Full Text of SB2756 93rd General Assembly
SB2756enr 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| AN ACT concerning education.
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| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| represented in the General Assembly:
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| Section 5. The Nursing Education Scholarship Law is amended | 5 |
| by changing Sections 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 as follows:
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| (110 ILCS 975/2) (from Ch. 144, par. 2752)
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| Sec. 2. Legislative finding and declaration of policy. The | 8 |
| General Assembly finds and hereby declares that the provision | 9 |
| of a
higher education leading to an associate degree in | 10 |
| nursing, an
associate
degree in applied sciences in nursing, a | 11 |
| hospital-based diploma
in nursing, a
baccalaureate degree in | 12 |
| nursing, a graduate degree in nursing, or a certificate in | 13 |
| practical nursing for
persons of this State
who desire such an | 14 |
| education is important to the health, welfare and
security of | 15 |
| this State and Nation, and consequently is an important public
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| purpose. Many qualified and potential nurses
are deterred by | 17 |
| financial considerations from pursuing their nursing
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| education, with consequent irreparable loss to the State and | 19 |
| Nation of
talents vital to health, welfare and security. A | 20 |
| system of scholarships,
repayment of which may be excused if | 21 |
| the individual is employed as a
registered professional
nurse | 22 |
| or a licensed practical nurse after
obtaining an associate | 23 |
| degree in
nursing, associate degree in applied sciences in | 24 |
| nursing, hospital-based
diploma in nursing, baccalaureate | 25 |
| degree in nursing, graduate degree in nursing, or certificate
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| in practical nursing, will enable such individuals
to attend | 27 |
| approved institutions of their choice in the State,
public or
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| private.
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| (Source: P.A. 92-43, eff. 1-1-02.)
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| (110 ILCS 975/3) (from Ch. 144, par. 2753)
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| Sec. 3. Definitions.
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| The following terms, whenever used or referred to, have the | 2 |
| following
meanings except where the context clearly indicates | 3 |
| otherwise:
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| (1) "Board" means the Board of Higher Education created by | 5 |
| the Board
of Higher Education Act.
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| (2) "Department" means the Illinois Department of Public | 7 |
| Health.
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| (3) "Approved institution" means a public community | 9 |
| college, private
junior college, hospital-based diploma in | 10 |
| nursing
program, or public or private
college or university | 11 |
| located in this State that has approval by the Department of | 12 |
| Professional
Regulation for an associate degree in nursing
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| program,
associate degree in applied
sciences in nursing | 14 |
| program, hospital-based diploma in nursing
program,
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| baccalaureate degree in nursing program, graduate degree in | 16 |
| nursing program, or
certificate in practical
nursing program.
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| (4) "Baccalaureate degree in nursing program" means a | 18 |
| program offered by
an
approved institution and leading to a | 19 |
| bachelor of science degree in nursing.
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| (5) "Enrollment" means the establishment and maintenance | 21 |
| of an
individual's status as a student in an approved | 22 |
| institution, regardless of
the terms used at the institution to | 23 |
| describe such status.
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| (6) "Academic year" means the period of time from September | 25 |
| 1 of one
year through August 31 of the next year or as | 26 |
| otherwise defined by the
academic institution.
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| (7) "Associate degree in nursing program or hospital-based | 28 |
| diploma in
nursing program" means a program
offered by an | 29 |
| approved institution and leading to an associate
degree in
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| nursing, associate degree in applied sciences in nursing, or
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| hospital-based diploma in nursing.
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| (8) "Graduate degree in nursing program" means a program | 33 |
| offered by an approved institution and leading to a master of | 34 |
| science degree in nursing or a doctorate of philosophy or | 35 |
| doctorate of nursing degree in nursing.
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| (9)
(8) "Director" means the Director of the Illinois |
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| Department of Public
Health.
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| (10)
(9) "Accepted for admission" means a student has | 3 |
| completed the
requirements for entry into an associate degree | 4 |
| in nursing program,
associate degree in applied sciences in | 5 |
| nursing program, hospital-based
diploma in nursing program,
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| baccalaureate degree in nursing program, graduate degree in | 7 |
| nursing program, or
certificate in practical nursing program at | 8 |
| an approved institution, as
documented by the
institution.
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| (11)
(10) "Fees" means those mandatory charges, in addition | 10 |
| to tuition, that
all enrolled students must pay, including | 11 |
| required course or lab fees.
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| (12)
(11) "Full-time student" means a student enrolled for | 13 |
| at least 12 hours
per
term or as otherwise determined by the | 14 |
| academic institution.
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| (13)
(12) "Law" means the Nursing Education Scholarship | 16 |
| Law.
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| (14)
(13) "Nursing employment obligation" means employment | 18 |
| in this State as a
registered
professional
nurse or licensed | 19 |
| practical nurse in direct patient care
or as a nurse educator | 20 |
| in the case of a graduate degree in nursing program recipient | 21 |
| for at least one year for each year of scholarship assistance | 22 |
| received through
the Nursing
Education Scholarship Program.
