Public Act 093-1032
 		





SB1971 Enrolled
LRB093 08913 RCE 09145 b






    AN ACT relating to higher 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 changing Section 35 as follows:
 



    (110 ILCS 947/35)



    Sec. 35. Monetary award program. 

    (a) The Commission shall, each year, receive and consider 
applications
for grant assistance under this Section.  Subject 
to a separate
appropriation for such purposes, an applicant is 
eligible for a grant under
this Section when the Commission 
finds that the applicant:


        (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or 
    permanent resident
of the United States; and


        (2) in the absence of grant assistance, will be 
    deterred by
financial considerations from completing an 
    educational program at the
qualified institution of his or 
    her choice.

    (b) The Commission shall award renewals only upon the 
student's application
and upon the Commission's finding that 
the applicant:


        (1) has remained a student in good standing;


        (2) remains a resident of this State; and


        (3) is in a financial situation that continues to 
    warrant assistance.

    (c) All grants shall be applicable only to tuition and 
necessary fee costs.
for 2 semesters or 3 quarters in an 
academic year.  Requests for summer term
assistance will be made 
separately and shall be considered on an individual
basis 
according to Commission policy.   Each student who is
awarded a

grant under this Section and is enrolled in summer school 
classes shall be
eligible for a summer school grant.  The summer 
school grant amount shall not
exceed the lesser of 50 percent 
of the maximum annual grant amount authorized
by this Section 
or the actual cost of tuition and fees at the institution at

which the student is enrolled at least part-time.  For the

regular academic
year, The Commission shall determine the grant

amount for each full-time and part-time student, which shall 
not exceed
be the smallest of
the following amounts:


        (1) $4,968 for 2 semesters or 3 quarters of full-time

    undergraduate enrollment or $2,484 for 2 semesters or 3

    quarters of part-time undergraduate enrollment, or such 
    lesser amount as
the Commission finds to be available, 
    during an academic year; or


        (2) the amount which equals the 2 semesters or 3 
    quarters tuition
and other necessary fees required 
    generally by the institution of all
full-time 
    undergraduate students, or in the case of part-time 
    students
an amount of tuition and fees for 2 semesters or 3 
    quarters which shall
not exceed one-half the amount of 
    tuition and necessary fees generally
charged to full-time 
    undergraduate students by the institution; or


        (3) such amount as the Commission finds to be 
    appropriate in view of
the applicant's financial 
    resources.

"Tuition and other necessary fees" as used in this Section 
include the
customary charge for instruction and use of 
facilities in general, and the
additional fixed fees charged 
for specified purposes, which are required
generally of 
nongrant recipients for each academic period for which the 
grant
applicant actually enrolls, but do not include fees 
payable only once or
breakage fees and other contingent 
deposits which are refundable in whole or in
part.  The 
Commission may prescribe, by rule not inconsistent with this

Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of 
tuition and other
necessary fees.

    (d) No applicant, including those presently receiving 
scholarship
assistance under this Act, is eligible for monetary 
award program
consideration under this Act after receiving a 
baccalaureate degree or
the equivalent of 135 semester credit 
hours
10 semesters or 15 quarters of award payments.  The

Commission shall determine when award payments for part-time 
enrollment
or interim or summer terms shall be counted as a 
partial semester or
quarter of payment.

    (e) The Commission, in determining the number of grants to 
be offered,
shall take into consideration past experience with 
the rate of grant funds
unclaimed by recipients.  The Commission 
shall notify applicants that grant
assistance is contingent 
upon the availability of appropriated funds.

    (f) The Commission may request appropriations for deposit 
into the
Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund.  Monies deposited 
into the Monetary Award
Program Reserve Fund may be expended 
exclusively for one purpose: to make
Monetary Award Program 
grants to eligible students.  Amounts on deposit in the
Monetary 
Award Program Reserve Fund may not exceed 2% of the current 
annual
State appropriation for the Monetary Award Program.

    The purpose of the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund is 
to enable the
Commission each year to assure as many students 
as possible of their
eligibility for a Monetary Award Program 
grant and to do so before commencement
of the academic year.  
Moneys deposited in this Reserve Fund are intended to
enhance 
the Commission's management of the Monetary Award Program, 
minimizing
the necessity, magnitude, and frequency of 
adjusting award amounts and ensuring
that the annual Monetary 
Award Program appropriation can be fully utilized.

    (g) The Commission shall determine the eligibility of and 
make grants to
applicants enrolled at qualified for-profit 
institutions in accordance with the
criteria set forth in this 
Section.  The eligibility of applicants enrolled at
such 
for-profit institutions shall be limited as follows:


        (1) Beginning with the academic year 1997, only to 
    eligible first-time
freshmen and
first-time transfer 
    students who have attained an associate degree.


        (2) Beginning with the academic year 1998, only to 
    eligible freshmen
students,
transfer students who have 
    attained an associate degree, and students who
receive a 
    grant under paragraph (1) for the academic year 1997 and 
    whose grants
are being renewed for the academic year 1998.


        (3) Beginning with the academic year 1999, to all 
    eligible students.

(Source: P.A. 91-249, eff. 7-22-99; 91-250, eff. 7-22-99; 
91-357, eff.
7-29-99; 91-747, eff. 7-1-00; 92-45, eff. 7-1-01.)

 

    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 
2004.





Effective Date:  9/2/2004