this Section:
9    "Commission" means the Commission on Higher Education in
10Prison established by this Section.
11    "Higher education in prison" means post-secondary academic
12education at the undergraduate and graduate level in both
13community college and university settings.
14    (b) The Board shall establish the Commission on Higher
15Education in Prison. The Commission shall be responsible for
16assisting the Board in implementing and coordinating the

 

 

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1recommendations of the Illinois Higher Education in Prison
2Task Force. Within the first 3 months after its first meeting,
3the Commission shall identify recommendations to implement,
4with a minimum of 3 recommendations per year. Any
5recommendations that are identified shall expand access to
6quality higher education in prison in this State and propel
7this State to being a national exemplar in the area.
8    (c) The Commission shall be composed of all of the
9following members:
10        (1) The Executive Director of the Board or the
11    Executive Director's designee, who shall serve as a
12    co-chairperson of the Commission.
13        (2) The Executive Director of the Illinois Community
14    College Board or the Executive Director's designee, who
15    shall serve as a co-chairperson of the Commission.
16        (3) A representative from the Department of
17    Corrections, appointed by the Director of Corrections.
18        (4) A representative from the Illinois Student
19    Assistance Commission, appointed by Illinois Student
20    Assistance Commission.
21        (5) A representative from the Illinois Coalition for
22    Higher Ed in Prison, appointed by the Governor.
23        (6) A representative from the John Howard Association,
24    appointed by the Governor.
25        (7) One member of the House of Representatives,
26    appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives,

 

 

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1    one member of the House of Representatives, appointed by
2    the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, one
3    member of the Senate, appointed by the President of the
4    Senate, and one member of the Senate, appointed by the
5    Minority Leader of the Senate.
6        (8) Six formerly incarcerated students, one of whom
7    must have served time in a female-designated facility, or
8    administrators of higher education in prison programs,
9    each representing a different program and Department of
10    Corrections facility, appointed by Illinois Community
11    College Board.
12        (9) One administrator of a higher education in prison
13    program of a 4-year institution of higher education who
14    represents a program at a Department of Corrections
15    facility not already represented on the Commission,
16    appointed by the Board.
17        (10) One administrator of a higher education in prison
18    program of a 2-year institution of higher education,
19    including a public community college, who represents a
20    program at a Department of Corrections facility not
21    already represented on the Commission, appointed by the
22    Illinois Community College Board.
23    Members of the Commission shall serve without
24compensation.
25    (d) Appointment of members to the Commission shall be made
26within 60 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act

 

 

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1of the 103rd General Assembly, with the first meeting of the
2Commission to be held at a reasonable period of time
3thereafter. The Commission shall hold at least 6 meetings each
4year. Additional meetings may be scheduled at the call of the
5chairperson.
6    (e) The term of membership on the Commission shall be for 3
7years.
8    (f) The responsibilities of the Commission shall include
9all of the following:
10        (1) Identifying resources, strategies, and legislative
11    proposals to support the administration and implementation
12    of the Illinois Higher Education in Prison Task Force's
13    recommendations.
14        (2) Exploring the advisability of creating a permanent
15    statewide higher education in prison commission or
16    advising body and making final recommendations to the
17    General Assembly regarding such a body.
18        (3) Ensuring that currently incarcerated individuals
19    have the opportunity to meaningfully participate in the
20    work of the Commission on a regular basis and provide
21    critical input about the direction of any statewide policy
22    related to higher education in prison.
23        (4) Presenting, at an annual subject matter hearing,
24    to the General Assembly a report on the Commission's
25    progress and the state of policy and practice in this
26    State. The chairperson of the Commission shall be

 

 

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1    responsible for fulfilling this obligation. Any
2    accompanying materials shall be made available to the
3    general public on the Board's website.
4        (5) Issuing a final report to the Board, the Governor
5    and the General Assembly. The final report shall capture
6    the full progress of the Commission and how the Commission
7    has fulfilled its responsibilities. This report must be
8    made available to the general public on the Board's
9    website.
10    (g) The Commission members appointed by a State agency
11shall report back to their respective agency on the progress
12of the Commission in fulfilling its responsibilities.
13    (h) The Board shall provide administrative and technical
14support to the Commission and be responsible for administering
15the Commission's operations and ensuring that the
16responsibilities of the Commission are met.
17    (i) Upon the release of its final report, the Commission
18shall be dissolved.".