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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Nursing Education Scholarship Law is amended | ||||||
5 | by changing Sections 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 as follows:
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6 | (110 ILCS 975/2) (from Ch. 144, par. 2752)
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7 | Sec. 2. Legislative finding and declaration of policy. The | ||||||
8 | General Assembly finds and hereby declares that the provision | ||||||
9 | of a
higher education leading to an associate degree in | ||||||
10 | nursing, an
associate
degree in applied sciences in nursing, a | ||||||
11 | hospital-based diploma
in nursing, a
baccalaureate degree in | ||||||
12 | nursing, a graduate degree in nursing, or a certificate in | ||||||
13 | practical nursing for
persons of this State
who desire such an | ||||||
14 | education is important to the health, welfare and
security of | ||||||
15 | this State and Nation, and consequently is an important public
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16 | purpose. Many qualified and potential nurses
are deterred by | ||||||
17 | financial considerations from pursuing their nursing
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18 | education, with consequent irreparable loss to the State and | ||||||
19 | Nation of
talents vital to health, welfare and security. A | ||||||
20 | system of scholarships,
repayment of which may be excused if | ||||||
21 | the individual is employed as a
registered professional
nurse | ||||||
22 | or a licensed practical nurse after
obtaining an associate | ||||||
23 | degree in
nursing, associate degree in applied sciences in | ||||||
24 | nursing, hospital-based
diploma in nursing, baccalaureate | ||||||
25 | degree in nursing, graduate degree in nursing, or certificate
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26 | in practical nursing, will enable such individuals
to attend | ||||||
27 | approved institutions of their choice in the State,
public or
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28 | private.
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29 | (Source: P.A. 92-43, eff. 1-1-02.)
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30 | (110 ILCS 975/3) (from Ch. 144, par. 2753)
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31 | Sec. 3. Definitions.
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1 | The following terms, whenever used or referred to, have the | ||||||
2 | following
meanings except where the context clearly indicates | ||||||
3 | otherwise:
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4 | (1) "Board" means the Board of Higher Education created by | ||||||
5 | the Board
of Higher Education Act.
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6 | (2) "Department" means the Illinois Department of Public | ||||||
7 | Health.
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8 | (3) "Approved institution" means a public community | ||||||
9 | college, private
junior college, hospital-based diploma in | ||||||
10 | nursing
program, or public or private
college or university | ||||||
11 | located in this State that has approval by the Department of | ||||||
12 | Professional
Regulation for an associate degree in nursing
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13 | program,
associate degree in applied
sciences in nursing | ||||||
14 | program, hospital-based diploma in nursing
program,
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15 | baccalaureate degree in nursing program, graduate degree in | ||||||
16 | nursing program, or
certificate in practical
nursing program.
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17 | (4) "Baccalaureate degree in nursing program" means a | ||||||
18 | program offered by
an
approved institution and leading to a | ||||||
19 | bachelor of science degree in nursing.
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20 | (5) "Enrollment" means the establishment and maintenance | ||||||
21 | of an
individual's status as a student in an approved | ||||||
22 | institution, regardless of
the terms used at the institution to | ||||||
23 | describe such status.
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24 | (6) "Academic year" means the period of time from September | ||||||
25 | 1 of one
year through August 31 of the next year or as | ||||||
26 | otherwise defined by the
academic institution.
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27 | (7) "Associate degree in nursing program or hospital-based | ||||||
28 | diploma in
nursing program" means a program
offered by an | ||||||
29 | approved institution and leading to an associate
degree in
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30 | nursing, associate degree in applied sciences in nursing, or
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31 | hospital-based diploma in nursing.
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32 | (8) "Graduate degree in nursing program" means a program | ||||||
33 | offered by an approved institution and leading to a master of | ||||||
34 | science degree in nursing or a doctorate of philosophy or | ||||||
35 | doctorate of nursing degree in nursing.
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36 | (9)
(8) "Director" means the Director of the Illinois |
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1 | Department of Public
Health.
