SB0888sam005 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Sen. Andy Manar

Filed: 4/10/2018

10000SB0888sam005 LRB100 09588 AXK 37610 a

AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 888

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 888, AS AMENDED, by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The Public Community College Act is amended by adding Section 3-80 as follows:

(110 ILCS 805/3-80 new)

Sec. 3-80. Baccalaureate degree in nursing program.

(a) A board of trustees may establish and offer a baccalaureate-level nursing education program, commonly referred to as a baccalaureate completion program (RN to BSN), and confer a bachelor of science degree in nursing if all of the following conditions are met:

(1) The board meets all of the requirements as set forth in subsection (b) of this Section and has been approved by the State Board to offer a bachelor of science degree in nursing.

(2) After the program has been approved by the State Board, the Board of Higher Education shall consider the program for approval in a manner consistent with new bachelor's degree programs at public and private universities in this State.

(3) The board has been approved by the Division of Professional Regulation of the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, as provided under the Nurse Practice Act, to offer a bachelor of science degree in nursing.

(4) The board has identified and documented, in writing, unmet workforce needs in the subject area of the baccalaureate degree to be offered. The board shall publish on its website and make publicly available the documentation and shall present the documentation to the State Board.

(5) The community college shall hold a national professional nursing accreditation or have applied for the accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, or the Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation.

(6) The community college district shall offer and maintain an associate degree in nursing.

(7) With respect to a community college district to which Article VII of this Act applies, the board must demonstrate, in writing, how the district will enhance future opportunities for minority and bilingual populations by focusing outreach efforts and giving preference to those students in order to meet workforce needs.

(b) The board shall demonstrate that the district has the expertise, resources, and student interest to offer a quality bachelor of science degree in nursing. An application for approval from the State Board shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:

(1) The board shall describe the labor market need as specified in paragraph (4) of subsection (a) of this Section.

(2) The board shall describe the program's purpose, its target population, related occupations, and career paths.

(3) The board shall demonstrate the college has developed quality curricula that aligns with federal, State, and local requirements and will prepare graduates with the appropriate level of skill to meet their educational goals.

(4) The board shall verify the college has the fiscal resources in place or has budgeted for financial support for the program in a cost-effective manner.

(5) The board shall identify and document the faculty available for teaching the program, including the number of full-time faculty anticipated to teach in the program, a description of their qualifications (including highest degree earned), teaching experience, professional experience, and licenses held. The board must also indicate how faculty are to be evaluated.

(c) Community college districts shall be prohibited from using semester credit hours generated in baccalaureate degree programs for grants received pursuant to Section 2-16.02 of this Act.

(d) The State Board shall conduct a statewide evaluation of all nursing programs established under this Section. The results of the evaluation shall be reported, in writing, on or before July 1, 2023 to all of the following:

(1) The Board of Higher Education.

(2) The Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(3) The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

(4) The President of the Senate.

(5) The Minority Leader of the Senate.

(6) The Governor's Office of Management and Budget.

The evaluation shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:

(i) The number of new programs established under this Section, including information identifying applicants, admissions, enrollments, demographic characteristics of students, and degree recipients.

(ii) The extent to which the programs established under this Section fulfill identified workforce needs.

(iii) Information on the pace of employment of students and the subsequent job placement of graduates.

(iv) Which districts applied for a bachelor's degree in nursing program but were denied and why were they denied.

(v) The cost of each bachelor's degree in nursing program and the funding sources that were used to finance these programs.

(vi) Time-to-degree rates and completion rates for each new program established under this Section.

(vii) The extent to which the programs established under this Section are in compliance with the requirements of this Section.

Boards of trustees shall submit the information necessary to conduct the evaluation required under this subsection (d), as determined by the evaluators, to the State Board.".