State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
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90_HB3750

          Amends  the  Higher  Education  Student  Assistance  Act.
      Makes a change in the caption of a Section  relating  to  the
      monetary award program.
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 1        AN  ACT  to amend the Higher Education Student Assistance
 2    Act by changing Section 35.
 3        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        Section  5.   The Higher Education Student Assistance Act
 6    is amended by changing Section 35 as follows:
 7        (110 ILCS 947/35)
 8        Sec. 35. Monetary award program; grants.
 9        (a)  The  Commission  shall,  each  year,   receive   and
10    consider   applications   for  grant  assistance  under  this
11    Section.   Subject  to  a  separate  appropriation  for  such
12    purposes, an applicant is eligible for  a  grant  under  this
13    Section when the Commission finds that the applicant:
14             (1)  is  a  resident  of this State and a citizen or
15        permanent resident of the United States; and
16             (2)  in the absence of  grant  assistance,  will  be
17        deterred  by  financial considerations from completing an
18        educational program at the qualified institution  of  his
19        or her choice.
20        (b)  The  Commission  shall  award renewals only upon the
21    student's application and upon the Commission's finding  that
22    the applicant:
23             (1)  has remained a student in good standing;
24             (2)  remains a resident of this State; and
25             (3)  is  in  a financial situation that continues to
26        warrant assistance.
27        (c)  All grants shall be applicable only to  tuition  and
28    necessary  fee  costs  for  2  semesters  or 3 quarters in an
29    academic year.  Requests for summer term assistance  will  be
30    made  separately  and  shall  be  considered on an individual
31    basis according to Commission policy.  The  Commission  shall
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 1    determine  the  grant amount for each full-time and part-time
 2    student,  which  shall  be  the  smallest  of  the  following
 3    amounts:
 4             (1)  $4,000  for  2  semesters  or  3  quarters   of
 5        full-time   undergraduate  enrollment  or  $2,000  for  2
 6        semesters  or  3  quarters  of  part-time   undergraduate
 7        enrollment, or such lesser amount as the Commission finds
 8        to be available; or
 9             (2)  the  amount  which  equals the 2 semesters or 3
10        quarters  tuition  and  other  necessary  fees   required
11        generally   by   the   institution   of   all   full-time
12        undergraduate  students,  or  in  the  case  of part-time
13        students an amount of tuition and fees for 2 semesters or
14        3 quarters which shall not exceed one-half the amount  of
15        tuition and necessary fees generally charged to full-time
16        undergraduate students by the institution; or
17             (3)  such  amount  as  the  Commission  finds  to be
18        appropriate  in  view  of   the   applicant's   financial
19        resources.
20    "Tuition  and  other  necessary fees" as used in this Section
21    include the customary  charge  for  instruction  and  use  of
22    facilities  in general, and the additional fixed fees charged
23    for specified  purposes,  which  are  required  generally  of
24    nongrant  recipients  for  each academic period for which the
25    grant applicant actually enrolls, but  do  not  include  fees
26    payable  only  once  or  breakage  fees  and other contingent
27    deposits which are refundable  in  whole  or  in  part.   The
28    Commission  may prescribe, by rule not inconsistent with this
29    Section, detailed provisions concerning  the  computation  of
30    tuition and other necessary fees.
31        (d)  No  applicant,  including  those presently receiving
32    scholarship  assistance  under  this  Act,  is  eligible  for
33    monetary award program consideration  under  this  Act  after
34    receiving  a  baccalaureate  degree  or  the equivalent of 10
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 1    semesters or 15 quarters of award payments.   The  Commission
 2    shall  determine when award payments for part-time enrollment
 3    or interim or summer terms shall  be  counted  as  a  partial
 4    semester or quarter of payment.
 5        (e)  The  Commission, in determining the number of grants
 6    to be offered, shall take into consideration past  experience
 7    with  the  rate  of grant funds unclaimed by recipients.  The
 8    Commission shall notify applicants that grant  assistance  is
 9    contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds.
10        (f)  The   Commission   may  request  appropriations  for
11    deposit into the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund.  Monies
12    deposited into the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund may be
13    expended exclusively for one purpose: to make Monetary  Award
14    Program  grants  to eligible students.  Amounts on deposit in
15    the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund may not exceed 2%  of
16    the current annual State appropriation for the Monetary Award
17    Program.
18        The purpose of the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund is
19    to enable the Commission each year to assure as many students
20    as possible of their eligibility for a Monetary Award Program
21    grant  and to do so before commencement of the academic year.
22    Moneys deposited in this Reserve Fund are intended to enhance
23    the Commission's management of the  Monetary  Award  Program,
24    minimizing   the   necessity,  magnitude,  and  frequency  of
25    adjusting award amounts and ensuring that the annual Monetary
26    Award Program appropriation can be fully utilized.
27    (Source: P.A. 88-553;  89-163,  eff.  7-19-95;  89-330,  eff.
28    8-17-95; 89-512, eff. 7-11-96; 89-626, eff. 8-9-96.)

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