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2 | (10)
(9) "Accepted for admission" means a student has | ||||||
3 | completed the
requirements for entry into an associate degree | ||||||
4 | in nursing program,
associate degree in applied sciences in | ||||||
5 | nursing program, hospital-based
diploma in nursing program,
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6 | baccalaureate degree in nursing program, graduate degree in | ||||||
7 | nursing program, or
certificate in practical nursing program at | ||||||
8 | an approved institution, as
documented by the
institution.
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9 | (11)
(10) "Fees" means those mandatory charges, in addition | ||||||
10 | to tuition, that
all enrolled students must pay, including | ||||||
11 | required course or lab fees.
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12 | (12)
(11) "Full-time student" means a student enrolled for | ||||||
13 | at least 12 hours
per
term or as otherwise determined by the | ||||||
14 | academic institution.
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15 | (13)
(12) "Law" means the Nursing Education Scholarship | ||||||
16 | Law.
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17 | (14)
(13) "Nursing employment obligation" means employment | ||||||
18 | in this State as a
registered
professional
nurse or licensed | ||||||
19 | practical nurse in direct patient care
or as a nurse educator | ||||||
20 | in the case of a graduate degree in nursing program recipient | ||||||
21 | for at least one year for each year of scholarship assistance | ||||||
22 | received through
the Nursing
Education Scholarship Program.
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23 | (15)
(14) "Part-time student" means a person who is | ||||||
24 | enrolled for at least
one-third of the number of hours required | ||||||
25 | per term by a school for its
full-time students.
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26 | (16)
(15) "Practical nursing program" means a program | ||||||
27 | offered by an approved
institution leading to a certificate in | ||||||
28 | practical nursing.
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29 | (17)
(16) "Registered professional nurse" means a
person | ||||||
30 | who is currently licensed as a registered professional nurse
by | ||||||
31 | the Department of Professional
Regulation under the Nursing and | ||||||
32 | Advanced Practice Nursing Act.
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33 | (18)
(17) "Licensed practical nurse" means a
person who is | ||||||
34 | currently licensed as a licensed practical nurse
by the | ||||||
35 | Department of Professional
Regulation under the Nursing and | ||||||
36 | Advanced Practice Nursing Act.
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1 | (19)
(18) "School term" means an academic term, such as a | ||||||
2 | semester, quarter,
trimester, or number of clock hours, as | ||||||
3 | defined by an approved institution.
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4 | (20)
(19) "Student in good standing" means a student | ||||||
5 | maintaining a cumulative
grade point average equivalent to at | ||||||
6 | least the academic grade of a "C".
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7 | (21)
(20) "Total and permanent disability" means a physical | ||||||
8 | or mental impairment,
disease, or loss of a permanent nature | ||||||
9 | that prevents nursing employment with or
without reasonable | ||||||
10 | accommodation. Proof of disability shall be a declaration
from | ||||||
11 | the social security administration, Illinois Industrial | ||||||
12 | Commission,
Department of Defense, or an insurer authorized to | ||||||
13 | transact business in
Illinois who is providing disability | ||||||
14 | insurance coverage to a contractor.
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15 | (22)
(21) "Tuition" means the established charges of an | ||||||
16 | institution of higher
learning for instruction at that | ||||||
17 | institution.
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18 | (23) "Nurse educator" means a person who is currently | ||||||
19 | licensed as a registered nurse by the Department of | ||||||
20 | Professional Regulation under the Nursing and Advanced | ||||||
21 | Practice Nursing Act, who has a graduate degree in nursing, and | ||||||
22 | who is employed by an approved academic institution to educate | ||||||
23 | registered nursing students, licensed practical nursing | ||||||
24 | students, and registered nurses pursuing graduate degrees.
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25 | (Source: P.A. 92-43, eff. 1-1-02.)
