093_HB1579

 
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 1        AN ACT relating to higher education.

 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 adding Section 45.5 as follows:

 6        (110 ILCS 947/45.5 new)
 7        Sec. 45.5.  Firefighter and EMS provider grant program.
 8        (a)  As used in this Section:
 9        "Active paid on-call firefighter" means a  member  of  an
10    active  volunteer  fire department who has had basic training
11    as defined in subsection (f) of Section  2  of  the  Illinois
12    Fire  Protection  Training  Act and in the past 12 months has
13    (i) participated in all required training exercises, (ii) has
14    responded to a fire or other emergency call,  and  (iii)  has
15    received  a  form of monetary compensation for each emergency
16    situation he or she has responded to.
17        "Active  volunteer  fire   department"   means   a   fire
18    department  that  is staffed by volunteers for the purpose of
19    combating fires.
20        "Active volunteer  firefighter"  means  a  member  of  an
21    active  volunteer  fire department who has had basic training
22    as defined in subsection (f) of Section  2  of  the  Illinois
23    Fire  Protection  Training  Act and in the past 12 months has
24    (i) participated in all required training exercises and  (ii)
25    has responded to a fire or other emergency call.
26        "EMS  provider"  means  a  person  who  is  certified  or
27    authorized under the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems
28    Act  to  provide  emergency medical services and who provides
29    those services as a participant in an EMS System.
30        "Fees" means matriculation, graduation,  activity,  term,
31    or  incidental fees.  Exemption shall not be granted from any
 
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 1    other  fees,  including  book  rental,  service,  laboratory,
 2    supply,  and  union  building  fees,  hospital  and   medical
 3    insurance  fees,  and  any fees established for the operation
 4    and maintenance of buildings, the income of which is  pledged
 5    to  the  payment of interest and principal on bonds issued by
 6    the governing board of any university or community college.
 7        "State-controlled university or community college"  means
 8    those  institutions  under  the administration of the Chicago
 9    State University Board  of  Trustees,  the  Eastern  Illinois
10    University  Board of Trustees, the Governors State University
11    Board of Trustees, the Illinois  State  University  Board  of
12    Trustees,  the  Northeastern  Illinois  University  Board  of
13    Trustees, the Northern Illinois University Board of Trustees,
14    the  Western  Illinois  University  Board  of  Trustees,  the
15    Southern   Illinois   University   Board   of  Trustees,  the
16    University of Illinois Board of  Trustees,  or  the  Illinois
17    Community College Board.
18        "Tuition  and  fees"  does  not  include expenses for any
19    sectarian or denominational instruction, the construction  or
20    maintenance of sectarian or denominational facilities, or any
21    other sectarian or denominational purposes or activity.
22        (b)  Subject to the limitations provided in this Section,
23    any  person  who has served at least 3 years as (i) an active
24    volunteer, paid on-call, or full-time firefighter with a fire
25    department in a municipality with a population of  less  than
26    10,000  or (ii) an EMS provider with an EMS System located in
27    whole or in part in a municipality with a population of  less
28    than   10,000   and  who  possesses  all  necessary  entrance
29    requirements shall, upon application  and  proper  proof,  be
30    awarded   a  grant  to  the  State-controlled  university  or
31    community  college  of  his  or  her  choice,  consisting  of
32    exemption from  tuition  and  fees  for  not  more  than  the
33    equivalent  of 4 years of full-time enrollment in relation to
34    his  or  her  course  of  study  at   that   State-controlled
 
