August 4, 2016

To the Honorable Members of

The Illinois Senate,

99th General Assembly:

Today I return Senate Bill 2204, which would lessen the residency requirements for student members of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.

To be eligible to serve as a student member of the Board of Trustees, a student must be a resident of Illinois. Current law sets out three criteria for demonstrating residency: evidence of the student’s Illinois domicile for at least six months; possession of a current, valid Illinois driver’s license; and registration to vote in Illinois. Senate Bill 2204 would allow a student to demonstrate residency by satisfying only one of these criteria – for example, just living on campus for six months before the election. Therefore, in effect, a non-resident could serve on the Board.

The University of Illinois is public institution supported by Illinois taxpayers, and therefore in-state student representation on its Board of Trustees should be a priority. Student trustees have the authority to influence decisions with lasting effects on the University and Illinois taxpayers, so it is therefore important to ensure that student trustees are residents of Illinois. Senate Bill 2204 goes too far in eroding the residency requirement.

Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return Senate Bill 2204 entitled “AN ACT concerning education”, with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.

Sincerely,

Bruce Rauner
GOVERNOR