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26 | (110 ILCS 975/5) (from Ch. 144, par. 2755)
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27 | Sec. 5. Nursing education undergraduate scholarships. | ||||||
28 | Beginning with the fall term of the 2004-2005
2002-2003
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29 | academic year, the
Department, in accordance with rules and | ||||||
30 | regulations promulgated by it for this
program, shall provide | ||||||
31 | scholarships to individuals selected
from among those | ||||||
32 | applicants who qualify for consideration by showing:
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33 | (1) that he or she has been a resident of this State | ||||||
34 | for at least one
year prior to application, and is a | ||||||
35 | citizen or a lawful permanent resident
alien of the United |
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1 | States;
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2 | (2) that he or she is enrolled in or accepted for | ||||||
3 | admission to an associate degree in
nursing program, | ||||||
4 | hospital-based
diploma in nursing program, baccalaureate | ||||||
5 | degree
in nursing program, graduate degree in nursing | ||||||
6 | program, or practical nursing program at an approved
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7 | institution; and
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8 | (3) that he or she agrees to meet the nursing | ||||||
9 | employment obligation.
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10 | If in any year the number of qualified applicants exceeds | ||||||
11 | the number of
scholarships to be awarded, the Department shall | ||||||
12 | give priority in awarding
scholarships : | ||||||
13 | (A) To
to students in the greatest financial need, | ||||||
14 | as shown on a
standardized financial needs assessment | ||||||
15 | form used by an approved
institution who will pursue | ||||||
16 | their education on a full-time or closest to
full-time
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17 | basis and who already have a certificate in practical | ||||||
18 | nursing, a diploma
in nursing, or an associate degree | ||||||
19 | in nursing and are pursuing a higher
degree.
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20 | (B) To registered nurses pursuing a graduate | ||||||
21 | degree in nursing to pursue employment in an approved | ||||||
22 | institution that educates licensed practical nurses | ||||||
23 | and that educates registered nurses in undergraduate | ||||||
24 | and graduate nursing programs.
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25 | Unless otherwise indicated, scholarships shall be awarded | ||||||
26 | to
recipients at approved institutions for a period
of up to 2 | ||||||
27 | years if the recipient is enrolled in an
associate degree in
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28 | nursing
program, up to 3 years if the recipient is enrolled in | ||||||
29 | a hospital-based
diploma in nursing program, up to 4 years if | ||||||
30 | the recipient is enrolled in a
baccalaureate degree in nursing | ||||||
31 | program, up to 5 years if the recipient is enrolled in a | ||||||
32 | graduate degree in nursing program, and up to one year if the
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33 | recipient is enrolled in a certificate in practical nursing | ||||||
34 | program. At least
40%
50% of the scholarships awarded shall be | ||||||
35 | for recipients who are
pursuing baccalaureate degrees in | ||||||
36 | nursing, 30%
40% of the scholarships
awarded shall be for |
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1 | recipients who are pursuing associate degrees in
nursing
or a | ||||||
2 | diploma in nursing, and 10% of the scholarships awarded
shall | ||||||
3 | be for recipients who are pursuing a certificate in practical | ||||||
4 | nursing , and 20% of the scholarships awarded shall be for | ||||||
5 | recipients who are pursuing a graduate degree in nursing .
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6 | (Source: P.A. 92-43, eff. 1-1-02.)
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7 | (110 ILCS 975/6) (from Ch. 144, par. 2756)
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8 | Sec. 6. Nursing requirements for scholarship recipients. | ||||||
9 | Within 12 months after graduation from an associate degree in
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10 | nursing program, hospital-based diploma in nursing
program,
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11 | baccalaureate degree in nursing program, graduate degree in | ||||||
12 | nursing program, or
certificate in practical nursing program, | ||||||
13 | any
recipient who accepted a
scholarship under Section 5 shall | ||||||
14 | begin meeting the required nursing
employment obligation. In | ||||||
15 | order to defer his
or her continuous employment obligation, a | ||||||
16 | recipient must
request the deferment in writing from the | ||||||
17 | Department.
