Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez

Filed: 4/19/2007

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 2201

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 2201 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4     "Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is
5 amended by adding Section 65.85 as follows:
 
6     (110 ILCS 947/65.85 new)
7     Sec. 65.85. Bilingual education teacher scholarship.
8     (a) The Commission shall, each year, receive and consider
9 applications for scholarship assistance under this Section. An
10 applicant is eligible for a scholarship under this Section if
11 the Commission finds that the applicant is:
12         (1) a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen;
13         (2) a resident of Illinois;
14         (3) a high school graduate or a person who has received
15     a General Educational Development Certificate;
16         (4) enrolled or accepted for enrollment, on at least a

 

 

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1     half-time basis, at an Illinois institution of higher
2     learning; and
3         (5) pursuing a postsecondary course of study leading to
4     initial certification or pursuing additional course work
5     needed to gain State Board of Education approval to teach
6     bilingual education, including alternative teacher
7     certification.
8     (b) Each scholarship awarded under this Section shall be in
9 an amount sufficient to pay the tuition and fees of the
10 institution of higher learning at which the recipient is
11 enrolled.
12     (c) The total amount of scholarship assistance awarded by
13 the Commission under this Section to an individual in any given
14 fiscal year, when added to other financial assistance awarded
15 to that individual for that year, shall not exceed the cost of
16 attendance at the institution of higher learning at which the
17 student is enrolled.
18     (d) A recipient may receive up to 8 semesters or 12
19 quarters of scholarship assistance under this Section.
20     (e) All applications for scholarship assistance to be
21 awarded under this Section shall be made to the Commission in a
22 form as set forth by the Commission. The form of application
23 and the information required to be set forth therein shall be
24 determined by the Commission, and the Commission shall require
25 eligible applicants to submit with their applications such
26 supporting documents as the Commission deems necessary.

 

 

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1     (f) Subject to a separate appropriation made for such
2 purposes, payment of any scholarship awarded under this Section
3 shall be determined by the Commission.
4     All scholarship funds distributed in accordance with this
5 Section shall be paid to the institution on behalf of the
6 recipients. Scholarship funds are applicable toward 2
7 semesters or 3 quarters of enrollment within an academic year.
8     (g) The Commission shall administer the scholarship
9 program established by this Section and shall make all
10 necessary and proper rules not inconsistent with this Section
11 for its effective implementation.
12     (h) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any
13 academic year, each recipient of a scholarship awarded under
14 this Section shall be required by the Commission to sign an
15 agreement under which the recipient pledges that, within the
16 one-year period following the termination of the academic
17 program for which the recipient was awarded a scholarship, the
18 recipient (i) shall begin teaching bilingual education for a
19 period of not less than the total number of years of
20 scholarship assistance received under this Section, (ii) shall
21 fulfill this teaching obligation at 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     (i) If a recipient of a scholarship awarded under this

 

 

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

 

 

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1 (h) of this Section and is able to provide evidence of that
2 fact; (v) is taking additional courses, on at least a half-time
3 basis, needed to obtain certification as a teacher in Illinois;
4 or (vi) is fulfilling teaching requirements associated with
5 other programs administered by the Commission and cannot
6 concurrently fulfill them under this Section in a period of
7 time equal to the length of the teaching obligation. Any such
8 extension of the period during which the teaching requirement
9 must be fulfilled shall be subject to limitations of duration
10 as established by the Commission.".