Bill Text: IL SB1592 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Engrossed
Bill Title: Amends the monetary award program provisions of the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Provides that if a recipient of a grant is not permitted to continue attending a higher education institution because he or she is not earning the minimum grades needed to continue to attend the institution, then that person may not attend another institution the following academic year if he or she wants to receive a renewal of the grant. Provides that after one academic year of non-attendance has passed, the person is entitled to renewal of the grant upon enrolling at another institution; makes related changes. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to request that the Illinois Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators make recommendations on possible changes to how the Commission determines the number of grants to be offered and to whom they are offered. Requires an institution to have a comprehensive advising program for students who are recipients of grants, and requires grant recipients to participate in an institution's advising program as a condition of receiving a grant; makes related changes. Requires institutions to provide specified information concerning grant recipients to the Commission, if requested, to demonstrate the value of the program and determine where improvements could be made; makes related changes.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Failed) 2015-01-13 - Session Sine Die [SB1592 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2013-SB1592-Engrossed.html
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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | ||||||
5 | amended by changing Sections 35 and 38 as follows:
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6 | (110 ILCS 947/35)
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7 | Sec. 35. Monetary award program.
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8 | (a) The Commission shall, each year, receive and consider | ||||||
9 | applications
for grant assistance under this Section. Subject | ||||||
10 | to a separate
appropriation for such purposes, an applicant is | ||||||
11 | eligible for a grant under
this Section when the Commission | ||||||
12 | finds that the applicant:
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13 | (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or | ||||||
14 | permanent resident
of the United States; and
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15 | (2) in the absence of grant assistance, will be | ||||||
16 | deterred by
financial considerations from completing an | ||||||
17 | educational program at the
qualified institution of his or | ||||||
18 | her choice.
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19 | (b) The Commission shall award renewals only upon the | ||||||
20 | student's application
and upon the Commission's finding that | ||||||
21 | the applicant:
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22 | (1) has remained a student in good standing;
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23 | (2) remains a resident of this State; and
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1 | (3) is in a financial situation that continues to | ||||||
2 | warrant assistance.
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3 | However, if a recipient of a grant under this Section is not | ||||||
4 | permitted to continue attending an institution because he or | ||||||
5 | she is not earning the minimum grades needed to continue to | ||||||
6 | attend the institution, then that person may not receive a | ||||||
7 | grant under this Section during the following academic year. | ||||||
8 | The Commission may adopt any rules necessary for the | ||||||
9 | enforcement of this prohibition. | ||||||
10 | (c) All grants shall be applicable only to tuition and | ||||||
11 | necessary fee costs. The Commission shall determine the grant
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12 | amount for each student, which shall not exceed the smallest of
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13 | the following amounts:
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14 | (1) subject to appropriation, $5,468 for fiscal year | ||||||
15 | 2009, $5,968 for fiscal year 2010, and $6,468 for fiscal | ||||||
16 | year 2011 and each fiscal year thereafter, or such lesser | ||||||
17 | amount as
the Commission finds to be available, during an | ||||||
18 | academic year;
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19 | (2) the amount which equals 2 semesters or 3 quarters | ||||||
20 | tuition
and other necessary fees required generally by the | ||||||
21 | institution of all
full-time undergraduate students; or
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22 | (3) such amount as the Commission finds to be | ||||||
23 | appropriate in view of
the applicant's financial | ||||||
24 | resources.
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25 | Subject to appropriation, the maximum grant amount for | ||||||
26 | students not subject to subdivision (1) of this subsection (c) |
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1 | must be increased by the same percentage as any increase made | ||||||
2 | by law to the maximum grant amount under subdivision (1) of | ||||||
3 | this subsection (c). | ||||||
4 | "Tuition and other necessary fees" as used in this Section | ||||||
5 | include the
customary charge for instruction and use of | ||||||
6 | facilities in general, and the
additional fixed fees charged | ||||||
7 | for specified purposes, which are required
generally of | ||||||
8 | nongrant recipients for each academic period for which the | ||||||
9 | grant
applicant actually enrolls, but do not include fees | ||||||
10 | payable only once or
breakage fees and other contingent | ||||||
11 | deposits which are refundable in whole or in
part. The | ||||||
12 | Commission may prescribe, by rule not inconsistent with this
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13 | Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of | ||||||
14 | tuition and other
necessary fees.
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15 | (d) No applicant, including those presently receiving | ||||||
16 | scholarship
assistance under this Act, is eligible for monetary | ||||||
17 | award program
consideration under this Act after receiving a | ||||||
18 | baccalaureate degree or
the equivalent of 135 semester credit | ||||||
19 | hours of award payments.
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20 | (e) The Commission, in determining the number of grants to | ||||||
21 | be offered,
shall take into consideration past experience with | ||||||
22 | the rate of grant funds
unclaimed by recipients. The Commission | ||||||
23 | shall notify applicants that grant
assistance is contingent | ||||||
24 | upon the availability of appropriated funds.