A recipient shall notify program staff within 30 | ||||||
18 | days if he or she
spends up to 4 years in military service | ||||||
19 | before or after graduation. A
recipient shall notify program | ||||||
20 | staff within 30 days if he or she is enrolled in
an academic
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21 | program leading to a graduate degree in nursing. If a recipient | ||||||
22 | receives
funding through the Nursing Education Scholarship | ||||||
23 | Program for a higher degree,
the nursing employment obligation | ||||||
24 | shall be deferred until he or she is no
longer
enrolled or has | ||||||
25 | graduated. The recipient must begin meeting the required
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26 | nursing employment obligations no later than 6 months after the | ||||||
27 | end of the
deferments.
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28 | Any person who fails to fulfill the nursing employment | ||||||
29 | obligation shall
pay to the Department an amount equal to the | ||||||
30 | amount of scholarship funds
received per year for each | ||||||
31 | unfulfilled year of the nursing employment
obligation, | ||||||
32 | together with interest at 7% per year on the
unpaid balance.
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33 | Payment must begin within 6 months following the date of the | ||||||
34 | occurrence
initiating the
repayment. All repayments must be | ||||||
35 | completed within 6 years from the date of
the
occurrence |
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1 | initiating the repayment. However, this obligation may be
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2 | deferred and re-evaluated every 6 months when the failure to | ||||||
3 | fulfill the
nursing employment
obligation results
from | ||||||
4 | involuntarily leaving the profession due to a decrease in the | ||||||
5 | number
of nurses employed in the State or when the failure to | ||||||
6 | fulfill the nursing
employment obligation results from total | ||||||
7 | and permanent disability. The
repayment obligation shall be | ||||||
8 | excused if the failure to fulfill the nursing
employment | ||||||
9 | obligation results from the death or adjudication as
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10 | incompetent of the person holding the scholarship. No claim for | ||||||
11 | repayment
may be filed against the estate of such a decedent or | ||||||
12 | incompetent.
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13 | Each person applying for such a scholarship shall be | ||||||
14 | provided with a copy
of this Section at the time of application | ||||||
15 | for the
benefits of such
scholarship.
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16 | (Source: P.A. 92-43, eff. 1-1-02.)
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17 | (110 ILCS 975/7) (from Ch. 144, par. 2757)
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18 | Sec. 7. Amount of scholarships. To determine a scholarship
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19 | amount, the Department shall consider tuition and fee charges | ||||||
20 | at
community colleges and universities statewide and projected | ||||||
21 | living
expenses. Using information provided annually by the | ||||||
22 | Illinois Student
Assistance Commission, 75% of the weighted | ||||||
23 | tuition and fees charged by
community colleges in Illinois | ||||||
24 | shall be added to the uniform living
allowance reported in the | ||||||
25 | weighted Monetary Award Program (MAP)
budget to determine the | ||||||
26 | full-time scholarship amount for students
pursuing an | ||||||
27 | associate degree or diploma in nursing at an Illinois
community | ||||||
28 | college. Scholarship amounts for students pursuing
associate ,
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29 | or baccalaureate , or graduate degrees in nursing at a college | ||||||
30 | or university shall
include 75% of the
weighted tuition and | ||||||
31 | fees charged by public universities in Illinois plus
the | ||||||
32 | uniform living allowance reported in the weighted MAP budget.
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33 | Scholarship amounts for students in practical nursing programs | ||||||
34 | shall
include 75% of the average of tuition charges at all | ||||||
35 | practical nursing
programs plus the uniform living allowance |
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1 | reported in the weighted MAP
budget. The
Department may provide | ||||||
2 | that scholarships shall be on a quarterly or
semi-annual basis | ||||||
3 | and shall be contingent upon the student's diligently
pursuing | ||||||
4 | nursing studies and being a student in good
standing. | ||||||
5 | Scholarship awards may be provided to part-time students; the
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6 | amount shall be determined by applying the proportion | ||||||
7 | represented by the
part-time enrollment to full-time | ||||||
8 | enrollment ratio to the average per-term
scholarship amount for | ||||||
9 | a student in the same nursing degree category.
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10 | (Source: P.A. 92-43, eff. 1-1-02.)
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