HB3078 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB097 09506 NHT 49643 b

97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB3078

Introduced 2/23/2011, by Rep. David Harris

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/30-9	from Ch. 122, par. 30-9
105 ILCS 5/30-10	from Ch. 122, par. 30-10
105 ILCS 5/30-11	from Ch. 122, par. 30-11
105 ILCS 5/30-12	from Ch. 122, par. 30-12
105 ILCS 5/30-12.5
105 ILCS 5/30-13	from Ch. 122, par. 30-13
105 ILCS 5/30-14	from Ch. 122, par. 30-14

Amends the School Code. Makes changes in provisions concerning General Assembly scholarships. Changes references from "scholarship" to "tuition grant". Allows each member of the General Assembly to nominate annually one person (instead of 2 persons) from his or her district to receive a tuition grant for a State university. Provides that General Assembly tuition grants are subject to appropriation (now, General Assembly scholarships exempt the holder from the payment of tuition and fees). Provides that each fiscal year, grant funds may be awarded to recipients only if this State is no more than 60 days late in payments it owes to State universities and those total payments do not exceed $50 million, as certified by the Auditor General. Provides that tuition grant funds shall be paid to State universities on behalf of the recipients. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections 30-9, 30-10, 30-11, 30-12, 30-12.5, 30-13, and 30-14 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/30-9) (from Ch. 122, par. 30-9)

Sec. 30-9. General Assembly tuition grant scholarship; conditions of admission; award by competitive examination. Each member of the General Assembly may nominate annually one person 2 persons of school age and otherwise eligible, from his district; each shall receive a tuition grant for certificate of scholarship in any State supported university designated by the member. General Assembly tuition grants are subject to appropriation. Each fiscal year, grant funds may be awarded to recipients only if this State is no more than 60 days late in payments it owes to State-supported universities and those total payments do not exceed $50 million, as certified by the Auditor General. All tuition grant funds distributed in accordance with this Section shall be paid to State-supported universities on behalf of the recipients. Any member of the General Assembly in making nominations under this Section may designate that his nominee be granted a 4 year tuition grant scholarship or may instead designate 2 or 4 nominees for that particular tuition grant scholarship, each to receive a 2 year or a one year tuition grant scholarship, respectively. The nominee, if a graduate of a school accredited by the University to which nominated, shall be admitted to the university on the same conditions as to educational qualifications as are other graduates of accredited schools. If the nominee is not a graduate of a school accredited by the university to which nominated, he must, before being entitled to the benefits of the tuition grant scholarship, pass an examination given by the superintendent of schools of the county where he resides at the time stated in Section 30-7 for the competitive examination. The president of each university shall prescribe the rules governing the examination for a tuition grant scholarship to his university.

A member of the General Assembly may award the tuition grant scholarship by competitive examination conducted under like rules as prescribed in Section 30-7 even though one or more of the applicants are graduates of schools accredited by the university.

A member of the General Assembly may delegate to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission the authority to nominate persons for General Assembly tuition grants scholarships which that member would otherwise be entitled to award, or may direct the Commission to evaluate and make recommendations to the member concerning candidates for such tuition grants scholarships. In the event a member delegates his nominating authority or directs the Commission to evaluate and make recommendations concerning candidates for General Assembly tuition grants scholarships, the member shall inform the Commission in writing of the criteria which he wishes the Commission to apply in nominating or recommending candidates. Those criteria may include some or all of the criteria provided in Section 25 of the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. A delegation of authority under this paragraph may be revoked at any time by the member.

Failure of a member of the General Assembly to make a nomination in any year shall not cause that tuition grant scholarship to lapse, but the member may make a nomination for such tuition grant scholarship at any time thereafter before the expiration of his term, and the person so nominated shall be entitled to the same benefits as holders of other tuition grants scholarships provided herein. Any such tuition grant scholarship for which a member has made no nomination prior to the expiration of the term for which he was elected shall lapse upon the expiration of that term.

(Source: P.A. 93-349, eff. 7-24-03.)

