State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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[ Introduced ][ Enrolled ][ Senate Amendment 002 ]

91_HB0080eng

 
HB0080 Engrossed                              LRB9100386NTsbA

 1        AN  ACT  to amend the Higher Education Student Assistance
 2    Act by changing Section 30.

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

 5        Section  5.   The Higher Education Student Assistance Act
 6    is amended by changing Section 30 as follows:

 7        (110 ILCS 947/30)
 8        Sec. 30.  Merit recognition scholarship program.
 9        (a)  As used in this Section:
10             "Eligible  applicant"  means  a  student  from   any
11        approved  high  school  located  in  this State whose 7th
12        semester cumulative high school grade point average is at
13        or above the 90th 95th percentile  of  his  or  her  high
14        school  class,  or a student from any non-recognized high
15        school whose cumulative score on the ACT is at least 5  7
16        points  above  the  statewide mean average cumulative ACT
17        score as determined by the State Board of Education,  and
18        who   by   reason   thereof  is  entitled  to  apply  for
19        scholarships to be awarded under this Section.
20             "Qualified student" means a  person:   (i)  of  good
21        moral  character  who  is  a resident of this State and a
22        citizen or permanent resident of the United States,  (ii)
23        who,   as  an  eligible  applicant,  has  made  a  timely
24        application for a  merit  recognition  scholarship  under
25        this  Section,  (iii)  who has successfully completed the
26        program of instruction at any high school located in this
27        State, and (iv) who enrolls or is enrolled in a qualified
28        Illinois institution of  higher  learning  or  a  Service
29        Academy  as an undergraduate student or cadet and has not
30        received a baccalaureate degree.
31             "Merit  recognition  scholarship"  means  a   $1,000
 
HB0080 Engrossed            -2-               LRB9100386NTsbA
 1        academic scholarship awarded under this Section during an
 2        academic  year  to a qualified student, without regard to
 3        financial  need,  as  a  scholarship  to  any   qualified
 4        Illinois  institution  of  higher  learning  or a Service
 5        Academy in which that student is or will be  enrolled  as
 6        an undergraduate student or cadet.
 7             "Service  Academy" means the U.S. Air Force Academy,
 8        the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the U.S. Military  Academy,
 9        or the U.S. Naval Academy.
10        (b)  In order to identify, encourage, promote, and reward
11    the distinguished academic achievement of students from every
12    high  school  located  in  this State, each qualified student
13    shall be awarded  a  merit  recognition  scholarship  to  any
14    qualified  Illinois  institution of higher learning or to any
15    Service Academy.
16        (c)  No merit  recognition  scholarship  provided  for  a
17    qualified  student  under this Section shall be considered in
18    evaluating the financial situation of  that  student,  or  be
19    deemed  a financial resource of or a form of financial aid or
20    assistance to that student, for purposes of  determining  the
21    eligibility  of  the  student  for any scholarship, grant, or
22    monetary assistance awarded by the Commission, the  State  or
23    any  agency  thereof  pursuant to the provisions of any other
24    Section of this Act or any other law of this State; nor shall
25    any merit recognition scholarship provided  for  a  qualified
26    student   under   this  Section  reduce  the  amount  of  any
27    scholarship, grant, or monetary assistance which that student
28    is eligible to be awarded by the Commission,  the  State,  or
29    any  agency  thereof in accordance with the provisions of any
30    other Section of this Act or any other law of this State.
31        (d)  Each high school located in this State shall certify
32    to the Commission the names of its students who are  eligible
33    applicants,  specifying  which  of  the students certified as
34    eligible applicants have completed the program of instruction
 
HB0080 Engrossed            -3-               LRB9100386NTsbA
 1    at that high school and the graduation date fixed  for  their
 2    high  school  class,  and  specifying  for  each of the other
 3    eligible applicants whose names appear on  the  certification
 4    the  semester  of  high  school  last completed by them.  The
 5    Commission shall promptly notify those eligible applicants so
 6    certified who are reasonably assured  of  receiving  a  Merit
 7    Recognition Scholarship in accordance with the annual funding
 8    levels recommended in the Governor's Budget -- other than any
 9    eligible applicant named on any such certification who, as an
10    eligible  applicant,  has  previously made application to the
11    Commission for a merit  recognition  scholarship  under  this
12    Section  --  of  their eligibility to apply for a scholarship
13    under this Section. An otherwise eligible applicant who fails
14    to  make  a  timely  application  (as   determined   by   the
15    Commission)  for  a  merit recognition scholarship under this
16    Section shall no longer be deemed an eligible  applicant  and
17    shall  not  qualify  for  the  award of any merit recognition
18    scholarship.
19        (e)  All applications for merit recognition  scholarships
20    to  be  awarded  under  this  Section  shall  be  made to the
21    Commission on forms which the Commission  shall  provide  for
22    eligible  applicants.   The  form  of  applications  and  the
23    information  required  to  be  set  forth  therein  shall  be
24    determined  by  the  Commission,  and  the  Commission  shall
25    require eligible applicants to submit with their applications
26    such   supporting   documents   or   recommendations  as  the
27    Commission deems necessary.
28        (f)  Whenever an eligible applicant who has completed the
29    program of instruction at any high  school  located  in  this
30    State  thereafter  makes timely application to the Commission
31    for a merit recognition scholarship under this  Section,  the
32    Commission  shall  promptly  determine  whether that eligible
33    applicant is a qualified student as defined in subsection (a)
34    of this Section.  Each such eligible applicant so  determined
 
