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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 10 and 35 as follows:
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| 6 | (110 ILCS 947/10)
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| 7 | Sec. 10. Definitions. In this Act, and except to the | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | extent that any of the
following words or phrases is | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | specifically qualified by its context:
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| 10 | "Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Commission created by this
Act.
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| 12 | "Enrollment" means the establishment and maintenance of an | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 | individual's
status as a student in an institution of higher | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | learning, regardless of the
terms used at the institution to | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | describe that status.
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| 16 | "Approved high school" means any public high school | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 | located in this
State; and any high school, located in this | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | State or elsewhere (whether
designated as a high school, | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | secondary school, academy, preparatory school,
or otherwise) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 | which in the judgment of the State Superintendent of
Education | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | provides a course of instruction at the secondary level and | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 | maintains
standards of instruction substantially equivalent to | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 | those of the public high
schools located in this State.
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| 1 | "Institution of higher learning", "qualified institution", | ||||||
| 2 | or "institution"
means an educational organization located in | ||||||
| 3 | this State which
| ||||||
| 4 | (1) provides
at least an organized 2 year program of | ||||||
| 5 | collegiate grade in the liberal arts or
sciences, or both, | ||||||
| 6 | directly applicable toward the attainment of a | ||||||
| 7 | baccalaureate
degree or a program in health
education
| ||||||
| 8 | directly applicable toward the attainment of a | ||||||
| 9 | certificate, diploma, or an
associate degree;
| ||||||
| 10 | (2) either is
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| 11 | (A) operated by this State, or
| ||||||
| 12 | (B) operated
publicly or privately, not for | ||||||
| 13 | profit, or
| ||||||
| 14 | (C) (blank); operated for profit, provided such | ||||||
| 15 | for profit organization
| ||||||
| 16 | (i) offers degree programs which have been | ||||||
| 17 | approved by the Board of
Higher Education for a | ||||||
| 18 | minimum of 3 years under the Academic Degree Act, | ||||||
| 19 | and
| ||||||
| 20 | (ii) enrolls a majority of its students in | ||||||
| 21 | such degree programs, and
| ||||||
| 22 | (iii) maintains an accredited status with the | ||||||
| 23 | Commission on
Institutions of Higher Education of | ||||||
| 24 | the North Central Association of Colleges
and | ||||||
| 25 | Schools;
| ||||||
| 26 | (3) in the judgment of the Commission
meets standards | ||||||
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| 1 | substantially equivalent to those of comparable | ||||||
| 2 | institutions
operated by this State; and
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| 3 | (4) if so required by the Commission, uses the
State | ||||||
| 4 | as its primary guarantor of student loans made under the | ||||||
| 5 | federal Higher
Education Act of 1965.
| ||||||
| 6 | For otherwise eligible educational organizations which
provide | ||||||
| 7 | academic programs for incarcerated students, the terms | ||||||
| 8 | "institution of
higher learning", "qualified institutions", | ||||||
| 9 | and "institution" shall
specifically exclude academic programs | ||||||
| 10 | for incarcerated students.
| ||||||
| 11 | "Academic year" means a 12 month period of time, normally | ||||||
| 12 | but not
exclusively, from September 1 of any year through | ||||||
| 13 | August 31 of the ensuing
year.
| ||||||
| 14 | "Full-time student" means any undergraduate student | ||||||
| 15 | enrolled in 12 or
more semester or quarter hours of credit | ||||||
| 16 | courses in any given semester or
quarter or in the equivalent | ||||||
| 17 | number of units of registration as determined
by the | ||||||
| 18 | Commission.
| ||||||
| 19 | "Part-time student" means any undergraduate student, other | ||||||
| 20 | than a
full-time student, enrolled in 6 or more semester or | ||||||
| 21 | quarter hours of
credit courses in any given semester or | ||||||
| 22 | quarter or in the equivalent number
of units of registration | ||||||
| 23 | as determined by the Commission. Beginning with
fiscal year | ||||||
| 24 | 1999, the Commission may, on a program by program basis, | ||||||
| 25 | expand
this definition of "part-time student" to include | ||||||
| 26 | students who enroll in less
than 6 semester or quarter hours of | ||||||
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| 1 | credit courses in any given semester or
quarter.
| ||||||
| 2 | "Public university" means any public 4-year university in | ||||||
| 3 | this State. | ||||||
| 4 | "Public university campus" means any campus under the | ||||||
| 5 | governance or supervision of a public university. | ||||||
| 6 | (Source: P.A. 100-587, eff. 6-4-18; 100-1015, eff. 8-21-18.)
