HB5325eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB5325 Engrossed LRB095 16783 NHT 42820 b

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section 2-3.148 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/2-3.148 new)

Sec. 2-3.148. Continued Reading Improvement Grant Program.

(a) As used in this Section, "school district" includes those schools designated as laboratory schools.

(b) The State Board of Education is authorized to administer a Continued Reading Improvement Grant Program.

(c) Subject to appropriation, funds for the Continued Reading Improvement Grant Program shall be made available, on a competitive basis, to school districts with students in any of grades 7 through 12 who are reading significantly below grade level, as determined by State assessment information and assessment results.

(d) The State Board of Education may reserve and distribute an amount not to exceed 2% of the moneys appropriated for the Continued Reading Improvement Grant Program for the purpose of developing teacher reading academies and administrator academies that espouse research-based teaching methods and instructional strategies proven to increase adolescent literacy achievement. These funds may also be used to develop and maintain an Internet website for collecting program data and providing assessment and instructional resources germane to the program.

(e) Funds received under a grant may be used for efforts to implement a school or district literacy plan for increased student achievement and reading comprehension, including, but not limited to, the following:

(1) support for students who are reading significantly below grade level;

(2) screening for student identification and formative and summative assessments; and

(3) professional development for reading teachers and administrators.

(f) Notwithstanding any other rulemaking authority that may exist, neither the Governor nor any agency or agency head under the jurisdiction of the Governor has any authority to make or promulgate rules to implement or enforce the provisions of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly. If, however, the Governor believes that rules are necessary to implement or enforce the provisions of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly, the Governor may suggest rules to the General Assembly by filing them with the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate and by requesting that the General Assembly authorize such rulemaking by law, enact those suggested rules into law, or take any other appropriate action in the General Assembly's discretion. Nothing contained in this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly shall be interpreted to grant rulemaking authority under any other Illinois statute where such authority is not otherwise explicitly given. For the purposes of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly, "rules" is given the meaning contained in Section 1-70 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, and "agency" and "agency head" are given the meanings contained in Sections 1-20 and 1-25 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to the extent that such definitions apply to agencies or agency heads under the jurisdiction of the Governor.

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