Sen. Iris Y. Martinez

Filed: 10/12/2007

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 1334

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 1334, AS AMENDED, by
3 replacing everything after the enacting clause with the
4 following:
 
5     "Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is
6 amended by changing Section 52 as follows:
 
7     (110 ILCS 947/52)
8     Sec. 52. Golden Apple Illinois Future Teacher Corps
9 Partnership Program.
10     (a) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois
11 students, especially minority students, to pursue teaching
12 careers, especially in teacher shortage disciplines (which
13 shall be defined to include early childhood education) or at
14 hard-to-staff schools (as defined by the Commission in
15 consultation with the State Board of Education), to provide
16 those students with the crucial mentoring, guidance, and

 

 

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1 in-service support that will significantly increase the
2 likelihood that they will complete their full teaching
3 commitments and elect to continue teaching in targeted
4 disciplines and hard-to-staff schools, and to ensure that
5 students in this State will continue to have access to a pool
6 of highly-qualified teachers, the Commission shall combine
7 best practices and methods and programmatic functions of the
8 Illinois Future Teacher Corps Program and the Golden Apple
9 Foundation for Excellence in Teaching's Golden Apple Scholars
10 program into one program, a public/private partnership, to be
11 known as the Golden Apple Illinois Future Teachers Corps
12 Partnership.
13         (1) This consolidated program shall be fully
14     operational before July 1, 2010. The existing programs, the
15     Illinois Future Teacher Corps Scholarship Program and the
16     Golden Apple Scholars program, shall continue to exist and
17     be governed as they have under this Section before the
18     effective date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General
19     Assembly and any associated administrative rules, but
20     shall also begin a transition period commencing on the
21     first day of the 2008 fiscal year and ending on the last
22     day of the 2011 fiscal year.
23         (2) During the transition period, the Commission
24     shall, in consultation with the Golden Apple Foundation,
25     establish rules governing the transition period and
26     related fund transfers and to facilitate coordination and

 

 

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1     implementation of the consolidated program. Eligible
2     students in this State may continue to apply for Illinois
3     Future Teacher Corps scholarships under the current rules
4     governing such applications during the transition period.
5     Fiscal Year 2010 shall be the last year that such
6     scholarships are available.
7         (3) The Commission shall, by March 30, 2008, develop an
8     estimate of General Revenue Funds that it expects will
9     remain unexpended at the end of FY 2008 from the FY 2008
10     appropriation for the Illinois Future Teacher Corps. No
11     later than April 15, 2008, the Commission shall cause to be
12     transferred funds comprising 85% of this estimated amount
13     to the Golden Apple Foundation for Excellence in Teaching.
14     The Commission shall subsequently transfer funding from
15     the Illinois Future Teacher Corps Program to the Golden
16     Apple Foundation for Excellence in Teaching on the
17     following schedule and in the following amounts:
18             (A) FY 2009: an amount equal to 58% of the total
19         combined appropriation for the Golden Apple Foundation
20         for Excellence in Teaching and the Illinois Future
21         Teacher Corps Program;
22             (B) FY 2010: an amount equal to 80% of the combined
23         total appropriation for the Golden Apple Foundation
24         for Excellence in Teaching and the Illinois Future
25         Teacher Corps Program;
26             (C) FY 2011: the entire appropriation shall be

 

 

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1         designated for the Golden Apple Foundation for
2         Excellence in Teaching.
3     (a-5) The , the Commission shall, each year, receive and
4 consider applications for scholarship assistance under this
5 Section. An applicant is eligible for a Illinois Future Teacher
6 Corps scholarship under this Section when the Commission finds
7 that the applicant is:
8         (1) a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen;
9         (2) a resident of Illinois;
10         (3) a high school graduate or a person who has received
11     a General Educational Development Certificate;
12         (4) enrolled or accepted for enrollment at or above the
13     junior level, on at least a half-time basis, at an Illinois
14     institution of higher learning; and
15         (5) pursuing a postsecondary course of study leading to
16     initial certification or pursuing additional course work
17     needed to gain State Board of Education approval to teach,
18     including alternative teacher certification.
19     (b) Recipients shall be selected from among applicants
20 qualified pursuant to subsection (a) based on a combination of
21 the following criteria as set forth by the Commission: (1)
22 academic excellence; (2) status as a minority student as
23 defined in Section 50; and (3) financial need. Preference may
24 be given to previous recipients of assistance under this
25 Section, provided they continue to maintain eligibility and
26 maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by the

 

 

