Illinois Governor JB Pritzker
The bill, which was one of Gov. Pritzker's top legislative priorities announced in his February State of the State address, failed to advance from the House Higher Education Committee before Friday's deadline for most non-spending bills.
Rep. Katie Stuart, who chairs the committee, declined to call House Bill 3717 for a vote, though she indicated the legislation may still have a path forward this session.
"I don't think around here anything's really ever dead, and I think there's a path forward," Stuart told reporters following last Wednesday's committee hearing.
Stuart, whose district includes Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, expressed specific concerns about how the proposed expansion might affect institutions that primarily serve minority students, such as Northeastern Illinois University and Chicago State University.
"If we're not careful about what programs are allowed, that it could collapse the existing programs in those institutions, collapse their student base, and just make them not able to be operational," Stuart explained. "And then we wouldn't have a four-year institution serving those communities."
This sentiment reflects growing concerns in higher education about maintaining equitable access while expanding educational options, particularly when considering the vital role that historically minority-serving institutions play in providing educational pathways for underrepresented populations.