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25 | The Commission shall request that the Illinois Association | ||||||
26 | of Student Financial Aid Administrators, or a committee |
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1 | designated by this association from among its membership, make | ||||||
2 | recommendations on possible changes to how the Commission | ||||||
3 | determines the number of grants to be offered and to whom they | ||||||
4 | are offered. | ||||||
5 | (f) The Commission may request appropriations for deposit | ||||||
6 | into the
Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund. Monies deposited | ||||||
7 | into the Monetary Award
Program Reserve Fund may be expended | ||||||
8 | exclusively for one purpose: to make
Monetary Award Program | ||||||
9 | grants to eligible students. Amounts on deposit in the
Monetary | ||||||
10 | Award Program Reserve Fund may not exceed 2% of the current | ||||||
11 | annual
State appropriation for the Monetary Award Program.
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12 | The purpose of the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund is | ||||||
13 | to enable the
Commission each year to assure as many students | ||||||
14 | as possible of their
eligibility for a Monetary Award Program | ||||||
15 | grant and to do so before commencement
of the academic year. | ||||||
16 | Moneys deposited in this Reserve Fund are intended to
enhance | ||||||
17 | the Commission's management of the Monetary Award Program, | ||||||
18 | minimizing
the necessity, magnitude, and frequency of | ||||||
19 | adjusting award amounts and ensuring
that the annual Monetary | ||||||
20 | Award Program appropriation can be fully utilized.
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21 | (g) The Commission shall determine the eligibility of and | ||||||
22 | make grants to
applicants enrolled at qualified for-profit | ||||||
23 | institutions in accordance with the
criteria set forth in this | ||||||
24 | Section. The eligibility of applicants enrolled at
such | ||||||
25 | for-profit institutions shall be limited as follows:
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26 | (1) Beginning with the academic year 1997, only to |
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1 | eligible first-time
freshmen and
first-time transfer | ||||||
2 | students who have attained an associate degree.
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3 | (2) Beginning with the academic year 1998, only to | ||||||
4 | eligible freshmen
students,
transfer students who have | ||||||
5 | attained an associate degree, and students who
receive a | ||||||
6 | grant under paragraph (1) for the academic year 1997 and | ||||||
7 | whose grants
are being renewed for the academic year 1998.
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8 | (3) Beginning with the academic year 1999, to all | ||||||
9 | eligible students.
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10 | (Source: P.A. 95-917, eff. 8-26-08 .)
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11 | (110 ILCS 947/38)
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12 | Sec. 38.
Monetary award
program accountability. | ||||||
13 | (a) The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is directed
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14 | to assess the educational persistence of monetary award program | ||||||
15 | recipients. An
assessment under this Section shall include an | ||||||
16 | analysis of such factors as
undergraduate educational goals, | ||||||
17 | chosen field of study, retention rates, and
expected time to | ||||||
18 | complete a degree. The assessment also shall include an
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19 | analysis of the academic success of monetary award program | ||||||
20 | recipients through a
review of measures that are typically | ||||||
21 | associated with academic success, such as
grade point average, | ||||||
22 | satisfactory academic progress, and credit hours earned.
Each | ||||||
23 | analysis should take into consideration student class level, | ||||||
24 | dependency
types, and the type of higher education institution | ||||||
25 | at which each monetary
award
program recipient is enrolled. The |
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1 | Commission shall report its findings to the
General Assembly | ||||||
2 | and the Board of Higher Education by February 1, 1999 and at
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3 | least every 2 years thereafter.
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4 | (b) To demonstrate the value of the monetary award program | ||||||
5 | and determine where improvements could be made, institutions | ||||||
6 | shall provide information concerning grant recipients to the | ||||||
7 | Commission if requested, including without limitation the | ||||||
8 | following: | ||||||
9 | (1) Completion and graduation rates. | ||||||
10 | (2) Courses attempted versus courses completed. | ||||||
11 | (3) The number of remedial courses undertaken, the | ||||||
12 | names of these courses, and the success rate of these | ||||||
13 | courses. | ||||||
14 | (4) Chosen fields of study. | ||||||
15 | (5) The receipt of institutional financial aid, how | ||||||
16 | much of that aid is merit-only aid, how much is need-based | ||||||
17 | aid, and how this aid dovetails with State and federal | ||||||
18 | financial aid. | ||||||
19 | The Commission may consult with the Illinois Association of | ||||||
20 | Student Financial Aid Administrators to develop guidelines for | ||||||
21 | the information to be provided under this subsection (b). | ||||||
22 | Each year, the Commission shall compile the information | ||||||
23 | provided under this subsection (b) in a report to be submitted | ||||||
24 | to the General Assembly and the Governor. | ||||||
25 | (Source: P.A. 90-486, eff. 8-17-97; 90-488, eff. 8-17-97.)
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