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1 institution of higher learning at which they enroll.
2     (c) Each scholarship awarded under this Section shall be in
3 an amount sufficient to pay the tuition and fees and room and
4 board costs of the Illinois institution of higher learning at
5 which the recipient is enrolled, up to an annual maximum of
6 $5,000; except that in the case of a recipient who does not
7 reside on-campus at the institution of higher learning at which
8 he or she is enrolled, the amount of the scholarship shall be
9 sufficient to pay tuition and fee expenses and a commuter
10 allowance, up to an annual maximum of $5,000. For recipients
11 who agree to teach in a teacher shortage discipline or at a
12 hard-to-staff school under subsection (i) of this Section, the
13 Commission may, by rule and subject to appropriation, increase
14 the annual maximum amount to $10,000. If a recipient agrees to
15 teach in both a teacher shortage discipline and at a
16 hard-to-staff school under subsection (i) of this Section, the
17 Commission may increase the amount of the scholarship awarded
18 by up to an additional $5,000.
19     (d) The total amount of scholarship assistance awarded by
20 the Commission under this Section to an individual in any given
21 fiscal year, when added to other financial assistance awarded
22 to that individual for that year, shall not exceed the cost of
23 attendance at the institution of higher learning at which the
24 student is enrolled.
25     (e) A recipient may receive up to 4 semesters or 6 quarters
26 of scholarship assistance under this Section.

 

 

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1     (f) All applications for scholarship assistance to be
2 awarded under this Section shall be made to the Commission in a
3 form as set forth by the Commission. The form of application
4 and the information required to be set forth therein shall be
5 determined by the Commission, and the Commission shall require
6 eligible applicants to submit with their applications such
7 supporting documents as the Commission deems necessary.
8 Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, following the
9 completion of the transition of Illinois Future Teacher Corps
10 funding to the Golden Apple Foundation for Excellence in
11 Teaching's Golden Apple Scholars program, all applications for
12 scholarship assistance under this Section shall be in a form
13 determined by the Golden Apple Scholars program.
14     (g) Subject to a separate appropriation made for such
15 purposes, payment of any scholarship awarded under this Section
16 shall be determined by the Commission. There shall be a
17 separate appropriation made for scholarships awarded to
18 recipients who agree to teach in a teacher shortage discipline
19 or at a hard-to-staff school under subsection (i) of this
20 Section. The Commission may use for scholarship assistance
21 under this Section (i) all funds appropriated for scholarships
22 under this Section that were formerly known as ITEACH Teacher
23 Shortage Scholarships and (ii) all funds appropriated for
24 scholarships under Section 65.65 of this Act (repealed by this
25 amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly), formerly known as
26 Illinois Future Teacher Corps Scholarships.

 

 

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1     All scholarship funds distributed in accordance with this
2 Section shall be paid to the institution on behalf of the
3 recipients. Scholarship funds are applicable toward 2
4 semesters or 3 quarters of enrollment within an academic year.
5     (h) The Commission shall administer the scholarship
6 program established by this Section until the transition of
7 Illinois Future Teacher Corps funding to the Golden Apple
8 Foundation for Excellence in Teaching's Golden Apple Scholar
9 program is completed and shall make all necessary and proper
10 rules not inconsistent with this Section for its effective
11 implementation.
12     (i) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any
13 academic year, each recipient of a scholarship awarded under
14 the Illinois Future Teacher Corps Program this Section shall be
15 required by the Commission to sign an agreement under which the
16 recipient pledges that, within the one-year period following
17 the termination of the academic program for which the recipient
18 was awarded a scholarship, the recipient: (i) shall begin
19 teaching for a period of not less than 5 years, (ii) shall
20 fulfill this teaching obligation at a nonprofit Illinois
21 public, private, or parochial preschool or an Illinois public
22 elementary or secondary school, and (iii) shall, upon request
23 of the Commission, provide the Commission with evidence that he
24 or she is fulfilling or has fulfilled the terms of the teaching
25 agreement provided for in this subsection.
26     (j) If a recipient of a scholarship awarded under the

 

 

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1 Illinois Future Teacher Corps Program this Section fails to
2 fulfill the teaching obligation set forth in subsection (i) of
3 this Section, the Commission shall require the recipient to
4 repay the amount of the scholarships received, prorated
5 according to the fraction of the teaching obligation not
6 completed, plus interest at a rate of 5% and if applicable,
7 reasonable collection fees. The Commission is authorized to
8 establish rules relating to its collection activities for
9 repayment of scholarships under this Section. Payments
10 received by the Commission under this subsection (j) shall be
11 remitted to the State Comptroller for deposit into the General
12 Revenue Fund, except that that portion of a recipient's
13 repayment that equals the amount in expenses that the
14 Commission has reasonably incurred in attempting collection
15 from that recipient shall be remitted to the State Comptroller
16 for deposit into the Commission's Accounts Receivable Fund.
17     (k) A recipient of a scholarship awarded by the Commission
18 under the Illinois Future Teacher Corps Program this Section
19 shall not be in violation of the agreement entered into
20 pursuant to subsection (i) if the recipient (i) enrolls on a
21 full-time basis as a graduate student in a course of study
22 related to the field of teaching at an institution of higher
23 learning; (ii) is serving as a member of the armed services of
24 the United States; (iii) is temporarily totally disabled, as
25 established by sworn affidavit of a qualified physician; (iv)
26 is seeking and unable to find full-time employment as a teacher

