Legislative (In)Action on Key Bills for Community Colleges

As the 104th General Assembly concluded its spring session last week, it considered several key bills affecting higher education, particularly community colleges. We previously covered House Bill 1859, which would restrict community college use of artificial intelligence in the classroom and has now passed both chambers. Here, we highlight five additional bills focused on expanding student access to bachelor’s degrees—either at community colleges or through transfers to state universities—and improving student well-being through mental health support and medication access. Although the proposal to allow community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees did not pass, the other bills are headed to Governor J.B. Pritzker and could have significant implications for community college administrators planning for the upcoming year.

SB 1988 – Community College Baccalaureate Degrees

Despite strong support from Governor Pritzker, successful negotiations with state universities, and last-minute legislative maneuvering, the Illinois Senate declined to call this Senate Bill 1988 for a vote in the final week of the spring session. The legislation would have amended the Illinois Public Community College Act to authorize community colleges to offer baccalaureate degree programs, affording access to higher education in areas of need for both students and industries in need of a steady supply of graduates. The bill would have allowed community college districts meeting specified conditions and receiving approval from the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) to offer a baccalaureate degree program and confer bachelor’s degrees. In addition to satisfying certain tuition cap provisions and annual reporting requirements, interested community colleges would have been required to submit an application that would allow ICCB to conduct a statewide evaluation of the value of community college baccalaureate degree programs by requiring applicants to provide:

• Demonstration of labor market need for the program.
• Evidence that the program will not unnecessarily duplicate existing degree programs in the local area.
• Description of the program’s purpose, target population, related occupations, and career paths.
• Demonstration that the program builds upon existing associate degree programs and prepares graduates for professional and technical employment.
• Development of quality curricula aligned with federal, state, and local requirements.
• Evidence of student demand for the program.
• Verification of fiscal resources to support the program.
• Identification and documentation of qualified faculty.

The bill would also limit how many programs each college could establish, with additional limitations on the numbers of programs based on region and subject area. We will continue to monitor this bill and any similar efforts in future legislative sessions.

HB 3385 – Minimum Mental Health Professionals

House Bill 3385 passed both chambers and will be heading to Governor Pritzker’s desk for approval. If it becomes law, it will amend the Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act by mandating a minimum number of licensed mental health professionals be available on campus or through off-campus services, instead of stating that colleges must “attempt to meet” the benchmark ratio of providers to students. Moreover, the proposed amendments would specify that each board of trustees must include at least two (2) administrators, two (2) members of faculty, and one (1) mental health professional on the expert panel that is already required by the Act to carry out board responsibilities, including the development and implementation of policies and procedures to identify students in need of mental health services and ensure related resources and training are available. If enacted, these changes would require community colleges to assess staffing and service ratios mandated by the Act, to form or reconstitute mental health advisory panels to meet more specific mandates of the Act, and to ensure services offered by community colleges satisfy the updated requirements.

HB 3522 – Public University Direct Admission Program

Legislators intended that House Bill 3522 establish a statewide direct admission system for eligible high school students, resulting in a streamlined process for entry of students into Illinois universities and colleges. On May 30, 2025, just prior to the close of the spring legislative session and the day when the bill passed both legislative chambers, Governor Pritzker announced that he looked forward to signing the bill when it reached his desk.

Although the bill is designed to focus on admission into state universities, it will likely impact community college students and institutions, as it is intended to remove barriers to university application for eligible students, many of whom view community colleges as a more accessible path to postsecondary success. The bill will create the Public University Direct Admission Program Act to ensure that every eligible high school junior and senior in Illinois will receive an offer to an Illinois institution of higher education. It will also require the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), in collaboration with the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), to establish a direct admission program using data collected from Illinois school districts and colleges to determine student eligibility for enrollment and transfer into postsecondary institutions across the state.

Notifications resulting from the initiative about direct admission to a public university would also alert students that they had also been accepted to their local community college. In connection with the direct admission program, community colleges under the Act will be required to provide student directory information, transferable credit hours, and cumulative grade point averages to ICCB by July 1 of each year, after obtaining necessary consents, to facilitate offers to public universities. An outreach campaign headed by IBHE and ISAC will use direct admissions data from school districts to encourage high school juniors and seniors to apply to University of Illinois at Chicago and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  

HB 3709 – Contraception and Medication Abortion

The General Assembly also passed House Bill 3709, which would amend the Public Higher Education Act to address reproductive healthcare services at all public institutions of higher education by requiring enrolled students to have access to health care professionals authorized under State law to prescribe contraception in addition to other mandates. The legislation, if signed into law, would also require community colleges and other postsecondary institutions to provide access to health care professionals authorized to prescribe medication abortion or, for those institutions with a pharmacy on campus, dispense contraception and medication abortion to enrolled students. Services can be provided through student health services, telehealth services, or other licensed providers.

SB 1958 – Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act Amendment

Finally, Senate Bill 1958 is headed toward Governor Pritzker’s desk. If signed into law, it would amend the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act (“STAR Act”).  Specifically, the STAR Act would facilitate a pathway for students from community colleges to state universities by ensuring their credit is appropriately recognized at a receiving postsecondary institution. Previously, the STAR Act only encouraged state universities to do so. However, the amendment would require recognition. Further, the Act would require both state universities and community college districts to provide a seamless pathway for students interested in transferring through a transfer articulation agreement at the request of either institution. If institutions cannot reach agreement on a transfer articulation agreement within 180 days of an initial request, IBHE and ICCB will jointly assist the parties with reaching an agreement. Aside from agreeing to the terms of articulation, each community college would be required to publish its process and timeline for reviewing and making transfer credit decisions. For any questions about the potential impacts of these bills or other relevant legislation on your institution, please contact your Robbins Schwartz attorney.