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91_SB0653ren
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1 AN ACT concerning higher education, amending a named Act.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act
5 is amended by changing Sections 37, 50, 52, 55, and 60 and
6 adding Section 113 as follows:
7 (110 ILCS 947/37)
8 Sec. 37. Higher education license plate grant program.
9 (a) Each year, the Illinois Student Assistance
10 Commission shall receive a separate appropriation for the
11 purpose of providing grant assistance to students enrolled at
12 Illinois private colleges and universities. Subject to a
13 separate appropriation for such purposes, an applicant is
14 eligible for a grant to a degree-granting, not-for-profit
15 private college or university located in this State under
16 this Section when the institution Commission finds that the
17 applicant:
18 (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or
19 permanent resident of the United States; and
20 (2) in the absence of grant assistance, will be
21 deterred by financial considerations from completing an
22 educational program at the qualified institution of his
23 or her choice.
24 (b) The private college or university shall award
25 renewals only upon the student's application and upon the
26 institution's finding that the applicant:
27 (1) has remained a student in good standing at a
28 degree-granting, not-for-profit private college or
29 university located in this State;
30 (2) remains a resident of this State; and
31 (3) is in a financial situation that continues to
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1 warrant assistance.
2 (c) All grants shall be applicable only to tuition and
3 necessary fee costs for 2 semesters or 3 quarters in an
4 academic year. Requests for summer term assistance must be
5 made separately and shall be considered on an individual
6 basis according to Commission policy. The institution shall
7 determine the grant amount for each full-time and part-time
8 student, which shall be the smallest of the following
9 amounts:
10 (1) $2,000 for 2 semesters or 3 quarters of
11 full-time undergraduate enrollment or $1,000 for 2
12 semesters or 3 quarters of part-time undergraduate
13 enrollment, or such lesser amount as the institution
14 Commission finds to be available; or
15 (2) the amount that equals the tuition and other
16 necessary fees for 2 semesters or 3 quarters required
17 generally by the institution of all full-time
18 undergraduate students, or in the case of part-time
19 students an amount of tuition and fees for 2 semesters or
20 3 quarters that does not exceed one-half the amount of
21 tuition and necessary fees generally charged to full-time
22 undergraduate students by the institution; or
23 (3) such amount as the institution finds to be
24 appropriate in view of the applicant's financial
25 resources.
26 "Tuition and other necessary fees" as used in this Section
27 includes the customary charge for instruction and use of
28 facilities in general, and the additional fixed fees charged
29 for specified purposes, which are required generally of
30 nongrant recipients for each academic period for which the
31 grant applicant actually enrolls, but does not include fees
32 payable only once or breakage fees and other contingent
33 deposits that are refundable in whole or in part. The
34 Commission may prescribe, by rule not inconsistent with this
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1 Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of
2 tuition and other necessary fees.
3 (d) No applicant, including those presently receiving
4 scholarship assistance under this Act, is eligible for grant
5 program consideration under this Section after receiving a
6 baccalaureate degree or the equivalent of 10 semesters or 15
7 quarters of award payments. The institution shall determine
8 when award payments for part-time enrollment or interim or
9 summer terms shall be counted as a partial semester or
10 quarter of payment.
11 (e) The Commission shall ensure that in each school year
12 the total amount of grants awarded under this Section for
13 study at each degree-granting, not-for-profit private college
14 or university in this State shall be at least equal to the
15 total amount deposited into the University Grant Fund from
16 the issuance or renewal of license plates bearing the name of
17 that degree-granting, not-for-profit private college or
18 university during the calendar year preceding the calendar
19 year in which the school year begins.
20 The institution shall notify applicants that grant
21 assistance is contingent upon the availability of
22 appropriated funds.
23 (Source: P.A. 89-424, eff. 6-1-96; 90-278, eff. 7-31-97.)
24 (110 ILCS 947/50)
25 Sec. 50. Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship
26 program.
27 (a) As used in this Section:
28 "Eligible applicant" means a minority student who
29 has graduated from high school or has received a General
30 Educational Development Certification and has maintained
31 a cumulative grade point average at the postsecondary
32 level of no less than 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, and who by
33 reason thereof is entitled to apply for scholarships to
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1 be awarded under this Section.
