95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
SB0313

 

Introduced 2/7/2007, by Sen. Edward D. Maloney

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
110 ILCS 205/9.07   from Ch. 144, par. 189.07
110 ILCS 947/35

    Amends the Board of Higher Education Act and the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Provides that if a State university determines that a student needs remedial coursework, then the university must require that the student complete the remedial coursework before pursuing his or her course of study. Provides that a student is not ineligible for Monetary Award Program consideration if (1) a State university that the student was enrolled at required that the student complete remedial coursework; (2) by subtracting the total number of semester credit hours, not to exceed 15 semester credit hours, of required remedial coursework that the student successfully completed and received award payments for, the student has received less than the equivalent of 135 semester credit hours of award payments; and (3) the student began his or her post-secondary course of study during the 2007-2008 academic year. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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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 Board of Higher Education Act is amended by
5 changing Section 9.07 as follows:
 
6     (110 ILCS 205/9.07)  (from Ch. 144, par. 189.07)
7     Sec. 9.07. Admission standards.
8     (a) Subject to the provisions of subsection (b), to
9 establish minimum admission standards for public community
10 colleges, colleges and state universities. However,
11 notwithstanding any other provision of this Section or any
12 other law of this State, the minimum admission standards
13 established by the Board shall not directly or indirectly
14 authorize or require a State college or university to
15 discriminate in the admissions process against an applicant for
16 admission because of the applicant's enrollment in a charter
17 school established under Article 27A of the School Code.
18 Admission standards for out-of-state students may be higher
19 than for Illinois residents.
20     (b) Implementation of the new statewide minimum admission
21 requirements and standards for public colleges and
22 universities in Illinois established and announced by the Board
23 in December, 1985 shall be deferred as provided in this

 

 

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1 subsection. The Board shall not attempt to implement or
2 otherwise effect adoption and establishment of those minimum
3 admission requirements and standards in any public community
4 college, college or State university prior to the fall of 1993,
5 and no public community college, college or State university
6 shall be under any duty or obligation to implement, establish
7 or otherwise apply those minimum admission requirements and
8 standards to any entering freshmen prior to the fall of 1993.
9 The Board of Higher Education shall provide the State
10 Superintendent of Education, on or before January 1, 1990,
11 descriptions of course content, and such other criteria as are
12 necessary to determine and certify whether all school districts
13 maintaining grades 9-12 are offering courses which satisfy the
14 minimum admission requirements and standards established and
15 announced by the Board. In addition, there shall be established
16 a 9 member committee composed of 3 members selected by the
17 Board of Higher Education, 3 members selected by the State
18 Superintendent of Education and 3 members selected by the
19 President of the Illinois Vocational Association. The
20 committee shall be appointed within 30 days after the effective
21 date of this amendatory Act. It shall be the duty and
22 responsibility of the committee to identify and develop courses
23 and curricula in the vocational education area which meet the
24 minimum admission requirements and standards to be established
25 and implemented under this Section. The first meeting of the
26 committee shall be called by the Executive Director of the

 

 

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1 Board of Higher Education within 10 days after the committee is
2 appointed. At its first meeting the committee shall organize
3 and elect a chairperson. The committee's report shall be
4 prepared and submitted by the committee to the Board of Higher
5 Education, the Illinois State Board of Education and the
6 General Assembly by April 1, 1989.
7     (c) By March 1, 1980, the Boards shall develop guidelines
8 which: (1) place the emphasis on postsecondary remedial
9 programs at Public Community Colleges and (2) reduces the role
10 of the state universities in offering remedial programs. By
11 June 30, 1981, the Board shall report to the General Assembly
12 the progress made toward this transition in the emphasis on
13 remedial programs at the postsecondary level and any
14 legislative action that it deems appropriate. Under the
15 guidelines, if a State university determines that a student
16 needs remedial coursework, then the university must require
17 that the student complete the remedial coursework before
18 pursuing his or her course of study.
19 (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96.)
 
