Bill Text: IL HB0920 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the School Code. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2019, an individual who has not been entitled to teach in this State by an Illinois-approved educator preparation program and obtains an educator license under the Code may apply for a refund of the required application fee after 12 months of issuance and shall be issued a refund from the State Board of Education if the individual provides evidence that he or she has taught at a school district for at least 12 months. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-29 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB0920 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-HB0920-Introduced.html

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101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2019 and 2020 HB0920 Introduced , by Rep. LaToya Greenwood SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
105 ILCS 5/21B-40
Amends the School Code. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2019, an individual who has not been entitled to teach in this State by an Illinois-approved educator preparation program and obtains an educator license under the Code may apply for a refund of the required application fee after 12 months of issuance and shall be issued a refund from the State Board of Education if the individual provides evidence that he or she has taught at a school district for at least 12 months. Effective immediately.
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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 School Code is amended by changing Section
21B-40 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/21B-40)
Sec. 21B-40. Fees.
(a) Beginning with the start of the new licensure system
established pursuant to this Article, the following fees shall
be charged to applicants:
(1) A $100 application fee for a Professional Educator
License or an Educator License with Stipulations.
Beginning on July 1, 2018, the license renewal fee for an
Educator License with Stipulations with a paraprofessional
educator endorsement shall be $25.
(1.5) A $50 application fee for a Substitute Teaching
License. If the application for a Substitute Teaching
License is made and granted after July 1, 2017, the
licensee may apply for a refund of the application fee
within 18 months of issuance of the new license and shall
be issued that refund by the State Board of Education if
the licensee provides evidence to the State Board of
Education that the licensee has taught pursuant to the

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Substitute Teaching License at least 10 full school days
within one year of issuance.
(1.7) A $25 application fee for a Short-Term Substitute
Teaching License. The Short-Term Substitute Teaching
License must be registered in at least one region in this
State, but does not require a registration fee. The
licensee may apply for a refund of the application fee
within 18 months of issuance of the new license and shall
be issued that refund by the State Board of Education if
the licensee provides evidence to the State Board of
Education that the licensee has taught pursuant to the
Short-Term Substitute Teaching License at least 10 full
school days within one year of issuance.
(2) A $150 application fee for individuals who have not
been entitled by an Illinois-approved educator preparation
program at an Illinois institution of higher education and
are seeking any of the licenses set forth in subdivision
(1) of this subsection (a). Beginning July 1, 2019, a
licensee under this paragraph may apply for a refund of the
application fee after 12 months of issuance and shall be
issued that refund by the State Board of Education if the
licensee provides evidence to the State Board of Education
that he or she has taught at a school district for at least
12 months.
(3) A $50 application fee for each endorsement or
approval.

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(4) A $10 per year registration fee for the course of
the validity cycle to register the license, which shall be
paid to the regional office of education having supervision
and control over the school in which the individual holding
the license is to be employed. If the individual holding
the license is not yet employed, then the license may be
registered in any county in this State. The registration
fee must be paid in its entirety the first time the
individual registers the license for a particular validity
period in a single region. No additional fee may be charged
for that validity period should the individual
subsequently register the license in additional regions.
An individual must register the license (i) immediately
after initial issuance of the license and (ii) at the
beginning of each renewal cycle if the individual has
satisfied the renewal requirements required under this
Code.
Beginning on July 1, 2017, at the beginning of each
renewal cycle, individuals who hold a Substitute Teaching
License may apply for a reimbursement of the registration
fee within 18 months of renewal and shall be issued that
reimbursement by the State Board of Education from funds
appropriated for that purpose if the licensee provides
evidence to the State Board of Education that the licensee
has taught pursuant to the Substitute Teaching License at
least 10 full school days within one year of renewal.

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(b) All application fees paid pursuant to subdivisions (1)
through (3) of subsection (a) of this Section shall be
deposited into the Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving Fund and
shall be used, subject to appropriation, by the State Board of
Education to provide the technology and human resources
necessary for the timely and efficient processing of
applications and for the renewal of licenses. Funds available
from the Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving Fund may also be
used by the State Board of Education to support the recruitment
and retention of educators, to support educator preparation
programs as they seek national accreditation, and to provide
professional development aligned with the requirements set
forth in Section 21B-45 of this Code. A majority of the funds
in the Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving Fund must be dedicated
to the timely and efficient processing of applications and for
the renewal of licenses. The Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving
Fund is not subject to administrative charge transfers,
authorized under Section 8h of the State Finance Act, from the
Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving Fund into any other fund of
this State, and moneys in the Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving
Fund shall not revert back to the General Revenue Fund at any
time.
The regional superintendent of schools shall deposit the
registration fees paid pursuant to subdivision (4) of
subsection (a) of this Section into the institute fund
established pursuant to Section 3-11 of this Code.

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(c) The State Board of Education and each regional office
of education are authorized to charge a service or convenience
fee for the use of credit cards for the payment of license
fees. This service or convenience fee shall not exceed the
amount required by the credit card processing company or vendor
that has entered into a contract with the State Board or
regional office of education for this purpose, and the fee must
be paid to that company or vendor.
(d) If, at the time a certificate issued under Article 21
of this Code is exchanged for a license issued under this
Article, a person has paid registration fees for any years of
the validity period of the certificate and these years have not
expired when the certificate is exchanged, then those fees must
be applied to the registration of the new license.
(Source: P.A. 99-58, eff. 7-16-15; 99-920, eff. 1-6-17;
100-550, eff. 11-8-17; 100-596, eff. 7-1-18; 100-772, eff.
8-10-18; revised 10-1-18.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.