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| (15)
(14) "Part-time student" means a person who is | 24 |
| enrolled for at least
one-third of the number of hours required | 25 |
| per term by a school for its
full-time students.
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| (16)
(15) "Practical nursing program" means a program | 27 |
| offered by an approved
institution leading to a certificate in | 28 |
| practical nursing.
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| (17)
(16) "Registered professional nurse" means a
person | 30 |
| who is currently licensed as a registered professional nurse
by | 31 |
| the Department of Professional
Regulation under the Nursing and | 32 |
| Advanced Practice Nursing Act.
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| (18)
(17) "Licensed practical nurse" means a
person who is | 34 |
| currently licensed as a licensed practical nurse
by the | 35 |
| Department of Professional
Regulation under the Nursing and | 36 |
| Advanced Practice Nursing Act.
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| (19)
(18) "School term" means an academic term, such as a | 2 |
| semester, quarter,
trimester, or number of clock hours, as | 3 |
| defined by an approved institution.
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| (20)
(19) "Student in good standing" means a student | 5 |
| maintaining a cumulative
grade point average equivalent to at | 6 |
| least the academic grade of a "C".
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| (21)
(20) "Total and permanent disability" means a physical | 8 |
| or mental impairment,
disease, or loss of a permanent nature | 9 |
| that prevents nursing employment with or
without reasonable | 10 |
| accommodation. Proof of disability shall be a declaration
from | 11 |
| the social security administration, Illinois Industrial | 12 |
| Commission,
Department of Defense, or an insurer authorized to | 13 |
| transact business in
Illinois who is providing disability | 14 |
| insurance coverage to a contractor.
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| (22)
(21) "Tuition" means the established charges of an | 16 |
| institution of higher
learning for instruction at that | 17 |
| institution.
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| (23) "Nurse educator" means a person who is currently | 19 |
| licensed as a registered nurse by the Department of | 20 |
| Professional Regulation under the Nursing and Advanced | 21 |
| Practice Nursing Act, who has a graduate degree in nursing, and | 22 |
| who is employed by an approved academic institution to educate | 23 |
| registered nursing students, licensed practical nursing | 24 |
| students, and registered nurses pursuing graduate degrees.
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| (Source: P.A. 92-43, eff. 1-1-02.)
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| (110 ILCS 975/5) (from Ch. 144, par. 2755)
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| Sec. 5. Nursing education undergraduate scholarships. | 28 |
| Beginning with the fall term of the 2004-2005
2002-2003
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| academic year, the
Department, in accordance with rules and | 30 |
| regulations promulgated by it for this
program, shall provide | 31 |
| scholarships to individuals selected
from among those | 32 |
| applicants who qualify for consideration by showing:
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| (1) that he or she has been a resident of this State | 34 |
| for at least one
year prior to application, and is a | 35 |
| citizen or a lawful permanent resident
alien of the United |
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| States;
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| (2) that he or she is enrolled in or accepted for | 3 |
| admission to an associate degree in
nursing program, | 4 |
| hospital-based
diploma in nursing program, baccalaureate | 5 |
| degree
in nursing program, graduate degree in nursing | 6 |
| program, or practical nursing program at an approved
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| institution; and
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| (3) that he or she agrees to meet the nursing | 9 |
| employment obligation.
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| If in any year the number of qualified applicants exceeds | 11 |
| the number of
scholarships to be awarded, the Department shall | 12 |
| give priority in awarding
scholarships : | 13 |
| (A) To
to students in the greatest financial need, | 14 |
| as shown on a
standardized financial needs assessment | 15 |
| form used by an approved
institution who will pursue | 16 |
| their education on a full-time or closest to
full-time
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| basis and who already have a certificate in practical | 18 |
| nursing, a diploma
in nursing, or an associate degree | 19 |
| in nursing and are pursuing a higher
degree.
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| (B) To registered nurses pursuing a graduate | 21 |
| degree in nursing to pursue employment in an approved | 22 |
| institution that educates licensed practical nurses | 23 |
| and that educates registered nurses in undergraduate | 24 |
| and graduate nursing programs.
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| Unless otherwise indicated, scholarships shall be awarded | 26 |
| to
recipients at approved institutions for a period
of up to 2 | 27 |
| years if the recipient is enrolled in an
associate degree in
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| nursing
program, up to 3 years if the recipient is enrolled in | 29 |
| a hospital-based
diploma in nursing program, up to 4 years if | 30 |
| the recipient is enrolled in a
baccalaureate degree in nursing | 31 |
| program, up to 5 years if the recipient is enrolled in a | 32 |
| graduate degree in nursing program, and up to one year if the
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| recipient is enrolled in a certificate in practical nursing | 34 |
| program. At least
40%
50% of the scholarships awarded shall be | 35 |
| for recipients who are
pursuing baccalaureate degrees in | 36 |
| nursing, 30%
40% of the scholarships
awarded shall be for |
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| recipients who are pursuing associate degrees in
nursing
or a | 2 |
| diploma in nursing, and 10% of the scholarships awarded
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| be for recipients who are pursuing a certificate in practical | 4 |
| nursing , and 20% of the scholarships awarded shall be for | 5 |
| recipients who are pursuing a graduate degree in nursing .