(105 ILCS 5/30-10) (from Ch. 122, par. 30-10)

Sec. 30-10. Filing nominations-Failure to accept or pass-Second nomination. Nominations, under Section 30-9, showing the name and address of the nominee, and the term of the tuition grant scholarship, whether 4 years, 2 years or one year, must be filed with the State Superintendent of Education not later than the opening day of the semester or term with which the tuition grant scholarship is to become effective. The State Superintendent of Education shall forthwith notify the president of the university of such nomination.

If the nominee fails to accept the nomination or, not being a graduate of a school accredited by the university, fails to pass the examination for admission, the president of the university shall at once notify the State Superintendent of Education. Upon receiving such notification, the State Superintendent of Education shall notify the nominating member, who may name another person for the tuition grant scholarship. The second nomination must be received by the State Superintendent of Education not later than the middle of the semester or term with which the tuition grant scholarship was to have become effective under the original nomination in order to become effective as of the opening date of such semester or term otherwise it shall not become effective until the beginning of the next semester or term following the making of the second nomination. Upon receiving such notification, the State Superintendent of Education shall notify the president of the university of such second nomination. If any person nominated after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1973 to receive a General Assembly tuition grant scholarship changes his residence to a location outside of the district from which he was nominated, his nominating member may terminate that tuition grant scholarship at the conclusion of the college year in which he is then enrolled. For purposes of this paragraph, a person changes his residence if he registers to vote in a location outside of the district from which he was nominated, but does not change his residence merely by taking off-campus housing or living in a nonuniversity residence.

(Source: P.A. 93-349, eff. 7-24-03.)

(105 ILCS 5/30-11) (from Ch. 122, par. 30-11)

Sec. 30-11. Failure to use tuition grant scholarship - Further nominations. If any nominee under Section 30-9 or 30-10 discontinues his course of instruction or fails to use the tuition grant scholarship, leaving 1, 2, 3, or 4 years thereof unused, the member of the General Assembly may, except as otherwise provided in this Article, nominate some other person eligible under this Article from his district who shall be entitled to the tuition grant scholarship for the unexpired period thereof. Such appointment to an unexpired scholarship vacated before July 1, 1961, may be made only by the member of the General Assembly who made the original appointment and during the time he is such a member. If a tuition grant scholarship is vacated on or after July 1, 1961, and the member of the General Assembly who made the original appointment has ceased to be a member, some eligible person may be nominated in the following manner to fill the vacancy: If the original appointment was made by a Senator, such nomination shall be made by the Senator from the same district; if the original appointment was made by a Representative, such nomination shall be made by the Representative from the same district. Every nomination to fill a vacancy must be accompanied either by a release of the original nominee or if he is dead then an affidavit to that effect by some competent person. The failure of a nominee to register at the university within 20 days after the opening of any semester or term shall be deemed a release by him of the nomination, unless he has been granted a leave of absence in accordance with Section 30-14 or unless his absence is by reason of his entry into the military service of the United States. The university shall immediately upon the expiration of 20 days after the beginning of the semester or term notify the State Board of Education as to the status of each tuition grant scholarship, who shall forthwith notify the nominating member of any nominee's failure to register or, if the nominating member has ceased to be a member of the General Assembly, shall notify the member or members entitled to make the nomination to fill the vacancy. All nominations to unused or unexpired tuition grants scholarships shall be effective as of the opening of the semester or term of the university during which they are made if they are filed with the university during the first half of the semester or term, otherwise they shall not be effective until the opening of the next following semester or term.

(Source: P.A. 93-349, eff. 7-24-03.)

(105 ILCS 5/30-12) (from Ch. 122, par. 30-12)

Sec. 30-12. Failure to begin or discontinuance of course because of military service. Any nominee, under Sections 30--9, 30--10, or 30--11, who fails to begin or discontinues his course of instruction because of his entry into the military service of the United States, leaving all or a portion of the tuition grant scholarship unused, may, upon completion of such service, use the tuition grant scholarship or the unused portion thereof, regardless of whether or not the member of the General Assembly who nominated him is then a member; provided that during the nominee's period of military service no other person may be nominated by such member to all or any portion of such unused or unfinished tuition grant scholarship unless the nomination is accompanied either by a release of the original nominee or if he is dead then an affidavit to that effect by some competent person.

(Source: Laws 1961, p. 31.)

(105 ILCS 5/30-12.5)

Sec. 30-12.5. Waiver of confidentiality.

