NIU Today

Presidents and chancellors of public universities in the State of Illinois sent letters Thursday, May 3, to Gov. Pat Quinn as well as Illinois General Assembly leaders Michael Madigan, John Cullerton, Christine Radogno and Tom Cross. The letters outlined a statement of 10 objectives for stabilization of the State Universities Retirement System that is fair...

Members of the Illinois House Executive Committee have approved SB 1313, which will move the legislation to the House floor for consideration. House Amendment 6 was filed on the bill last week, with House Speaker Michael Madigan picking up sponsorship. This amendment would do away with a state statute that has guaranteed government subsidies for...

In Springfield … The majority of activity in both the Illinois Senate and Illinois House of Representatives last week and again this week will involve trying to move substantive bills through committees The deadline to get bills out of committee is Friday, May 4. House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 49 (HJRCA 49), sponsored by Speaker...

In Springfield … Last week, Gov. Pat Quinn released his plan for cutting the FY2013 Illinois Medicaid program by approximately $2.7 billion, the level of reductions he believes are needed to stabilize the Medicaid system in Illinois and prevent its collapse. There are three components to the governor’s plan: $2 billion (75 percent) reductions, a $1...

In Springfield … The Illinois General Assembly returns this week from a two-week spring break. Lawmakers are now scheduled in weekly until they are expected to convene by May 31. If they go past this deadline, a super-majority is required to pass any bill. Members of the Governor’s Work Group on Pension Reform is scheduled to...

A bill in the Illinois General Assembly that sought to take away the 50 percent tuition discount that Illinois’ public universities currently offer their employees fell well short of the 60 votes it needed to pass a vote of the house. The bill, HB 5531, sponsored by Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago), would have amended various...

In Springfield … The Illinois primary elections were held Tuesday, March 20. The elections results can be found on the Illinois Board of Elections website. The Illinois General Assembly was in session Wednesday through Friday of last week. Members of the House of Representatives approved HB 3810 (vote: 95 yes, 25 no, 2 present), introduced by...

Just like the early onset of summer-like weather and temperatures, the suspension of 2012-13 MAP Grant processing has arrived sooner than anyone expected. Administrators in NIU’s Student Financial Aid Office alerted all undergraduates via email Wednesday, March 14, that the prospect of a suspension was imminent. The email urged students who had not filed the...

In Springfield … Friday, March 9, was the deadline to get substantive bills reported out of committees in the chamber of origin, so it was a very busy week. On March 6, House Bill 5745, sponsored by Rep. Brandon Phelps, passed out of the House Agriculture & Conservation Committee. This bill would allow for concealed-carry in...

NIU will host a town hall-style meeting at 1:30 p.m. today in the Carl Sandburg Auditorium of the Holmes Student Center. At that meeting, NIU President John G. Peters and Steve Cunningham, vice president for Administration and Human Resources, will present an overview of the current situation including a brief history, implications for SURS and...

In Springfield … The Illinois General Assembly faces some upcoming deadlines on when substantive bills must be out of their chamber of origin, so last week was very busy and this week promises to be even more hectic. Last week, House Bill 5531, sponsored by Rep. Luis Arroyo, was passed out of the House Executive...

NIU President John G. Peters emailed this message to the campus Wednesday, Feb. 29. Colleagues, As part of our ongoing efforts to provide you with timely information regarding proposed changes to our pension plans, the university will host a town hall-style meeting at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 7, in the Carl Sandburg Auditorium of the...