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 1    university  or community college while he or she serves as an
 2    active volunteer, paid on-call, or full-time firefighter with
 3    that fire department or while he or  she  serves  as  an  EMS
 4    provider  with  that  EMS  System.   However, not more than 2
 5    grants per year may be awarded  to  firefighters  within  the
 6    same  fire department and not more than 2 grants per year may
 7    be awarded to EMS providers within the same EMS System.
 8        If the recipient of any grant awarded under this  Section
 9    for  a  firefighter  ceases  to serve as an active volunteer,
10    paid  on-call,  or  full-time  firefighter  with   the   fire
11    department  that  he or she was with to qualify for the grant
12    while enrolled in a course of study  under  that  grant,  the
13    grant shall be terminated as of the date service as an active
14    volunteer,  paid  on-call, or full-time firefighter with that
15    fire department ended, and the recipient shall  be  permitted
16    to  complete  the  school  term  in  which  he or she is then
17    enrolled  only  upon  payment  of  tuition  and  other   fees
18    allocable  to  the  part  of  the term then remaining. If the
19    recipient of any grant awarded under this Section for an  EMS
20    provider  ceases  to  serve  as  an EMS provider with the EMS
21    System that he or she was with to qualify for the grant while
22    enrolled in a course of study under  that  grant,  the  grant
23    shall be terminated as of the date service as an EMS provider
24    with  that  EMS  System  ended,  and  the  recipient shall be
25    permitted to complete the school term in which he or  she  is
26    then  enrolled  only  upon  payment of tuition and other fees
27    allocable to the part of the term then remaining.
28        Before receiving grant assistance under this Section  for
29    any  academic year, each grant recipient shall be required by
30    the Commission to sign an agreement under which the recipient
31    pledges (i) for a firefighter, that he or she shall remain an
32    active volunteer, paid on-call, or full-time firefighter with
33    the fire department that he or she was with  to  qualify  for
34    the  grant  for  a  period of not less than one year for each
 
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 1    year of grant assistance that he or she receives  under  this
 2    Section  or  for an EMS provider, that he or she shall remain
 3    an EMS provider with the EMS System that he or she  was  with
 4    to  qualify  for  the grant for a period of not less than one
 5    year for each  year  of  grant  assistance  that  he  or  she
 6    receives  under  this  Section and (ii) that he or she shall,
 7    upon request by the Commission, provide the  Commission  with
 8    evidence  that  he or she is fulfilling or has fulfilled this
 9    obligation.   If  the  recipient  fails   to   fulfill   this
10    obligation,  then  the Commission shall require the recipient
11    to  repay  the  amount  of  the  grant  assistance  received,
12    prorated according to the  fraction  of  the  obligation  not
13    completed,  at  a  rate  of  interest  equal  to  5%, and, if
14    applicable, to pay reasonable collection fees.   A  recipient
15    who  is  enrolled  in an institution of higher learning shall
16    not be required to commence repayment so long as  he  or  she
17    remains  enrolled  in  an institution of higher learning on a
18    full-time basis  or  if  he  or  she  can  document  for  the
19    Commission  special  circumstances  that warrant extension of
20    the time before repayment is  required.   The  Commission  is
21    authorized  to  establish  rules  relating  to its collection
22    activities for  repayment  of  grant  assistance  under  this
23    Section. All repayments collected under this Section shall be
24    forwarded  to  the  State  Comptroller  for  deposit into the
25    General Revenue Fund.  A recipient shall not be considered in
26    violation of the agreement  entered  into  pursuant  to  this
27    subsection (b) if the recipient (i) is serving as a member of
28    the armed services of the United States, for a period of time
29    not  to exceed 3 years, (ii) is temporarily totally disabled,
30    for a period of time not to exceed 3 years, as established by
31    sworn affidavit of a qualified physician,  or  (iii)  becomes
32    permanently   totally   disabled,  as  established  by  sworn
33    affidavit of a qualified physician.
34        A grant awarded under this Section shall be considered an
 
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 1    entitlement that the State-controlled university or community
 2    college in which the holder is enrolled shall  honor  without
 3    any  condition other than the holder's maintenance of minimum
 4    grade levels and a satisfactory student loan repayment record
 5    pursuant to subsection (c) of Section 20 of this Act.
 6        (c)  Subject  to  a  separate  appropriation   for   such
 7    purposes,  the  Commission may reimburse the State-controlled
 8    university or community college for grants authorized by this
 9    Section.

10        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act  takes  effect  on
11    July 1, 2003.