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| (Source: P.A. 92-43, eff. 1-1-02.)
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| (110 ILCS 975/6) (from Ch. 144, par. 2756)
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| Sec. 6. Nursing requirements for scholarship recipients. | 9 |
| Within 12 months after graduation from an associate degree in
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| nursing program, hospital-based diploma in nursing
program,
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| baccalaureate degree in nursing program, graduate degree in | 12 |
| nursing program, or
certificate in practical nursing program, | 13 |
| any
recipient who accepted a
scholarship under Section 5 shall | 14 |
| begin meeting the required nursing
employment obligation. In | 15 |
| order to defer his
or her continuous employment obligation, a | 16 |
| recipient must
request the deferment in writing from the | 17 |
| Department.
A recipient shall notify program staff within 30 | 18 |
| days if he or she
spends up to 4 years in military service | 19 |
| before or after graduation. A
recipient shall notify program | 20 |
| staff within 30 days if he or she is enrolled in
an academic
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| program leading to a graduate degree in nursing. If a recipient | 22 |
| receives
funding through the Nursing Education Scholarship | 23 |
| Program for a higher degree,
the nursing employment obligation | 24 |
| shall be deferred until he or she is no
longer
enrolled or has | 25 |
| graduated. The recipient must begin meeting the required
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| nursing employment obligations no later than 6 months after the | 27 |
| end of the
deferments.
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| Any person who fails to fulfill the nursing employment | 29 |
| obligation shall
pay to the Department an amount equal to the | 30 |
| amount of scholarship funds
received per year for each | 31 |
| unfulfilled year of the nursing employment
obligation, | 32 |
| together with interest at 7% per year on the
unpaid balance.
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| Payment must begin within 6 months following the date of the | 34 |
| occurrence
initiating the
repayment. All repayments must be | 35 |
| completed within 6 years from the date of
the
occurrence |
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| initiating the repayment. However, this obligation may be
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| deferred and re-evaluated every 6 months when the failure to | 3 |
| fulfill the
nursing employment
obligation results
from | 4 |
| involuntarily leaving the profession due to a decrease in the | 5 |
| number
of nurses employed in the State or when the failure to | 6 |
| fulfill the nursing
employment obligation results from total | 7 |
| and permanent disability. The
repayment obligation shall be | 8 |
| excused if the failure to fulfill the nursing
employment | 9 |
| obligation results from the death or adjudication as
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| incompetent of the person holding the scholarship. No claim for | 11 |
| repayment
may be filed against the estate of such a decedent or | 12 |
| incompetent.
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| Each person applying for such a scholarship shall be | 14 |
| provided with a copy
of this Section at the time of application | 15 |
| for the
benefits of such
scholarship.
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| (Source: P.A. 92-43, eff. 1-1-02.)
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| (110 ILCS 975/7) (from Ch. 144, par. 2757)
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| Sec. 7. Amount of scholarships. To determine a scholarship
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| amount, the Department shall consider tuition and fee charges | 20 |
| at
community colleges and universities statewide and projected | 21 |
| living
expenses. Using information provided annually by the | 22 |
| Illinois Student
Assistance Commission, 75% of the weighted | 23 |
| tuition and fees charged by
community colleges in Illinois | 24 |
| shall be added to the uniform living
allowance reported in the | 25 |
| weighted Monetary Award Program (MAP)
budget to determine the | 26 |
| full-time scholarship amount for students
pursuing an | 27 |
| associate degree or diploma in nursing at an Illinois
community | 28 |
| college. Scholarship amounts for students pursuing
associate ,
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| or baccalaureate , or graduate degrees in nursing at a college | 30 |
| or university shall
include 75% of the
weighted tuition and | 31 |
| fees charged by public universities in Illinois plus
the | 32 |
| uniform living allowance reported in the weighted MAP budget.
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| Scholarship amounts for students in practical nursing programs | 34 |
| shall
include 75% of the average of tuition charges at all | 35 |
| practical nursing
programs plus the uniform living allowance |
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| reported in the weighted MAP
budget. The
Department may provide | 2 |
| that scholarships shall be on a quarterly or
semi-annual basis | 3 |
| and shall be contingent upon the student's diligently
pursuing | 4 |
| nursing studies and being a student in good
standing. | 5 |
| Scholarship awards may be provided to part-time students; the
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| amount shall be determined by applying the proportion | 7 |
| represented by the
part-time enrollment to full-time | 8 |
| enrollment ratio to the average per-term
scholarship amount for | 9 |
| a student in the same nursing degree category.
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| (Source: P.A. 92-43, eff. 1-1-02.)
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