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1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Lincoln Promise Zone Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions.
7    "Authority" means a Lincoln Promise Zone Authority created
8under this Act.
9    "Board" means the Board of an Authority.
10    "Eligible entity" means the City of Rockford, the City of
11Aurora, or the City of East St. Louis.
12    "Governing body" means the city council of the applicable
13eligible entity.
14    "Promise of financial assistance" means a commitment by an
15eligible entity to provide financial resources for a community
16college education for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 academic
17years to eligible students living in a promise zone who have
18graduated from a public high school located within that promise
19zone.
20    "Promise zone" means an area designated as a promise zone
21by 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
2the best interests of the public to promote access to a
3community college education, the governing body may, by
4ordinance or resolution, declare its intention to establish a
5promise zone.
6    (b) The governing body shall set a date for a public
7hearing on the adoption of a proposed resolution establishing
8the promise zone. Notice of the public hearing shall be
9published twice in a newspaper of general circulation in the
10eligible entity, not less than 20 or more than 40 days before
11the date of the hearing. Notice of the hearing shall be posted
12in at least 20 conspicuous and public places in the eligible
13entity not less than 20 days before the hearing. The notice
14shall state the date, time, and place of the hearing and shall
15describe the proposed promise zone, the details of the promise
16of financial assistance, and the criteria for eligibility to
17receive that financial assistance.
18    (c) If the governing body of the eligible entity intends to
19proceed with the establishment of the promise zone, the
20governing body shall, by ordinance or resolution, establish a
21promise zone.
 
22    Section 15. Promise Zone Authority; creation.
23    (a) If the governing body, by ordinance or resolution,
24establishes the promise zone, the governing body shall, by
25ordinance or resolution, create a Lincoln Promise Zone

 

 

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1Authority.
2    (b) For the City of Rockford and the City of Aurora, an
3Authority shall be under the supervision and control of a Board
4consisting of the mayor and 6 members appointed by the mayor,
5with the advice and consent of the governing body, with 2 of
6the 6 members being educators and 2 of the 6 members being
7community business leaders. With respect to the City of East
8St. Louis, an Authority shall be under the supervision and
9control of a Board consisting of the mayor and (i) 2 members
10who are educators appointed by the State Senator from the 57th
11Legislative District, with the advice and consent of the
12governing body; (ii) 2 members who are community business
13leaders appointed by the State Senator from the 57th
14Legislative District, with the advice and consent of the
15governing body; and (iii) 2 members appointed by the mayor,
16with the advice and consent of the governing body. Each member
17of an Authority shall serve until the Authority is abolished
18under Section 90 of this Act. An appointment to fill a vacancy
19shall be made by the person who made the original appointment,
20with the advice and consent of the governing body. Members of
21the Board shall serve without compensation, but may be
22reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses from funds the
23Authority receives. The Chairperson of the Board shall be
24elected 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
2and be sued in any court of this State. An Authority possesses
3all of the powers necessary to carry out its purpose. The
4enumeration of a power in this Act shall not be construed as a
5limitation upon the general powers of the Authority.
6    (b) The Board may employ and fix the compensation of a
7Director. The Director shall serve at the pleasure of the
8Board. A member of the Board is not eligible to hold the
9position of Director. Before beginning his or her duties, the
10Director shall furnish bond by posting a bond in the sum
11determined in the ordinance or resolution establishing the
12Authority payable to the Authority for use and benefit of the
13Authority, approved by the Board, and filed with the clerk of
14the eligible entity. The premium on the bond shall be
15considered an operating expense of the Authority, payable from
16funds available to the Authority for expenses of operation. The
17Director shall be the chief executive officer of the Authority.
18    (c) Subject to the approval of the Board, the Director
19shall supervise and be responsible for implementing the promise
20zone development plan established under Section 25 of this Act
21and the performance of the functions of the Authority in the
22manner authorized by this Act. The Director shall attend the
23meetings of the Board and shall provide to the Board, the
24governing body, and the chief executive officer of the eligible
25entity a regular report covering the activities and financial
26condition of the Authority. If the Director is absent or

 

 

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1disabled, the Board may designate a qualified person as Acting
2Director to perform the duties of the office.
3    (d) The Board may employ and fix the compensation of a
4Treasurer, who shall keep the financial records of the
5Authority and who, together with the Director, shall approve
6all vouchers for the expenditure of funds of the Authority. The
7Treasurer shall perform all duties delegated to him or her by
8the Board and shall furnish a bond in an amount prescribed by
9the Board.
10    (e) The Board may employ and fix the compensation of a
11Secretary, who shall maintain custody of the official seal and
12of records, books, documents, or other papers not required to
13be maintained by the Treasurer. The Secretary shall attend
14meetings of the Board and keep a record of its proceedings and
15shall perform other duties delegated by the Board.
16    (f) The Board may retain legal counsel to advise the Board
17in the proper performance of its duties.
18    (g) The Board may employ other personnel considered
19necessary 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
18Promise Zone Authority created under Section 15 of this Act
19shall prepare and adopt a promise zone development plan, which
20shall 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
22the review committee established under Section 35 of this Act
23promptly after the plan's adoption. The promise zone
24development plan shall be published on the Internet website of
25the eligible entity that established the promise zone.
 

 

 

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1    Section 30. Deposit and expenditure of moneys received by
2the Authority. Moneys received by the Authority shall
3immediately be deposited to the credit of the Authority,
4subject to disbursement under this Act. The Authority shall not
5expend more than 15% of its proposed annual budget for
6administrative costs.
 
7    Section 35. Review committee.
8    (a) There is created a review committee consisting of the
9following 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.
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
7development plan submitted under Section 25 of this Act, as
8well as the plan's implementation. An Authority must submit
9such information as the review committee may request from time
10to time.
11    (c) The review committee shall report to the General
12Assembly on all aspects of this Act's implementation on or
13before December 31, 2017.
 
14    Section 90. Abolishment of Authority; expiration of Act.
15    (a) An Authority created under this Act is abolished on
16January 31, 2018.
17    (b) This Act is repealed on January 31, 2018.
 
18    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
19becoming law.