SR0819 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0819 LRB103 39762 ECR 70273 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The School Construction Grant Program was established in 1997, when House Bill 452 of the 90th General Assembly of the State of Illinois was signed into law by then-Governor Jim Edgar; and

WHEREAS, When the School Construction Grant Program was being considered, the 90th General Assembly recognized that many school buildings across Illinois needed repair and others needed to be replaced entirely; and

WHEREAS, During that time, some areas in Illinois were experiencing rapid population growth, forcing school districts to build new school buildings to accommodate increased enrollment; and

WHEREAS, The School Construction Grant Program was established to provide the capital funds needed for these school districts to construct and renovate new and existing buildings; and

WHEREAS, The School Construction Grant Task Force was created in 2019 to review the program and make recommendations to modernize the process; and

WHEREAS, The School Construction Grant Task Force's recommendations culminated in House Bill 3637 of the 102nd General Assembly, and this bill not only revised criteria for the program but also recognized that the 2004, 2005, and 2006 School Construction Grant lists had reasonable expectations of funding; and

WHEREAS, There have been many instances where crumbling buildings are still being used by school districts, such as at Lockport Township High School, where a ceiling collapsed in on itself, or in the McHenry Elementary School District, where a large piece of cement crashed through the ceiling of a classroom; and

WHEREAS, While no one was hurt in either of these unfortunate incidents, Illinois cannot wait for such an event to become a reality; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we acknowledge the need to fund the School Construction Grant Program to bolster the school infrastructure of Illinois while also providing for schools most in need and ensuring our State's students and school personnel are able to learn and work in safe, stable structures.