(a) As a condition of nomination for a General Assembly tuition grant scholarship under Section 30-9, 30-10, or 30-11, each nominee shall provide to the member of the General Assembly making the nomination a waiver document stating that, notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, if the nominee receives a General Assembly tuition grant scholarship, then the nominee waives all rights to confidentiality with respect to the contents of the waiver document. The waiver document shall state at a minimum the nominee's name, domicile address, attending university, degree program in which the nominee is enrolled, amount of tuition covered waived by the legislative tuition grant scholarship and the name of the member of the General Assembly who is making the nomination. The waiver document shall also contain a statement by the nominee that, at the time of the nomination for the legislative tuition grant scholarship, the domicile of the nominee is within the legislative district of the legislator making the tuition grant scholarship nomination. The waiver document must be signed by the nominee, and the nominee shall have his or her signature on the waiver document acknowledged before a notary public. The member of the General Assembly making the nomination shall file the signed, notarized waiver document, together with the nomination itself, with the State Superintendent of Education. By so filing the waiver document, the member waives all his or her rights to confidentiality with respect to the contents of the waiver document.

(b) The legislative tuition grant scholarship of any nominee shall be revoked upon a determination by the State Board of Education after a hearing that the nominee knowingly provided false or misleading information on the waiver document. Upon revocation of the legislative tuition grant scholarship, the tuition grant scholarship nominee shall reimburse this State the university for the full amount of any tuition covered by the tuition grant waived prior to revocation of the tuition grant scholarship.

(c) The Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall prepare a form waiver document to be used as provided in subsection (a) and shall provide copies of the form upon request.

(Source: P.A. 93-349, eff. 7-24-03.)

(105 ILCS 5/30-13) (from Ch. 122, par. 30-13)

Sec. 30-13. The tuition grants scholarships issued under Sections 30-9 through 30-12 of this Article may be used at the University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University, Chicago State University, Eastern Illinois University, Governors State University, Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University, Northern Illinois University, and Western Illinois University as provided in those sections. Unless otherwise indicated, these tuition grants scholarships shall be good for a period of not more than 4 years while enrolled for residence credit and shall cover exempt the holder from the payment of tuition, or any matriculation, graduation, activity, term or incidental fee, except any portion of a multipurpose fee which is used for a purpose for which coverage exemption is not permitted granted under this Section. Coverage Exemption shall not be permitted for granted from any other fees, including book rental, service, laboratory, supply, union building, hospital and medical insurance fees and any fees established for the operation and maintenance of buildings, the income of which is pledged to the payment of interest and principal on bonds issued by the governing board of any university or community college.

Any student who has been or shall be awarded a tuition grant scholarship shall be reimbursed by the appropriate university or community college for any fees which he has paid and for which coverage exemption is permitted granted under this Section, if application for such reimbursement is made within 2 months following the school term for which the fees were paid.

The holder of a tuition grant scholarship shall be subject to all examinations, rules and requirements of the university or community college in which he is enrolled except as herein directed.

This article does not prohibit the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University, the Board of Trustees of Chicago State University, the Board of Trustees of Eastern Illinois University, the Board of Trustees of Governors State University, the Board of Trustees of Illinois State University, the Board of Trustees of Northeastern Illinois University, the Board of Trustees of Northern Illinois University, and the Board of Trustees of Western Illinois University Regents of the Regency Universities System and the Board of Governors of State Colleges and Universities for the institutions under their respective jurisdictions from granting other scholarships or grants.

(Source: P.A. 88-228; 89-4, eff. 1-1-96.)

(105 ILCS 5/30-14) (from Ch. 122, par. 30-14)

Sec. 30-14. Leaves of absence to holders of scholarships or tuition grants. Any student enrolled in a university to which he is holding a scholarship or tuition grant issued under this Article who satisfies the president of the university or someone designated by him, that he requires leave of absence for the purpose of earning funds to defray his expenses while in attendance or on account of illness or military service may be granted such leave and allowed a period of not to exceed 6 years in which to complete his course at the university. The university shall notify the regional county superintendent of the county from which the scholarship or tuition grant was issued of the granting of the leave. Time spent in the armed forces shall not be part of the 6 years.

(Source: Laws 1961, p. 31.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.