2 "Minority student" means a student who is either (i)
3 Black (a person having origins in any of the black racial
4 groups in Africa); (ii) Hispanic (a person of Spanish or
5 Portuguese culture with origins in Mexico, South or
6 Central America, or the Caribbean islands, regardless of
7 race); (iii) Asian American (a person with origins in any
8 of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia,
9 the Indian subcontinent, including Pakistan, and the
10 Pacific Islands, including, among others, Hawaii,
11 Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia); or (iv) Native
12 American (a person who is a member of a federally or
13 state recognized Indian tribe, or whose parents or
14 grandparents have such membership) and to include the
15 native people of Alaska.
16 "Qualified student" means a person (i) who is a
17 resident of this State and a citizen or permanent
18 resident of the United States; (ii) who is a minority
19 student, as defined in this Section; (iii) who, as an
20 eligible applicant, has made a timely application for a
21 minority teaching scholarship under this Section; (iv)
22 who is enrolled on a full time basis at the sophomore
23 level or above until his or her last semester at a
24 qualified Illinois institution of higher learning as an
25 undergraduate student and has not received a
26 baccalaureate degree, except that last semester seniors
27 must enroll only for a minimum of 6 credit hours in order
28 to retain minority scholarship eligibility under this
29 Section; (v) who is enrolled in a course of study leading
30 to teacher certification; (vi) who maintains a grade
31 point average of no less than 2.5 on a 4.0 scale while
32 enrolled at the postsecondary level; and (vii) who
33 continues to advance satisfactorily toward the attainment
34 of a degree.
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1 (b) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois
2 minority students to pursue teaching careers at the
3 elementary or secondary school level, each qualified student
4 shall be awarded a minority teacher scholarship to any
5 qualified Illinois institution of higher learning.
6 (c) Each minority teacher scholarship awarded under this
7 Section shall be in an amount sufficient to pay the tuition
8 and fees and room and board costs of the qualified Illinois
9 institution of higher learning at which the recipient is
10 enrolled, up to an annual maximum of $5,000; except that in
11 the case of a recipient who does not reside on-campus at the
12 institution at which he or she is enrolled, the amount of the
13 scholarship shall be sufficient to pay tuition and fee
14 expenses and a commuter allowance, up to an annual maximum of
15 $5,000.
16 (d) The total amount of minority teacher scholarship
17 assistance awarded by the Commission under this Section to an
18 individual in any given fiscal year, when added to other
19 financial assistance awarded to that individual for that
20 year, shall not exceed the cost of attendance at the
21 institution at which the student is enrolled. If the amount
22 of minority teacher scholarship to be awarded to a qualified
23 student as provided in subsection (c) of this Section exceeds
24 the cost of attendance at the institution at which the
25 student is enrolled, the minority teacher scholarship shall
26 be reduced by an amount equal to the amount by which the
27 combined financial assistance available to the student
28 exceeds the cost of attendance.
29 (e) The maximum number of academic terms years for which
30 a qualified student can receive minority teacher scholarship
31 assistance shall be 8 semesters or 12 quarters 4 years of
32 undergraduate study.
33 (f) In any academic year for which an eligible applicant
34 under this Section accepts financial assistance through the
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1 Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarship Program, as authorized by
2 Section 551 et seq. of the Higher Education Act of 1965, the
3 applicant shall not be eligible for scholarship assistance
4 awarded under this Section.
5 (g) All applications for minority teacher scholarships
6 to be awarded under this Section shall be made to the
7 Commission on forms which the Commission shall provide for
8 eligible applicants. The form of applications and the
9 information required to be set forth therein shall be
10 determined by the Commission, and the Commission shall
11 require eligible applicants to submit with their applications
12 such supporting documents or recommendations as the
13 Commission deems necessary.
14 (h) Subject to a separate appropriation for such
15 purposes, payment of any minority teacher scholarship awarded
16 under this Section shall be determined by the Commission.
17 All scholarship funds distributed in accordance with this
18 subsection shall be paid to the institution and used only for
19 payment of the tuition and fee and room and board expenses
20 incurred by the student in connection with his or her
21 attendance as an undergraduate student at a qualified
22 Illinois institution of higher learning. Any minority
23 teacher scholarship awarded under this Section shall be
24 applicable to 2 semesters or 3 quarters of enrollment. If a
25 qualified student withdraws from enrollment prior to
26 completion of the first semester or quarter for which the
27 minority teacher scholarship is applicable, the school shall
28 refund to the Commission the full amount of the minority
29 teacher scholarship.
