093_HB1119
LRB093 08153 NHT 08359 b
1 AN ACT relating to higher education student assistance.
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 Section 36 as follows:
6 (110 ILCS 947/36)
7 Sec. 36. Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access
8 grant program.
9 (a) The Commission each year shall determine eligibility
10 for the Illinois Incentive for Access grant from applications
11 received for Monetary Award Program grant assistance under
12 Section 35 of this Act. An applicant shall be determined as
13 eligible for an Illinois Incentive for Access grant under
14 this Section when the Commission finds that the applicant:
15 (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or
16 permanent resident of the United States;
17 (2) has limited no personal or family financial
18 resources available for expenditure on educational
19 expenses, as defined by current federal student financial
20 aid methodology;
21 (3) has not already received a baccalaureate
22 degree; and
23 (4) is enrolled at least one-half time as a
24 freshman undergraduate student at an approved Illinois
25 institution of higher learning participating in the
26 Monetary Award Program administered by the Commission.
27 (b) Subject to a separate appropriation made for
28 purposes of awarding grants under this Section, Illinois
29 Incentive for Access grants shall be paid in multiple
30 disbursements as determined by the Commission (i) in an
31 amount not to exceed $1,000 $500 per applicant per year for
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1 applicants with an expected family contribution of $0, as
2 defined by current federal student aid methodology, and (ii)
3 in an amount not to exceed $500 for applicants with an
4 expected family contribution of $500 or less but more than
5 $0, as defined by current federal student aid methodology.
6 In awarding grants, the Commission shall give priority to
7 applicants with an expected family contribution of $0. No
8 recipient may receive a grant under this Section for more
9 than 2 semesters or 3 quarters of award payments.
10 (c) Eligibility for grants awarded under this Section
11 shall be determined solely on the basis of the financial
12 resources of the applicant and the applicant's family. Cost
13 of attendance at the institution in which the applicant is
14 enrolled shall not affect eligibility for an award, except
15 that State student financial assistance awarded under this
16 Act, including the Illinois Incentive for Access award, may
17 not exceed the institution's cost of attendance.
18 (d) The Commission shall notify applicants that grant
19 assistance is contingent upon availability of appropriated
20 funds.
21 (e) The Commission shall submit a written evaluation of
22 the Illinois Incentive for Access program to the Governor,
23 the General Assembly, and the Board of Higher Education on or
24 before October 1, 1999, including a report of the progress
25 made toward the goal of increasing the access and retention
26 rates for Illinois Incentive for Access grant recipients.
27 (Source: P.A. 89-512, eff. 7-11-96.)
28 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect on
29 July 1, 2004.