Public Act 098-0805
 
HB4652 EnrolledLRB098 16800 KTG 55350 b

    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Children and Family Services Act is amended
by changing Section 8 as follows:
 
    (20 ILCS 505/8)  (from Ch. 23, par. 5008)
    Sec. 8. Scholarships and fee waivers. Each year the
Department shall select a minimum of 53 students (at least 4 of
whom shall be children of veterans) to receive scholarships and
fee waivers which will enable them to attend and complete their
post-secondary education at a community college, university,
or college. Youth shall be selected from among the youth for
whom the Department has court-ordered legal responsibility,
may select from among the youth under care, youth who aged out
of care at age 18 or older, or youth formerly under care who
have been adopted or who have been placed in private
guardianship. Recipients must or are in a guardianship
placement, a maximum of 48 students (at least 4 of whom shall
be children of veterans) who have earned a high school diploma
from an accredited institution, a General Education
Development certificate or diploma, or have met the State
criteria for high school graduation before the start of the
school year for which they are applying for the scholarship and
waiver. a public school district or a recognized nonpublic
school or a certificate of general education development (GED),
or who have met the State criteria for high school graduation ;
the youth selected shall be eligible for scholarships and fee
waivers which will entitle them to 4 consecutive years of
community college, university, or college education.
Scholarships and fee waivers shall be available to students for
at least 5 years, provided they are continuing to work toward
graduation. Unused scholarship dollars and fee waivers shall be
reallocated to new recipients. No later than January 1, 2015,
the Department shall promulgate rules identifying the criteria
for "continuing to work toward graduation", and for
reallocating unused scholarships and fee waivers. Selection
shall be made on the basis of several factors, including, but
not limited to, scholastic record, aptitude, and general
interest in higher education. The selection committee shall
include at least 2 individuals formerly under the care of the
Department who have completed their post-secondary education.
In accordance with this Act, tuition scholarships and fee
waivers shall be available to such students at any university
or college maintained by the State of Illinois. The Department
shall provide maintenance and school expenses, except tuition
and fees, during the academic years to supplement the students'
earnings or other resources so long as they consistently
maintain scholastic records which are acceptable to their
schools and to the Department. Students may attend other
colleges and universities, if scholarships are awarded them,
and receive the same benefits for maintenance and other
expenses as those students attending any Illinois State
community college, university, or college under this Section.
Beginning with recipients receiving scholarships and waivers
in August 2014, the Department shall collect data and report
annually to the General Assembly on measures of success
including (i) the number of youth applying for and receiving
scholarships, (ii) the percentage of scholarship recipients
who complete their college or university degree within 5 years,
(iii) the average length of time it takes for scholarship
recipients to complete their college or university degree, (iv)
the reasons that scholarship recipients are discharged or fail
to complete their college or university degree, (v) when
available youths' outcomes 5 years and 10 years after being
awarded the scholarships, and (vi) budget allocations for
maintenance and school expenses incurred by the Department.
(Source: P.A. 97-799, eff. 7-13-12.)

Effective Date: 1/1/2015