30 (i) The Commission shall administer the minority teacher
31 scholarship aid program established by this Section and shall
32 make all necessary and proper rules not inconsistent with
33 this Section for its effective implementation.
34 (j) When an appropriation to the Commission for a given
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1 fiscal year is insufficient to provide scholarships to all
2 qualified students, the Commission shall allocate the
3 appropriation in accordance with this subsection. If funds
4 are insufficient to provide all qualified students with a
5 scholarship as authorized by this Section, the Commission
6 shall allocate the available scholarship funds for that
7 fiscal year on the basis of the date the Commission receives
8 a complete application form.
9 (k) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (j) or
10 any other provision of this Section, at least 30% of the
11 funds appropriated for scholarships awarded under this
12 Section in each fiscal year shall be reserved for qualified
13 male minority applicants.
14 (l) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any
15 academic year, each recipient of a minority teacher
16 scholarship awarded under this Section shall be required by
17 the Commission to sign an agreement under which the recipient
18 pledges that, within the 5 10 year period following the
19 termination of the undergraduate program for which the
20 recipient was awarded a minority teacher scholarship, the
21 recipient (i) shall teach for a period of not less than one
22 year for each year of scholarship assistance he or she was
23 awarded under this Section; and (ii) shall fulfill this
24 teaching obligation at a nonprofit Illinois public, private,
25 or parochial preschool, elementary school, or secondary
26 school at which no less than 30% of the enrolled students are
27 minority students in the year during which the recipient
28 begins teaching at the school; and (iii) shall, upon request
29 by the Commission, provide the Commission with evidence that
30 he or she is fulfilling or has fulfilled the terms of the
31 teaching agreement provided for in this subsection.
32 (m) If a recipient of a minority teacher scholarship
33 awarded under this Section fails to fulfill the teaching
34 obligation set forth in subsection (l) of this Section, the
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1 Commission shall require the recipient to repay the amount of
2 the scholarships received, prorated according to the fraction
3 of the teaching obligation not completed, at a rate of
4 interest equal to 5% that defined under subpart E of Part 653
5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and if applicable,
6 reasonable collection fees. The Commission is authorized to
7 establish rules relating to its collection activities for
8 repayment of scholarships under this Section. All repayments
9 collected under this Section shall be forwarded to the State
10 Comptroller for deposit into the State's General Revenue
11 Fund.
12 (n) A recipient of minority teacher scholarship shall
13 not be considered in violation of the agreement entered into
14 pursuant to subsection (l) if the recipient (i) enrolls on a
15 full time basis as a graduate student in a course of study
16 related to the field of teaching at a qualified Illinois
17 institution of higher learning; (ii) is serving, not in
18 excess of 3 years, as a member of the armed services of the
19 United States; (iii) is temporarily totally disabled for a
20 period of time not to exceed 3 years as established by sworn
21 affidavit of a qualified physician; (iv) is seeking and
22 unable to find full time employment as a teacher at an
23 Illinois public, private, or parochial preschool or
24 elementary or secondary school that satisfies the criteria
25 set forth in subsection (l) of this Section and is able to
26 provide evidence of that fact; or, (v) becomes permanently
27 totally disabled as established by sworn affidavit of a
28 qualified physician.
29 (o) Scholarship recipients under this Section who
30 withdraw from the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship
31 program but remain enrolled in school to continue their
32 postsecondary studies in another academic discipline shall
33 not be required to commence repayment of their Minority
34 Teachers of Illinois scholarship so long as they remain
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1 enrolled in school on a full-time basis or if they can
2 document for the Commission special circumstances that
3 warrant extension of repayment.
4 (Source: P.A. 87-302; 87-920; 87-997; 87-1004; 88-45;
5 88-231.)
