Bill Text: IL HB0302 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to establish and administer an adult vocational community college scholarship program. Provides that beginning with the 2020-2021 academic year, the Commission shall, each year, receive and consider applications for scholarships to community colleges for people over the age of 30 who have been unemployed and are actively searching for employment and who can identify the specific training certificate, credential, or associate degree that he or she is seeking to obtain. Allows applicants to re-apply for the scholarship if they can demonstrate continual progress toward the desired certificate, credential, or degree. Provides that scholarships shall not exceed $2,000 per recipient per academic year. Allows the Commission to establish appropriate applications and forms. Requires the Commission to adopt all necessary and proper rules to implement the program.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-29 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB0302 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-HB0302-Introduced.html

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101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2019 and 2020 HB0302 Introduced , by Rep. David McSweeney SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
110 ILCS 947/65.105 new
Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to establish and administer an adult vocational community college scholarship program. Provides that beginning with the 2020-2021 academic year, the Commission shall, each year, receive and consider applications for scholarships to community colleges for people over the age of 30 who have been unemployed and are actively searching for employment and who can identify the specific training certificate, credential, or associate degree that he or she is seeking to obtain. Allows applicants to re-apply for the scholarship if they can demonstrate continual progress toward the desired certificate, credential, or degree. Provides that scholarships shall not exceed $2,000 per recipient per academic year. Allows the Commission to establish appropriate applications and forms. Requires the Commission to adopt all necessary and proper rules to implement the program.
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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
A BILL FOR
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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 65.105 as follows:
(110 ILCS 947/65.105 new)
Sec. 65.105. Adult vocational community college
scholarship.
(a) The Commission shall, subject to appropriation,
establish and administer an adult vocational community college
scholarship program.
(b) Beginning with the 2020-2021 academic year, the
Commission shall, each year, receive and consider applications
for scholarships under this Section. An applicant is eligible
for a scholarship under this Section if the Commission finds
that the applicant meets all of the following qualifications:
(1) He or she is over the age of 30.
(2) He or she has been unemployed and is actively
searching for employment, including being enrolled on the
Department of Employment Security's job-search website for
at least 6 months prior to the date the application is
submitted by the applicant.
(3) He or she is enrolled or accepted for enrollment at

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his or her local community college organized under the
Public Community College Act.
(4) He or she can identify the specific training
certificate, credential, or associate degree that he or she
is seeking to obtain; the career that the certificate,
credential, or degree will help create; and how long it
will take the applicant to reach this goal.
Applicants may re-apply for the scholarship under this
Section if they can demonstrate continual progress, in terms of
grades and attendance, toward the desired certificate,
credential, or degree.
(c) The scholarship shall be sufficient to cover the cost
of tuition and fees to attend the community college, but in no
event shall the scholarship exceed $2,000 per scholarship
recipient per academic year.
The total amount of a scholarship awarded by the Commission
under this Section to an individual in any given fiscal year,
when added to other financial assistance awarded to that
individual for that year, shall not exceed the cost of
attendance at the community college at which the student is
enrolled.
(d) All applications for scholarships to be awarded under
this Section shall be made to the Commission in a form as set
forth by the Commission. The form of application and the
information required to be set forth in the application shall
be determined by the Commission, and the Commission shall

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require eligible applicants to submit with their applications
such supporting documents as the Commission deems necessary.
(e) Subject to a separate appropriation made for such
purposes, payment of any scholarships awarded under this
Section shall be determined by the Commission. All scholarship
funds distributed in accordance with this Section shall be paid
to the community college on behalf of the recipients.
Scholarship funds are applicable toward 2 semesters of
enrollment within an academic year. Up to 2% of the
appropriation for this scholarship program may be used by the
Commission for the costs of administering the scholarship
program.
(f) The Commission shall adopt all necessary and proper
rules not inconsistent with this Section for its effective
implementation.