20     Section 10. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is
21 amended by changing Section 35 as follows:
 
22     (110 ILCS 947/35)
23     Sec. 35. Monetary award program.
24     (a) The Commission shall, each year, receive and consider

 

 

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1 applications for grant assistance under this Section. Subject
2 to a separate appropriation for such purposes, an applicant is
3 eligible for a grant under this Section when the Commission
4 finds that the applicant:
5         (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or
6     permanent resident of the United States; and
7         (2) in the absence of grant assistance, will be
8     deterred by financial considerations from completing an
9     educational program at the qualified institution of his or
10     her choice.
11     (b) The Commission shall award renewals only upon the
12 student's application and upon the Commission's finding that
13 the applicant:
14         (1) has remained a student in good standing;
15         (2) remains a resident of this State; and
16         (3) is in a financial situation that continues to
17     warrant assistance.
18     (c) All grants shall be applicable only to tuition and
19 necessary fee costs. The Commission shall determine the grant
20 amount for each student, which shall not exceed the smallest of
21 the following amounts:
22         (1) $4,968, or such lesser amount as the Commission
23     finds to be available, during an academic year; or
24         (2) the amount which equals 2 semesters or 3 quarters
25     tuition and other necessary fees required generally by the
26     institution of all full-time undergraduate students; or

 

 

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1         (3) such amount as the Commission finds to be
2     appropriate in view of the applicant's financial
3     resources.
4 "Tuition and other necessary fees" as used in this Section
5 include the customary charge for instruction and use of
6 facilities in general, and the additional fixed fees charged
7 for specified purposes, which are required generally of
8 nongrant recipients for each academic period for which the
9 grant applicant actually enrolls, but do not include fees
10 payable only once or breakage fees and other contingent
11 deposits which are refundable in whole or in part. The
12 Commission may prescribe, by rule not inconsistent with this
13 Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of
14 tuition and other necessary fees.
15     (d) No applicant, including those presently receiving
16 scholarship assistance under this Act, is eligible for monetary
17 award program consideration under this Act after receiving a
18 baccalaureate degree or the equivalent of 135 semester credit
19 hours of award payments. However, a student is not ineligible
20 for monetary award program consideration under this subsection
21 (d) if all of the following apply:
22         (1) A State university that the student was enrolled at
23     required that the student complete remedial coursework.
24         (2) By subtracting the total number of semester credit
25     hours, not to exceed 15 semester credit hours, of required
26     remedial coursework that the student successfully

 

 

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1     completed and received award payments for, the student has
2     received less than the equivalent of 135 semester credit
3     hours of award payments.
4         (3) The student began his or her post-secondary course
5     of study during the 2007-2008 academic year.
6     (e) The Commission, in determining the number of grants to
7 be offered, shall take into consideration past experience with
8 the rate of grant funds unclaimed by recipients. The Commission
9 shall notify applicants that grant assistance is contingent
10 upon the availability of appropriated funds.
11     (f) The Commission may request appropriations for deposit
12 into the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund. Monies deposited
13 into the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund may be expended
14 exclusively for one purpose: to make Monetary Award Program
15 grants to eligible students. Amounts on deposit in the Monetary
16 Award Program Reserve Fund may not exceed 2% of the current
17 annual State appropriation for the Monetary Award Program.
18     The purpose of the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund is
19 to enable the Commission each year to assure as many students
20 as possible of their eligibility for a Monetary Award Program
21 grant and to do so before commencement of the academic year.
22 Moneys deposited in this Reserve Fund are intended to enhance
23 the Commission's management of the Monetary Award Program,
24 minimizing the necessity, magnitude, and frequency of
25 adjusting award amounts and ensuring that the annual Monetary
26 Award Program appropriation can be fully utilized.

 

 

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1     (g) The Commission shall determine the eligibility of and
2 make grants to applicants enrolled at qualified for-profit
3 institutions in accordance with the criteria set forth in this
4 Section. The eligibility of applicants enrolled at such
5 for-profit institutions shall be limited as follows:
6         (1) Beginning with the academic year 1997, only to
7     eligible first-time freshmen and first-time transfer
8     students who have attained an associate degree.
9         (2) Beginning with the academic year 1998, only to
10     eligible freshmen students, transfer students who have
11     attained an associate degree, and students who receive a
12     grant under paragraph (1) for the academic year 1997 and
13     whose grants are being renewed for the academic year 1998.
14         (3) Beginning with the academic year 1999, to all
15     eligible students.
16 (Source: P.A. 92-45, eff. 7-1-01; 93-1032, eff. 9-2-04.)
 
17     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
18 becoming law.