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| 7 | (110 ILCS 947/35)
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| 8 | Sec. 35. Monetary award program.
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| 9 | (a) The Commission shall, each year, receive and consider | ||||||
| 10 | applications
for grant assistance under this Section. Subject | ||||||
| 11 | to a separate
appropriation for such purposes, an applicant is | ||||||
| 12 | eligible for a grant under
this Section when the Commission | ||||||
| 13 | finds that the applicant:
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| 14 | (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or | ||||||
| 15 | permanent resident
of the United States;
| ||||||
| 16 | (2) is enrolled or has been accepted for enrollment in | ||||||
| 17 | a qualified institution for the purpose of obtaining a | ||||||
| 18 | degree, certificate, or other credential offered by the | ||||||
| 19 | institution, as applicable; and | ||||||
| 20 | (3) in the absence of grant assistance, will be | ||||||
| 21 | deterred by
financial considerations from completing an | ||||||
| 22 | educational program at the
qualified institution of his or | ||||||
| 23 | her choice; and .
| ||||||
| 24 | (4) is not attending a for-profit institution of | ||||||
| 25 | higher education. | ||||||
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| 1 | (b) The Commission shall award renewals only upon the | ||||||
| 2 | student's application
and upon the Commission's finding that | ||||||
| 3 | the applicant:
| ||||||
| 4 | (1) has remained a student in good standing;
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| 5 | (2) remains a resident of this State; and
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| 6 | (3) is in a financial situation that continues to | ||||||
| 7 | warrant assistance; and .
| ||||||
| 8 | (4) is not attending a for-profit institution of | ||||||
| 9 | higher education. | ||||||
| 10 | (c) All grants shall be applicable only to tuition and | ||||||
| 11 | necessary fee costs. The Commission shall determine the grant
| ||||||
| 12 | amount for each student, which shall not exceed the smallest | ||||||
| 13 | of
the following amounts:
| ||||||
| 14 | (1) subject to appropriation, $5,468 for fiscal year | ||||||
| 15 | 2009, $5,968 for fiscal year 2010, $6,468 for fiscal year | ||||||
| 16 | 2011 and each fiscal year thereafter through fiscal year | ||||||
| 17 | 2022, and $8,508 for fiscal year 2023 and each fiscal year | ||||||
| 18 | thereafter, or such lesser amount as
the Commission finds | ||||||
| 19 | to be available, during an academic year;
| ||||||
| 20 | (2) the amount which equals 2 semesters or 3 quarters | ||||||
| 21 | tuition
and other necessary fees required generally by the | ||||||
| 22 | institution of all
full-time undergraduate students; or
| ||||||
| 23 | (3) such amount as the Commission finds to be | ||||||
| 24 | appropriate in view of
the applicant's financial | ||||||
| 25 | resources.
| ||||||
| 26 | Subject to appropriation, the maximum grant amount for | ||||||
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| |||||||
| 1 | students not subject to subdivision (1) of this subsection (c) | ||||||
| 2 | must be increased by the same percentage as any increase made | ||||||
| 3 | by law to the maximum grant amount under subdivision (1) of | ||||||
| 4 | this subsection (c). | ||||||
| 5 | "Tuition and other necessary fees" as used in this Section | ||||||
| 6 | include the
customary charge for instruction and use of | ||||||
| 7 | facilities in general, and the
additional fixed fees charged | ||||||
| 8 | for specified purposes, which are required
generally of | ||||||
| 9 | nongrant recipients for each academic period for which the | ||||||
| 10 | grant
applicant actually enrolls, but do not include fees | ||||||
| 11 | payable only once or
breakage fees and other contingent | ||||||
| 12 | deposits which are refundable in whole or in
part. The | ||||||
| 13 | Commission may prescribe, by rule not inconsistent with this
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| 14 | Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of | ||||||
| 15 | tuition and other
necessary fees.
| ||||||
| 16 | (d) No applicant, including those presently receiving | ||||||
| 17 | scholarship
assistance under this Act, is eligible for | ||||||
| 18 | monetary award program
consideration under this Act after | ||||||
| 19 | receiving a baccalaureate degree or
the equivalent of 135 | ||||||
| 20 | semester credit hours of award payments.
