|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
1 | AN ACT concerning 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 is | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | amended 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
and | |||||||||||||||||||
9 | consider applications
for grant assistance under this Section. | |||||||||||||||||||
10 | Subject to a separate
appropriation for such purposes, an | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | applicant is eligible for a grant under
this Section when the | |||||||||||||||||||
12 | Commission finds 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.
| |||||||||||||||||||
19 | (b) The Commission shall award renewals only upon the | |||||||||||||||||||
20 | student's application
and upon the Commission's finding that | |||||||||||||||||||
21 | the applicant:
| |||||||||||||||||||
22 | (1) has remained a student in good standing;
| |||||||||||||||||||
23 | (2) remains a resident of this State; and
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | (3) is in a financial situation that continues to | ||||||
2 | warrant assistance.
| ||||||
3 | (c) All grants shall be applicable only to tuition and | ||||||
4 | necessary fee costs. The Commission shall determine the grant
| ||||||
5 | amount for each student, which shall not exceed the smallest of
| ||||||
6 | the following amounts:
| ||||||
7 | (1) $4,968, or such lesser amount as
the Commission | ||||||
8 | finds to be available, during an academic year; or
| ||||||
9 | (2) the amount which equals 2 semesters or 3 quarters | ||||||
10 | tuition
and other necessary fees required generally by the | ||||||
11 | institution of all
full-time undergraduate students; or
| ||||||
12 | (3) such amount as the Commission finds to be | ||||||
13 | appropriate in view of
the applicant's financial | ||||||
14 | resources.
| ||||||
15 | "Tuition and other necessary fees" as used in this Section | ||||||
16 | include the
customary charge for instruction and use of | ||||||
17 | facilities in general, and the
additional fixed fees charged | ||||||
18 | for specified purposes, which are required
generally of | ||||||
19 | nongrant recipients for each academic period for which the | ||||||
20 | grant
applicant actually enrolls, but do not include fees | ||||||
21 | payable only once or
breakage fees and other contingent | ||||||
22 | deposits which are refundable in whole or in
part. The | ||||||
23 | Commission may prescribe, by rule not inconsistent with this
| ||||||
24 | Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of | ||||||
25 | tuition and other
necessary fees.
| ||||||
26 | (d) No applicant, including those presently receiving |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | scholarship
assistance under this Act, is eligible for monetary | ||||||
2 | award program
consideration under this Act after receiving a | ||||||
3 | baccalaureate degree or
the equivalent of 135 semester credit | ||||||
4 | hours of award payments.
| ||||||
5 | (e) The Commission, in determining the number of grants to | ||||||
6 | be offered,
shall take into consideration past experience with | ||||||
7 | the rate of grant funds
unclaimed by recipients. The Commission | ||||||
8 | shall notify applicants that grant
assistance is contingent | ||||||
9 | upon the availability of appropriated funds.
| ||||||
10 | (f) The Commission may request appropriations for deposit | ||||||
11 | into the
Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund. Monies deposited | ||||||
12 | into the Monetary Award
Program Reserve Fund may be expended | ||||||
13 | exclusively for one purpose: to make
Monetary Award Program | ||||||
14 | grants to eligible students. Amounts on deposit in the
Monetary | ||||||
15 | Award Program Reserve Fund may not exceed 2% of the current | ||||||
16 | annual
State appropriation for the Monetary Award Program.
| ||||||
17 | The purpose of the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund is | ||||||
18 | to enable the
Commission each year to assure as many students | ||||||
19 | as possible of their
eligibility for a Monetary Award Program | ||||||
20 | grant and to do so before commencement
of the academic year. | ||||||
21 | Moneys deposited in this Reserve Fund are intended to
enhance | ||||||
22 | the Commission's management of the Monetary Award Program, | ||||||
23 | minimizing
the necessity, magnitude, and frequency of | ||||||
24 | adjusting award amounts and ensuring
that the annual Monetary | ||||||
25 | Award Program appropriation can be fully utilized.
| ||||||
26 | (g) The Commission shall determine the eligibility of and |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | make grants to
applicants enrolled at qualified for-profit | ||||||
2 | institutions in accordance with the
criteria set forth in this | ||||||
3 | Section. The eligibility of applicants enrolled at
such | ||||||
4 | for-profit institutions shall be limited as follows:
| ||||||
5 | (1) Beginning with the academic year 1997, only to | ||||||
6 | eligible first-time
freshmen and
first-time transfer | ||||||
7 | students who have attained an associate degree.
| ||||||
8 | (2) Beginning with the academic year 1998, only to | ||||||
9 | eligible freshmen
students,
transfer students who have | ||||||
10 | attained an associate degree, and students who
receive a | ||||||
11 | grant under paragraph (1) for the academic year 1997 and | ||||||
12 | whose grants
are being renewed for the academic year 1998.
| ||||||
13 | (3) Beginning with the academic year 1999, to all | ||||||
14 | eligible students.
| ||||||
15 | (Source: P.A. 92-45, eff. 7-1-01; 93-1032, eff. 9-2-04.)
|