6 (110 ILCS 947/52)
7 Sec. 52. David A. DeBolt Teacher Shortage Scholarship
8 Program.
9 (a) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois
10 students, especially minority students, to pursue teaching
11 careers in teacher shortage disciplines, the Commission
12 shall, each year, receive and consider applications for
13 scholarship assistance under this Section. An applicant is
14 eligible for a scholarship under this Section when the
15 Commission finds that the applicant is:
16 (1) a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen;
17 (2) a resident of Illinois;
18 (3) a high school graduate or a person who has
19 received a General Educational Development Certificate;
20 (4) enrolled or accepted for enrollment, on at
21 least a half-time basis at the sophomore level or above,
22 at an Illinois institution of higher learning; and
23 (5) pursuing a postsecondary course of study
24 leading to initial certification in a teacher shortage
25 discipline or pursuing additional course work needed to
26 gain State Board of Education approval to teach in an
27 approved specialized area in which a teacher shortage
28 exists.
29 (b) Recipients shall be selected from among applicants
30 qualified pursuant to subsection (a) based on a combination
31 of the following criteria as set forth by the Commission: (1)
32 academic excellence; (2) status as a minority student as
33 defined in Section 50; and (3) financial need. Preference
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1 may be given to previous recipients of assistance under this
2 Section, provided they continue to maintain eligibility and
3 maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by the
4 institution of higher learning at which they enroll.
5 (c) Each scholarship awarded under this Section shall be
6 in an amount sufficient to pay the tuition and fees and room
7 and board costs of the Illinois institution of higher
8 learning at which the recipient is enrolled, up to an annual
9 maximum of $5,000; except that in the case of a recipient who
10 does not reside on-campus at the institution of higher
11 learning at which he or she is enrolled, the amount of the
12 scholarship shall be sufficient to pay tuition and fee
13 expenses and a commuter allowance, up to an annual maximum of
14 $5,000.
15 (d) The total amount of scholarship assistance awarded
16 by the Commission under this Section to an individual in any
17 given fiscal year, when added to other financial assistance
18 awarded to that individual for that year, shall not exceed
19 the cost of attendance at the institution of higher learning
20 at which the student is enrolled.
21 (e) A recipient may receive up to 8 semesters or 12
22 quarters of scholarship assistance under this Section.
23 (f) All applications for scholarship assistance to be
24 awarded under this Section shall be made to the Commission in
25 a form as set forth by the Commission. The form of
26 application and the information required to be set forth
27 therein shall be determined by the Commission, and the
28 Commission shall require eligible applicants to submit with
29 their applications such supporting documents as the
30 Commission deems necessary.
31 (g) Subject to a separate appropriation made for such
32 purposes, payment of any scholarship awarded under this
33 Section shall be determined by the Commission. All
34 scholarship funds distributed in accordance with this Section
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1 shall be paid to the institution on behalf of the recipients.
2 Scholarship funds are applicable toward 2 semesters or 3
3 quarters of enrollment within an academic year.
4 (h) The Commission shall administer the David A. DeBolt
5 Teacher Shortage Scholarship Program established by this
6 Section and shall make all necessary and proper rules not
7 inconsistent with this Section for its effective
8 implementation.
9 (i) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any
10 academic year, each recipient of a scholarship awarded under
11 this Section shall be required by the Commission to sign an
12 agreement under which the recipient pledges that, within the
13 5 year period following the termination of the academic
14 program for which the recipient was awarded a scholarship,
15 the recipient: (i) shall teach in a teacher shortage
16 discipline for a period of not less than one year for each
17 year of scholarship assistance awarded under this Section,
18 (ii) shall fulfill this teaching obligation at an Illinois
19 public, private, or parochial preschool or elementary or
20 secondary school, and (iii) shall, upon request of the
21 Commission, provide the Commission with evidence that he or
22 she is fulfilling or has fulfilled the terms of the teaching
23 agreement provided for in this subsection.
24 (j) If a recipient of a scholarship awarded under this
25 Section fails to fulfill the teaching obligation set forth in
26 subsection (i) of this Section, the Commission shall require
27 the recipient to repay the amount of the scholarships
28 received, prorated according to the fraction of the teaching
29 obligation not completed, plus interest at a rate no greater
30 than the highest rate applicable for educational loans made
31 pursuant to Title IV, Part B of the Higher Education Act of
32 1965, as amended, and if applicable, reasonable collection
33 fees. The Commission is authorized to establish rules
34 relating to its collection activities for repayment of
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1 scholarships under this Section.