| ||||||
| 21 | (d-5) In this subsection (d-5), "renewing applicant" means | ||||||
| 22 | a student attending an institution of higher learning who | ||||||
| 23 | received a Monetary Award Program grant during the prior | ||||||
| 24 | academic year. Beginning with the processing of applications | ||||||
| 25 | for the 2020-2021 academic year, the Commission shall annually | ||||||
| 26 | publish a priority deadline date for renewing applicants. | ||||||
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| 1 | Subject to appropriation, a renewing applicant who files by | ||||||
| 2 | the published priority deadline date shall receive a grant if | ||||||
| 3 | he or she continues to meet the eligibility requirements under | ||||||
| 4 | this Section. A renewing applicant's failure to apply by the | ||||||
| 5 | priority deadline date established under this subsection (d-5) | ||||||
| 6 | shall not disqualify him or her from receiving a grant if | ||||||
| 7 | sufficient funding is available to provide awards after that | ||||||
| 8 | date. | ||||||
| 9 | (e) The Commission, in determining the number of grants to | ||||||
| 10 | be offered,
shall take into consideration past experience with | ||||||
| 11 | the rate of grant funds
unclaimed by recipients. The | ||||||
| 12 | Commission shall notify applicants that grant
assistance is | ||||||
| 13 | contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds.
| ||||||
| 14 | (e-5) The General Assembly finds and declares that it is | ||||||
| 15 | an important purpose of the Monetary Award Program to | ||||||
| 16 | facilitate access to college both for students who pursue | ||||||
| 17 | postsecondary education immediately following high school and | ||||||
| 18 | for those who pursue postsecondary education later in life, | ||||||
| 19 | particularly Illinoisans who are dislocated workers with | ||||||
| 20 | financial need and who are seeking to improve their economic | ||||||
| 21 | position through education. For the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 | ||||||
| 22 | academic years, the Commission shall give additional and | ||||||
| 23 | specific consideration to the needs of dislocated workers with | ||||||
| 24 | the intent of allowing applicants who are dislocated workers | ||||||
| 25 | an opportunity to secure financial assistance even if applying | ||||||
| 26 | later than the general pool of applicants. The Commission's | ||||||
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| 1 | consideration shall include, in determining the number of | ||||||
| 2 | grants to be offered, an estimate of the resources needed to | ||||||
| 3 | serve dislocated workers who apply after the Commission | ||||||
| 4 | initially suspends award announcements for the upcoming | ||||||
| 5 | regular academic year, but prior to the beginning of that | ||||||
| 6 | academic year. For the purposes of this subsection (e-5), a | ||||||
| 7 | dislocated worker is defined as in the federal Workforce
| ||||||
| 8 | Innovation and Opportunity Act. | ||||||
| 9 | (f) (Blank).
| ||||||
| 10 | (g) (Blank). The Commission shall determine the | ||||||
| 11 | eligibility of and make grants to
applicants enrolled at | ||||||
| 12 | qualified for-profit institutions in accordance with the
| ||||||
| 13 | criteria set forth in this Section. The eligibility of | ||||||
| 14 | applicants enrolled at
such for-profit institutions shall be | ||||||
| 15 | limited as follows:
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| 16 | (1) Beginning with the academic year 1997, only to | ||||||
| 17 | eligible first-time
freshmen and
first-time transfer | ||||||
| 18 | students who have attained an associate degree.
| ||||||
| 19 | (2) Beginning with the academic year 1998, only to | ||||||
| 20 | eligible freshmen
students,
transfer students who have | ||||||
| 21 | attained an associate degree, and students who
receive a | ||||||
| 22 | grant under paragraph (1) for the academic year 1997 and | ||||||
| 23 | whose grants
are being renewed for the academic year 1998.
| ||||||
| 24 | (3) Beginning with the academic year 1999, to all | ||||||
| 25 | eligible students.
| ||||||
| 26 | (h) The Commission may award a grant to an eligible | ||||||
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| 1 | applicant enrolled at an Illinois public institution of higher | ||||||
| 2 | learning in a program that will culminate in the award of an | ||||||
| 3 | occupational or career and technical certificate as that term | ||||||
| 4 | is defined in 23 Ill. Adm. Code 1501.301. | ||||||
| 5 | (i) The Commission may adopt rules to implement this | ||||||
| 6 | Section. | ||||||
| 7 | (Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 102-699, eff. 4-19-22.)
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