103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB0284

 

Introduced 2/2/2023, by Sen. Sue Rezin

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
110 ILCS 947/35

    Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act with respect to the monetary award program. Beginning with the 2024-2025 academic year through the 2028-2029 academic year, provides that an applicant who is otherwise eligible for grant assistance under the program may receive grant assistance for an additional academic year after receiving a baccalaureate degree or the equivalent of 135 semester credit hours if he or she (i) enrolls in a State-approved educator preparation program and (ii) within 5 years after receiving a Professional Educator License, teaches in this State for a minimum of 3 years. Requires repayment if at any time a person fails to meet the requirements. Effective immediately.


LRB103 27399 RJT 53771 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB0284LRB103 27399 RJT 53771 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is
5amended 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 consider
9applications for grant assistance under this Section. Subject
10to a separate appropriation for such purposes, an applicant is
11eligible for a grant under this Section when the Commission
12finds that the applicant:
13        (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or
14    permanent resident of the United States;
15        (2) is enrolled or has been accepted for enrollment in
16    a qualified institution for the purpose of obtaining a
17    degree, certificate, or other credential offered by the
18    institution, as applicable; and
19        (3) in the absence of grant assistance, will be
20    deterred by financial considerations from completing an
21    educational program at the qualified institution of his or
22    her choice.
23    (b) The Commission shall award renewals only upon the

 

 

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1student's application and upon the Commission's finding that
2the applicant:
3        (1) has remained a student in good standing;
4        (2) remains a resident of this State; and
5        (3) is in a financial situation that continues to
6    warrant assistance.
7    (c) All grants shall be applicable only to tuition and
8necessary fee costs. The Commission shall determine the grant
9amount for each student, which shall not exceed the smallest
10of the following amounts:
11        (1) subject to appropriation, $5,468 for fiscal year
12    2009, $5,968 for fiscal year 2010, $6,468 for fiscal year
13    2011 and each fiscal year thereafter through fiscal year
14    2022, and $8,508 for fiscal year 2023 and each fiscal year
15    thereafter, or such lesser amount as the Commission finds
16    to be available, during an academic year;
17        (2) the amount which equals 2 semesters or 3 quarters
18    tuition and other necessary fees required generally by the
19    institution of all full-time undergraduate students; or
20        (3) such amount as the Commission finds to be
21    appropriate in view of the applicant's financial
22    resources.
23    Subject to appropriation, the maximum grant amount for
24students not subject to subdivision (1) of this subsection (c)
25must be increased by the same percentage as any increase made
26by law to the maximum grant amount under subdivision (1) of

 

 

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1this subsection (c).
2    "Tuition and other necessary fees" as used in this Section
3include the customary charge for instruction and use of
4facilities in general, and the additional fixed fees charged
5for specified purposes, which are required generally of
6nongrant recipients for each academic period for which the
7grant applicant actually enrolls, but do not include fees
8payable only once or breakage fees and other contingent
9deposits which are refundable in whole or in part. The
10Commission may prescribe, by rule not inconsistent with this
11Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of
12tuition and other necessary fees.
13    (d) Except as otherwise provided in this Section, no No
14applicant, including those presently receiving scholarship
15assistance under this Act, is eligible for monetary award
16program consideration under this Act after receiving a
17baccalaureate degree or the equivalent of 135 semester credit
18hours of award payments.
19    (d-3) Beginning with the 2024-2025 academic year through
20the 2028-2029 academic year, an applicant who is otherwise
21eligible for grant assistance under this Section may receive
22grant assistance for an additional academic year after
23receiving a baccalaureate degree or the equivalent of 135
24semester credit hours if he or she (i) enrolls in a
25State-approved educator preparation program and (ii) within 5
26years after receiving a Professional Educator License, teaches

 

 

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1in this State for a minimum of 3 years. If at any time a person
2fails to meet the requirements of this subsection, he or she
3must repay the amount of additional assistance received to the
4Commission, in a manner as determined by the Commission,
5prorated according to the fraction of the teaching obligation
6not completed.
7    (d-5) In this subsection (d-5), "renewing applicant" means
8a student attending an institution of higher learning who
9received a Monetary Award Program grant during the prior
10academic year. Beginning with the processing of applications
11for the 2020-2021 academic year, the Commission shall annually
12publish a priority deadline date for renewing applicants.
13Subject to appropriation, a renewing applicant who files by
14the published priority deadline date shall receive a grant if
15he or she continues to meet the eligibility requirements under
16this Section. A renewing applicant's failure to apply by the
17priority deadline date established under this subsection (d-5)
18shall not disqualify him or her from receiving a grant if
19sufficient funding is available to provide awards after that
20date.
21    (e) The Commission, in determining the number of grants to
22be offered, shall take into consideration past experience with
23the rate of grant funds unclaimed by recipients. The
24Commission shall notify applicants that grant assistance is
25contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds.
26    (e-5) The General Assembly finds and declares that it is

 

 

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1an important purpose of the Monetary Award Program to
2facilitate access to college both for students who pursue
3postsecondary education immediately following high school and
4for those who pursue postsecondary education later in life,
5particularly Illinoisans who are dislocated workers with
6financial need and who are seeking to improve their economic
7position through education. For the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017
8academic years, the Commission shall give additional and
9specific consideration to the needs of dislocated workers with
10the intent of allowing applicants who are dislocated workers
11an opportunity to secure financial assistance even if applying
12later than the general pool of applicants. The Commission's
13consideration shall include, in determining the number of
14grants to be offered, an estimate of the resources needed to
15serve dislocated workers who apply after the Commission
16initially suspends award announcements for the upcoming
17regular academic year, but prior to the beginning of that
18academic year. For the purposes of this subsection (e-5), a
19dislocated worker is defined as in the federal Workforce
20Innovation and Opportunity Act.
21    (f) (Blank).
22    (g) The Commission shall determine the eligibility of and
23make grants to applicants enrolled at qualified for-profit
24institutions in accordance with the criteria set forth in this
25Section. The eligibility of applicants enrolled at such
26for-profit institutions shall be limited as follows:

 

 

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1        (1) Beginning with the academic year 1997, only to
2    eligible first-time freshmen and first-time transfer
3    students who have attained an associate degree.
4        (2) Beginning with the academic year 1998, only to
5    eligible freshmen students, transfer students who have
6    attained an associate degree, and students who receive a
7    grant under paragraph (1) for the academic year 1997 and
8    whose grants are being renewed for the academic year 1998.
9        (3) Beginning with the academic year 1999, to all
10    eligible students.
11    (h) The Commission may award a grant to an eligible
12applicant enrolled at an Illinois public institution of higher
13learning in a program that will culminate in the award of an
14occupational or career and technical certificate as that term
15is defined in 23 Ill. Adm. Code 1501.301.
16    (i) The Commission may adopt rules to implement this
17Section.
18(Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 102-699, eff. 4-19-22.)
 
19    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
20becoming law.