 

 

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1 at a school that satisfies the criteria set forth in subsection
2 (i) and is able to provide evidence of that fact; (v) is taking
3 additional courses, on at least a half-time basis, needed to
4 obtain certification as a teacher in Illinois; or (vi) is
5 fulfilling teaching requirements associated with other
6 programs administered by the Commission and cannot
7 concurrently fulfill them under this Section in a period of
8 time equal to the length of the teaching obligation. Any such
9 extension of the period during which the teaching requirement
10 must be fulfilled shall be subject to limitations of duration
11 as established by the Commission.
12 (Source: P.A. 93-21, eff. 7-1-03; 94-133, eff. 7-7-05.)
 
13     Section 10. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended by
14 changing Section 3-648 as follows:
 
15     (625 ILCS 5/3-648)
16     Sec. 3-648. Education license plates.
17     (a) The Secretary, upon receipt of an application made in
18 the form prescribed by the Secretary, may issue special
19 registration plates designated as Education license plates.
20 The special plates issued under this Section shall be affixed
21 only to passenger vehicles of the first division and motor
22 vehicles of the second division weighing not more than 8,000
23 pounds. Plates issued under this Section shall expire according
24 to the multi-year procedure established by Section 3-414.1 of

 

 

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1 this Code.
2     (b) The design and color of the plates shall be determined
3 by a contest that every elementary school pupil in the State of
4 Illinois is eligible to enter. The designs submitted for the
5 contest shall be judged on September 30, 2002, and the winning
6 design shall be selected by a committee composed of the
7 Secretary, the Director of State Police, 2 members of the
8 Senate, one member chosen by the President of the Senate and
9 one member chosen by the Senate Minority Leader, and 2 members
10 of the House of Representatives, one member chosen by the
11 Speaker of the House and one member chosen by the House
12 Minority Leader. The Secretary may allow the plates to be
13 issued as vanity or personalized plates under Section 3-405.1
14 of the Code. The Secretary shall prescribe stickers or decals
15 as provided under Section 3-412 of this Code.
16     (c) An applicant for the special plate shall be charged a
17 $40 fee for original issuance, in addition to the appropriate
18 registration fee. Of this $40 additional original issuance fee,
19 $15 shall be deposited into the Secretary of State Special
20 License Plate Fund, to be used by the Secretary to help defray
21 the administrative processing costs, and $25 shall be deposited
22 into the Illinois Future Teacher Corps Scholarship Fund. For
23 each registration renewal period, a $40 fee, in addition to the
24 appropriate registration fee, shall be charged. Of this $40
25 additional renewal fee, $2 shall be deposited into the
26 Secretary of State Special License Plate Fund and $38 shall be

 

 

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1 deposited into the Illinois Future Teacher Corps Scholarship
2 Fund. Each fiscal year, once deposits from the additional
3 original issuance and renewal fees into the Secretary of State
4 Special License Plate Fund have reached $500,000, all the
5 amounts received for the additional fees for the balance of the
6 fiscal year shall be deposited into the Illinois Future Teacher
7 Corps Scholarship Fund.
8     (d) The Illinois Future Teacher Corps Scholarship Fund is
9 created as a special fund in the State treasury. Ninety-five
10 percent of the moneys in the Illinois Future Teacher Corps
11 Scholarship Fund shall be appropriated to the Illinois Student
12 Assistance Commission for scholarships under Section 52 of the
13 Higher Education Student Assistance Act, and 5% of the moneys
14 in the Illinois Future Teacher Corps Scholarship Fund shall be
15 appropriated to the State Board of Education for grants to the
16 Golden Apple Foundation for Excellence in Teaching, a
17 recognized charitable organization that meets the requirements
18 of Title 26, Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Code.
19 Notwithstanding the other provisions of this subsection (d),
20 beginning in the 2008 fiscal year, funds for the Illinois
21 Future Teacher Corps Program and the Golden Apple Foundation
22 for Excellence in Teaching shall be apportioned according to
23 Section 52 of the Higher Education Student Assistance Act.
24 (Source: P.A. 92-445, eff. 8-17-01; 92-651, eff. 7-11-02;
25 92-845, eff. 1-1-03; 93-21, eff. 7-1-03.)
 

 

 

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