Full Text of SB3397 103rd General Assembly
SB3397 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024 SB3397 Introduced 2/8/2024, by Sen. Celina Villanueva SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: | | 110 ILCS 947/10 | | 110 ILCS 947/35 | |
| Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Removes a for-profit educational organization from the definition of "institution of higher learning", "qualified institution", and "institution". Provides that an applicant is eligible for a Monetary Award Program grant, including renewals of such grant, if the applicant, among other requirements, is not attending a for-profit institution of higher education. Removes a provision allowing Monetary Award Program grants to be made to applicants enrolled at qualified for-profit institutions. Makes conforming changes. Effective July 1, 2025. |
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| | 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 Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | 5 | | amended by changing Sections 10 and 35 as follows: | 6 | | (110 ILCS 947/10) | 7 | | Sec. 10. Definitions. In this Act, and except to the | 8 | | extent that any of the following words or phrases is | 9 | | specifically qualified by its context: | 10 | | "Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance | 11 | | Commission created by this Act. | 12 | | "Enrollment" means the establishment and maintenance of an | 13 | | individual's status as a student in an institution of higher | 14 | | learning, regardless of the terms used at the institution to | 15 | | describe that status. | 16 | | "Approved high school" means any public high school | 17 | | located in this State; and any high school, located in this | 18 | | State or elsewhere (whether designated as a high school, | 19 | | secondary school, academy, preparatory school, or otherwise) | 20 | | which in the judgment of the State Superintendent of Education | 21 | | provides a course of instruction at the secondary level and | 22 | | maintains standards of instruction substantially equivalent to | 23 | | those of the public high schools located in this State. |
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| 1 | | "Institution of higher learning", "qualified institution", | 2 | | or "institution" means an educational organization located in | 3 | | this State which | 4 | | (1) provides at least an organized 2 year program of | 5 | | collegiate grade in the liberal arts or sciences, or both, | 6 | | directly applicable toward the attainment of a | 7 | | baccalaureate degree or a program in health education | 8 | | directly applicable toward the attainment of a | 9 | | certificate, diploma, or an associate degree; | 10 | | (2) either is | 11 | | (A) operated by this State, or | 12 | | (B) operated publicly or privately, not for | 13 | | profit, or | 14 | | (C) (blank); operated for profit, provided such | 15 | | for profit organization | 16 | | (i) offers degree programs which have been | 17 | | approved by the Board of Higher Education for a | 18 | | minimum of 3 years under the Academic Degree Act, | 19 | | and | 20 | | (ii) enrolls a majority of its students in | 21 | | such degree programs, and | 22 | | (iii) maintains an accredited status with the | 23 | | Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of | 24 | | the North Central Association of Colleges and | 25 | | Schools; | 26 | | (3) in the judgment of the Commission meets standards |
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| 1 | | substantially equivalent to those of comparable | 2 | | institutions operated by this State; and | 3 | | (4) if so required by the Commission, uses the State | 4 | | as its primary guarantor of student loans made under the | 5 | | federal Higher Education Act of 1965. | 6 | | For otherwise eligible educational organizations which provide | 7 | | academic programs for incarcerated students, the terms | 8 | | "institution of higher learning", "qualified institutions", | 9 | | and "institution" shall specifically exclude academic programs | 10 | | for incarcerated students. | 11 | | "Academic year" means a 12 month period of time, normally | 12 | | but not exclusively, from September 1 of any year through | 13 | | August 31 of the ensuing year. | 14 | | "Full-time student" means any undergraduate student | 15 | | enrolled in 12 or more semester or quarter hours of credit | 16 | | courses in any given semester or quarter or in the equivalent | 17 | | number of units of registration as determined by the | 18 | | Commission. | 19 | | "Part-time student" means any undergraduate student, other | 20 | | than a full-time student, enrolled in 6 or more semester or | 21 | | quarter hours of credit courses in any given semester or | 22 | | quarter or in the equivalent number of units of registration | 23 | | as determined by the Commission. Beginning with fiscal year | 24 | | 1999, the Commission may, on a program by program basis, | 25 | | expand this definition of "part-time student" to include | 26 | | students who enroll in less than 6 semester or quarter hours of |
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| 1 | | credit courses in any given semester or quarter. | 2 | | "Public university" means any public 4-year university in | 3 | | this State. | 4 | | "Public university campus" means any campus under the | 5 | | governance or supervision of a public university. | 6 | | (Source: P.A. 100-587, eff. 6-4-18; 100-1015, eff. 8-21-18.) | 7 | | (110 ILCS 947/35) | 8 | | Sec. 35. Monetary award program. | 9 | | (a) The Commission shall, each year, receive and consider | 10 | | applications for grant assistance under this Section. Subject | 11 | | to a separate appropriation for such purposes, an applicant is | 12 | | eligible for a grant under this Section when the Commission | 13 | | finds that the applicant: | 14 | | (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or | 15 | | permanent resident of the United States; | 16 | | (2) is enrolled or has been accepted for enrollment in | 17 | | a qualified institution for the purpose of obtaining a | 18 | | degree, certificate, or other credential offered by the | 19 | | institution, as applicable; and | 20 | | (3) in the absence of grant assistance, will be | 21 | | deterred by financial considerations from completing an | 22 | | educational program at the qualified institution of his or | 23 | | her choice ; and . | 24 | | (4) is not attending a for-profit institution of | 25 | | higher education. |
