HB4406enr 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB4406 Enrolled LRB094 16250 NHT 51494 b

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is amended by adding Section 65.75 as follows:

(110 ILCS 947/65.75 new)

Sec. 65.75. Grant for a person raised by a grandparent.

(a) The Commission shall, each year, receive and consider applications for grant assistance under this Section. An applicant is eligible for a grant under this Section if the Commission finds that the applicant:

(1) has been in the legal custody of his or her grandparent and received public aid assistance under the Illinois Public Aid Code for a period of at least the consecutive 12 months preceding the initial application for assistance under this Section;

(2) has graduated from high school with a cumulative grade point average of at least a 2.7 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent;

(3) has been recommended for assistance under this Section by the principal or other appropriate administrative officer of his or her high school; and

(4) is enrolled in or plans to enroll in an institution of higher learning in this State full-time.

(b) Applicants who are determined to be eligible for assistance under this Section shall receive, subject to appropriation, a renewable grant of $1,000 to be applied to tuition and mandatory fees and paid directly to the institution of higher learning at which the applicant is enrolled. However, the total amount of assistance awarded by the Commission under this Section to an individual in any fiscal year, when added to other financial assistance awarded by the Commission to that individual for that fiscal year, must not exceed the cost of attendance at the institution of higher learning at which the student is enrolled.

(c) A grant awarded under this Section may be renewed for a total of up to 4 years of full-time enrollment. All of the following are conditions of grant renewal:

(1) The student must provide the Commission with a recommendation for the grant by an academic counselor, advisor, or instructor at the student's institution of higher learning.

(2) The student must have, at the time of renewal, a cumulative grade point average of at least a 2.7 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent at the institution of higher learning.

(d) The Commission shall make all necessary and proper rules not inconsistent with this Section for its effective implementation.