98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
HB4463

 

Introduced , by Rep. Renée Kosel

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
110 ILCS 947/35

    Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, by rule, to determine standards for awarding Monetary Award Program grants and renewals based on financial need and academic qualifications. Provides that these rules must be adopted on or before January 1, 2015. Makes related changes concerning the eligibility of applicants. Provides that if grant assistance covers the cost of a course at an institution of higher learning and the student withdraws from or otherwise fails to complete the course prior to the end of the course, then the Commission shall proportionally reduce the amount of the grant awarded to the student or the Commission shall require the student to repay an equivalent amount to the Commission. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is
5amended by changing Section 35 as follows:
 
6    (110 ILCS 947/35)
7    Sec. 35. Monetary award program.
8    (a) The Commission shall, each year, receive and consider
9applications for grant assistance under this Section. Subject
10to a separate appropriation for such purposes, an applicant is
11eligible for a grant under this Section when the Commission
12finds that the applicant:
13        (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or
14    permanent resident of the United States; and
15        (2) in the absence of grant assistance, will be
16    deterred by financial considerations from completing an
17    educational program at the qualified institution of his or
18    her choice, in accordance with standards adopted under
19    subsection (b-5) of this Section; and .
20        (3) meets those academic qualifications adopted by
21    rule under subsection (b-5) of this Section.
22    (b) The Commission shall award renewals only upon the
23student's application and upon the Commission's finding that

 

 

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1the applicant:
2        (1) has remained a student in good standing and meets
3    those academic qualifications adopted by rule under
4    subsection (b-5) of this Section;
5        (2) remains a resident of this State; and
6        (3) is in a financial situation that continues to
7    warrant assistance, in accordance with standards adopted
8    under subsection (b-5) of this Section.
9    (b-5) The Commission shall, by rule, determine standards
10for awarding grants and renewals based on financial need and
11academic qualifications. These rules must be adopted on or
12before January 1, 2015.
13    (c) All grants shall be applicable only to tuition and
14necessary fee costs. The Commission shall determine the grant
15amount for each student, which shall not exceed the smallest of
16the following amounts:
17        (1) subject to appropriation, $5,468 for fiscal year
18    2009, $5,968 for fiscal year 2010, and $6,468 for fiscal
19    year 2011 and each fiscal year thereafter, or such lesser
20    amount as the Commission finds to be available, during an
21    academic year;
22        (2) the amount which equals 2 semesters or 3 quarters
23    tuition and other necessary fees required generally by the
24    institution of all full-time undergraduate students; or
25        (3) such amount as the Commission finds to be
26    appropriate in view of the applicant's financial

 

 

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1    resources.
2    Subject to appropriation, the maximum grant amount for
3students not subject to subdivision (1) of this subsection (c)
4must be increased by the same percentage as any increase made
5by law to the maximum grant amount under subdivision (1) of
6this subsection (c).
7    "Tuition and other necessary fees" as used in this Section
8include the customary charge for instruction and use of
9facilities in general, and the additional fixed fees charged
10for specified purposes, which are required generally of
11nongrant recipients for each academic period for which the
12grant applicant actually enrolls, but do not include fees
13payable only once or breakage fees and other contingent
14deposits which are refundable in whole or in part. The
15Commission may prescribe, by rule not inconsistent with this
16Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of
17tuition and other necessary fees.
18    (d) No applicant, including those presently receiving
19scholarship assistance under this Act, is eligible for monetary
20award program consideration under this Act after receiving a
21baccalaureate degree or the equivalent of 135 semester credit
22hours of award payments.
23    If grant assistance under this Section covers the cost of a
24course at an institution of higher learning and the student
25withdraws from or otherwise fails to complete the course prior
26to the end of the course, then the Commission shall

 

 

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1proportionally reduce the amount of the grant awarded to the
2student or the Commission shall require the student to repay an
3equivalent amount to the Commission.
4    (e) The Commission, in determining the number of grants to
5be offered, shall take into consideration past experience with
6the rate of grant funds unclaimed by recipients. The Commission
7shall notify applicants that grant assistance is contingent
8upon the availability of appropriated funds.
9    (f) The Commission may request appropriations for deposit
10into the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund. Monies deposited
11into the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund may be expended
12exclusively for one purpose: to make Monetary Award Program
13grants to eligible students. Amounts on deposit in the Monetary
14Award Program Reserve Fund may not exceed 2% of the current
15annual State appropriation for the Monetary Award Program.
16    The purpose of the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund is
17to enable the Commission each year to assure as many students
18as possible of their eligibility for a Monetary Award Program
19grant and to do so before commencement of the academic year.
20Moneys deposited in this Reserve Fund are intended to enhance
21the Commission's management of the Monetary Award Program,
22minimizing the necessity, magnitude, and frequency of
23adjusting award amounts and ensuring that the annual Monetary
24Award Program appropriation can be fully utilized.
25    (g) The Commission shall determine the eligibility of and
26make grants to applicants enrolled at qualified for-profit

 

 

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1institutions in accordance with the criteria set forth in this
2Section. The eligibility of applicants enrolled at such
3for-profit institutions shall be limited as follows:
4        (1) Beginning with the academic year 1997, only to
5    eligible first-time freshmen and first-time transfer
6    students who have attained an associate degree.
7        (2) Beginning with the academic year 1998, only to
8    eligible freshmen students, transfer students who have
9    attained an associate degree, and students who receive a
10    grant under paragraph (1) for the academic year 1997 and
11    whose grants are being renewed for the academic year 1998.
12        (3) Beginning with the academic year 1999, to all
13    eligible students.
14(Source: P.A. 95-917, eff. 8-26-08.)
 
15    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
16becoming law.