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| 1 | | (b) The Commission shall award renewals only upon the | 2 | | student's application and upon the Commission's finding that | 3 | | the applicant: | 4 | | (1) has remained a student in good standing; | 5 | | (2) remains a resident of this State; and | 6 | | (3) is in a financial situation that continues to | 7 | | warrant assistance ; and . | 8 | | (4) is not attending a for-profit institution of | 9 | | higher education. | 10 | | (c) All grants shall be applicable only to tuition and | 11 | | necessary fee costs. The Commission shall determine the grant | 12 | | amount for each student, which shall not exceed the smallest | 13 | | of the following amounts: | 14 | | (1) subject to appropriation, $5,468 for fiscal year | 15 | | 2009, $5,968 for fiscal year 2010, $6,468 for fiscal year | 16 | | 2011 and each fiscal year thereafter through fiscal year | 17 | | 2022, $8,508 for fiscal year 2023, and $10,896 for fiscal | 18 | | year 2024 and each fiscal year thereafter, or such lesser | 19 | | amount as the Commission finds to be available, during an | 20 | | academic year; | 21 | | (2) the amount which equals 2 semesters or 3 quarters | 22 | | tuition and other necessary fees required generally by the | 23 | | institution of all full-time undergraduate students; or | 24 | | (3) such amount as the Commission finds to be | 25 | | appropriate in view of the applicant's financial | 26 | | resources. |
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| 1 | | Subject to appropriation, the maximum grant amount for | 2 | | students not subject to subdivision (1) of this subsection (c) | 3 | | must be increased by the same percentage as any increase made | 4 | | by law to the maximum grant amount under subdivision (1) of | 5 | | this subsection (c). | 6 | | "Tuition and other necessary fees" as used in this Section | 7 | | include the customary charge for instruction and use of | 8 | | facilities in general, and the additional fixed fees charged | 9 | | for specified purposes, which are required generally of | 10 | | nongrant recipients for each academic period for which the | 11 | | grant applicant actually enrolls, but do not include fees | 12 | | payable only once or breakage fees and other contingent | 13 | | deposits which are refundable in whole or in part. The | 14 | | Commission may prescribe, by rule not inconsistent with this | 15 | | Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of | 16 | | tuition and other necessary fees. | 17 | | (d) No applicant, including those presently receiving | 18 | | scholarship assistance under this Act, is eligible for | 19 | | monetary award program consideration under this Act after | 20 | | receiving a baccalaureate degree or the equivalent of 135 | 21 | | semester credit hours of award payments. | 22 | | (d-5) In this subsection (d-5), "renewing applicant" means | 23 | | a student attending an institution of higher learning who | 24 | | received a Monetary Award Program grant during the prior | 25 | | academic year. Beginning with the processing of applications | 26 | | for the 2020-2021 academic year, the Commission shall annually |
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| 1 | | publish a priority deadline date for renewing applicants. | 2 | | Subject to appropriation, a renewing applicant who files by | 3 | | the published priority deadline date shall receive a grant if | 4 | | he or she continues to meet the eligibility requirements under | 5 | | this Section. A renewing applicant's failure to apply by the | 6 | | priority deadline date established under this subsection (d-5) | 7 | | shall not disqualify him or her from receiving a grant if | 8 | | sufficient funding is available to provide awards after that | 9 | | date. | 10 | | (e) The Commission, in determining the number of grants to | 11 | | be offered, shall take into consideration past experience with | 12 | | the rate of grant funds unclaimed by recipients. The | 13 | | Commission shall notify applicants that grant assistance is | 14 | | contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds. | 15 | | (e-5) The General Assembly finds and declares that it is | 16 | | an important purpose of the Monetary Award Program to | 17 | | facilitate access to college both for students who pursue | 18 | | postsecondary education immediately following high school and | 19 | | for those who pursue postsecondary education later in life, | 20 | | particularly Illinoisans who are dislocated workers with | 21 | | financial need and who are seeking to improve their economic | 22 | | position through education. For the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 | 23 | | academic years, the Commission shall give additional and | 24 | | specific consideration to the needs of dislocated workers with | 25 | | the intent of allowing applicants who are dislocated workers | 26 | | an opportunity to secure financial assistance even if applying |
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| 1 | | later than the general pool of applicants. The Commission's | 2 | | consideration shall include, in determining the number of | 3 | | grants to be offered, an estimate of the resources needed to | 4 | | serve dislocated workers who apply after the Commission | 5 | | initially suspends award announcements for the upcoming | 6 | | regular academic year, but prior to the beginning of that | 7 | | academic year. For the purposes of this subsection (e-5), a | 8 | | dislocated worker is defined as in the federal Workforce | 9 | | Innovation and Opportunity Act. | 10 | | (f) (Blank). | 11 | | (g) (Blank). The Commission shall determine the | 12 | | eligibility of and make grants to applicants enrolled at | 13 | | qualified for-profit institutions in accordance with the | 14 | | criteria set forth in this Section. The eligibility of | 15 | | applicants enrolled at such for-profit institutions shall be | 16 | | limited as follows: | 17 | | (1) Beginning with the academic year 1997, only to | 18 | | eligible first-time freshmen and first-time transfer | 19 | | students who have attained an associate degree. | 20 | | (2) Beginning with the academic year 1998, only to | 21 | | eligible freshmen students, transfer students who have | 22 | | attained an associate degree, and students who receive a | 23 | | grant under paragraph (1) for the academic year 1997 and | 24 | | whose grants are being renewed for the academic year 1998. | 25 | | (3) Beginning with the academic year 1999, to all | 26 | | eligible students. |
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| 1 | | (h) The Commission may award a grant to an eligible | 2 | | applicant enrolled at an Illinois public institution of higher | 3 | | learning in a program that will culminate in the award of an | 4 | | occupational or career and technical certificate as that term | 5 | | is defined in 23 Ill. Adm. Code 1501.301. | 6 | | (i) The Commission may adopt rules to implement this | 7 | | Section. | 8 | | (Source: P.A. 102-699, eff. 4-19-22; 103-8, eff. 6-7-23.) | 9 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, | 10 | | 2025. |
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