HB0080 Engrossed            -4-               LRB9100386NTsbA
 1    by  the  Commission  to  be  a  qualified  student  shall  be
 2    designated  as  such by the Commission and shall be awarded a
 3    merit  recognition  scholarship  in  the  amount  of  $1,000,
 4    effective during the academic year  following  the  qualified
 5    student's  high  school  graduation  or,  should  the General
 6    Assembly specifically so provide in  an  appropriation  under
 7    this Section, effective for a subsequent academic year.
 8        (g)  Subject  to a separate appropriation for purposes of
 9    this Section, payment of any  merit  recognition  scholarship
10    awarded  under  this  Section  shall  be  determined  by  the
11    Commission.   All scholarship funds distributed in accordance
12    with this subsection shall be paid to the qualified  Illinois
13    institution  of  higher  learning or Service Academy and used
14    only for payment of the educational expenses incurred by  the
15    student  in  connection  with  his  or  her  attendance as an
16    undergraduate student or cadet at that institution or Service
17    Academy, including but not limited to tuition and fees,  room
18    and  board,  books  and  supplies,  required  Service Academy
19    uniforms, and travel and personal  expenses  related  to  the
20    student's  attendance at that institution or Service Academy.
21    Any merit recognition scholarship awarded under this  Section
22    shall   be  applicable  to  2  semesters  or  3  quarters  of
23    enrollment.  Should  a  qualified   student   withdraw   from
24    enrollment  prior  to  completion  of  the first  semester or
25    quarter  for  which  the  merit  recognition  scholarship  is
26    applicable, the student shall refund to  the  Commission  the
27    full amount of the merit recognition scholarship.
28        (h)  The    Commission   shall   administer   the   merit
29    recognition  scholarship  aid  program  established  by  this
30    Section and shall make all necessary and  proper  rules,  not
31    inconsistent   with   this   Section,   for   its   effective
32    implementation.
33        (i)  When an appropriation to the Commission for purposes
34    of  this  Section  is insufficient to provide scholarships to
 
HB0080 Engrossed            -5-               LRB9100386NTsbA
 1    all qualified students, the  Commission  shall  allocate  the
 2    appropriation  in accordance with this subsection.   If funds
 3    are insufficient to provide all  qualified  students  with  a
 4    scholarship  as  authorized by subsection (f), the Commission
 5    shall allocate the  scholarships  to  qualified  students  in
 6    order  of decreasing percentile as determined by the eligible
 7    applicant's cumulative grade point  average, except that  the
 8    percentile    placement    of    qualified    students   from
 9    non-recognized high schools shall be determined  as  follows:
10    those  with a cumulative ACT score of 34 or above shall be in
11    the 99th percentile, those with a cumulative ACT  score  that
12    is  at  least  33  but  less  than  34  shall  be in the 98th
13    percentile, those with a cumulative  ACT  score  that  is  at
14    least  32  but  less than 33 shall be in the 97th percentile,
15    those with a cumulative ACT score that is  at  least  31  but
16    less  than 32 shall be in the 96th percentile, and those with
17    a cumulative ACT score that is at least 30 but less  than  31
18    shall  be in the 95th percentile, those with a cumulative ACT
19    score that is at least 29 but less than 30 shall  be  in  the
20    94th percentile, those with a cumulative ACT score that is at
21    least  28  but  less than 29 shall be in the 92nd percentile,
22    and those with a cumulative ACT score  that  is  at  least  5
23    points  above the statewide mean average cumulative ACT score
24    but less than 28 shall be in the  90th  7  points  above  the
25    statewide average cumulative ACT score but less than 31 shall
26    be   in   the   95th  percentile.     All  merit  recognition
27    scholarships shall be in the amount of $1,000.
28        (j)  The  Commission,  in  determining  the   number   of
29    scholarships  to be offered pursuant to subsection (i), shall
30    take into consideration past  experience  with  the  rate  of
31    scholarship  funds  unclaimed  by qualified students.  To the
32    extent necessary to avoid an  overcommitment  of  funds,  the
33    Commission may allocate scholarship funds on the basis of the
34    date the Commission receives a complete application form.
 
HB0080 Engrossed            -6-               LRB9100386NTsbA
 1        (k)  (Blank).
 2    (Source: P.A. 90-372, eff. 7-1-98; 90-728, eff. 1-1-99.)

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