2 (k) A recipient of a scholarship awarded by the
3 Commission under this Section shall not be in violation of
4 the agreement entered into pursuant to subsection (i) if the
5 recipient (i) enrolls on a full-time basis as a graduate
6 student in a course of study related to the field of teaching
7 at an institution of higher learning; (ii) is serving as a
8 member of the armed services of the United States; (iii) is
9 temporarily totally disabled, as established by sworn
10 affidavit of a qualified physician; or (iv) is seeking and
11 unable to find full-time employment as a teacher at a school
12 that satisfies the criteria set forth in subsection (i) and
13 is able to provide evidence of that fact. Any such extension
14 of the period during which the teaching requirement must be
15 fulfilled shall be subject to limitations of duration as
16 established by the Commission.
17 (Source: P.A. 90-201, eff. 7-24-97.)
18 (110 ILCS 947/55)
19 Sec. 55. Police officer or fire officer survivor grant.
20 Grants shall be provided for any spouse, natural child,
21 legally adopted child, or child in the legal custody of
22 police officers and fire officers killed or permanently
23 disabled with 90% to 100% disability in the line of duty
24 while employed by, or in the voluntary service of, this State
25 or any local public entity in this State. Beneficiaries need
26 not be Illinois residents at the time of enrollment in order
27 to receive this grant. Beneficiaries are entitled to 8
28 semesters or 12 quarters of full payment of tuition and
29 mandatory fees at any State-sponsored Illinois institution of
30 higher learning for either full or part-time study, or the
31 equivalent of 8 semesters or 12 quarters of payment of
32 tuition and mandatory fees at the rate established by the
33 Commission for private institutions in the State of Illinois,
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1 provided the recipient is maintaining satisfactory academic
2 progress. This benefit may be used for undergraduate or
3 graduate study. The benefits of this Section shall be
4 administered by and paid out of funds available to the
5 Commission and shall accrue to the bona fide applicant
6 without the requirement of demonstrating financial need to
7 qualify for those benefits.
8 (Source: P.A. 89-430, eff. 12-15-95.)
9 (110 ILCS 947/60)
10 Sec. 60. Grants for dependents of Department of
11 Corrections employees killed or permanently disabled in the
12 line of duty. Any spouse, natural child, legally adopted
13 child, or child in the legal custody of an employee of the
14 Department of Corrections who is assigned to a security
15 position with the Department with responsibility for inmates
16 of any correctional institution under the jurisdiction of the
17 Department and who is killed or permanently disabled with 90%
18 to 100% disability in the line of duty is entitled to 8
19 semesters or 12 quarters of full payment of tuition and
20 mandatory fees at any State-supported Illinois institution of
21 higher learning for either full or part-time study, or the
22 equivalent of 8 semesters or 12 quarters of payment of
23 tuition and mandatory fees at the rate established by the
24 Commission for private institutions in the State of Illinois,
25 provided the recipient is maintaining satisfactory academic
26 progress. This benefit may be used for undergraduate or
27 graduate study. Beneficiaries need not be Illinois residents
28 at the time of enrollment in order to receive this grant. The
29 benefits of this Section shall be administered by and paid
30 out of funds available to the Commission and shall accrue to
31 the bona fide applicant without the requirement of
32 demonstrating financial need to qualify for those benefits.
33 (Source: P.A. 89-430, eff. 12-15-95.)
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1 (110 ILCS 947/113 new)
2 Sec. 113. Federal Student Loan Fund; Student Loan
3 Operating Fund; Federal Reserve Recall Fund. The Commission
4 shall create the Federal Student Loan Fund, the Student Loan
5 Operating Fund, and the Federal Reserve Recall Fund. At the
6 request of the Commission's Executive Director, the
7 Comptroller shall transfer funds, as necessary, from the
8 Student Assistance Commission Student Loan Fund into the
9 Federal Student Loan Fund, the Student Loan Operating Fund,
10 and the Federal Reserve Recall Fund. On or before August 31,
11 2000, the Commission's Executive Director shall request the
12 Comptroller to transfer all funds from the Student Assistance
13 Commission Student Loan Fund into any of the following funds:
14 the Federal Student Loan Fund, the Student Loan Operating
15 Fund, or the Federal Reserve Recall Fund. On September 1,
16 2000, the Student Assistance Commission Student Loan Fund is
17 abolished. Any future liabilities of this abolished fund
18 shall be assignable to the appropriate fund created as one of
19 its successors.
20 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July
21 1, 1999.
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