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91_HB1657enr
HB1657 Enrolled LRB9101869NTsb
1 AN ACT to amend the Higher Education Student Assistance
2 Act by changing Sections 40, 65.15, and 65.40.
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 Sections 40, 65.15, and 65.40 as
7 follows:
8 (110 ILCS 947/40)
9 Sec. 40. Veteran grant. Any person who served in the
10 armed forces of the United States, not including members of
11 the Student Army Training Corps, who at the time of entering
12 service was an Illinois resident or was an Illinois resident
13 within 6 months of entering such service, and who returned to
14 Illinois within 6 months after leaving service or, if married
15 to a person in continued military service stationed outside
16 Illinois, within 6 months after his or her spouse has left
17 service or has been stationed within Illinois, and who has
18 been honorably discharged from such service, and who
19 possesses all necessary entrance requirements shall, except
20 as otherwise provided in this Act, upon application and
21 proper proof, be awarded an Illinois Veteran Grant consisting
22 of the equivalent of 4 calendar years of full-time
23 enrollment, including summer terms, to the State-controlled
24 college or university or community college of his choice.
25 Such veterans shall also be entitled, upon proper proof and
26 application, to enroll in any extension course offered by a
27 State-controlled college or university or community college
28 without the payment of tuition or fees.
29 Any veteran who so served, and who, at the time of
30 entering such service, was a student at a State-controlled
31 college or university or community college, and who was
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1 honorably discharged from such service, shall, upon
2 application and proper proof be awarded a Veteran Grant
3 entitling him to complete his course of study at any
4 State-controlled college or university or community college
5 of his choice, but shall not be entitled to a grant
6 consisting of more than the equivalent of 4 calendar years of
7 full-time enrollment including summer sessions.
8 Any member of the armed forces of the United States who
9 either (i) has served in such armed forces at least one year,
10 or (ii) has served in the armed forces of the United States
11 for less than one year in a time of hostilities in a foreign
12 country, and who would be qualified for a grant under this
13 Section if he had been discharged from such service shall be
14 eligible to receive a Veteran Grant under this Section.
15 The holder of a Veteran Grant to the State-controlled
16 college or university or community college of his choice as
17 authorized under this Section shall not be required to pay
18 any matriculation or application fees, tuition, activities
19 fees, graduation fees, or other fees except multipurpose
20 building fees or similar fees for supplies and materials.
21 Any veteran who has been or shall be awarded a Veteran
22 Grant shall be reimbursed by the appropriate college,
23 university, or community college for any fees which he has
24 paid and for which exemption is granted under this Section,
25 if application for reimbursement is made within 2 3 months
26 following the school term for which the fees were paid.
27 A Veteran Grant shall be considered an entitlement which
28 the State-controlled college or university or community
29 college in which the holder is enrolled shall honor without
30 any condition other than the holder's maintenance of minimum
31 grade levels and a satisfactory student loan repayment record
32 pursuant to subsection (c) of Section 20.
33 A grant authorized under this Section shall not be
34 awarded to veterans who received a discharge from the armed
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1 forces of the United States under dishonorable conditions, or
2 to any veteran whose service with the armed forces was for
3 less than one year unless he received an honorable discharge
4 from such service for medical reasons directly connected with
5 such service, except for those veterans discharged prior to
6 August 11, 1967 whose service may be for less than one year,
7 and except for those veterans (i) who serve in the armed
8 forces of the United States for less than one year in a time
9 of hostilities in a foreign country and (ii) who receive an
10 honorable discharge.
11 The amounts that become due to any State-controlled
12 college or university or community college shall be payable
13 by the Comptroller to that institution on vouchers approved
14 by the Commission. The Commission, or its designated
15 representative at that institution, shall determine the
16 eligibility of the persons who make application for the
17 benefits provided for in this Section. The Department of
18 Veterans' Affairs shall assist the Commission in determining
19 the eligibility of applicants. On July 29, 1986, the
20 Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs shall transfer and
21 deliver to the Commission all books, records, papers,
22 documents, applications and pending business in any way
23 pertaining to the duties, responsibilities and authority
24 theretofore exercised or performed by the Illinois Department
25 of Veterans' Affairs under and pursuant to Section 4.1 of the
26 Department of Veterans Affairs Act.
27 The benefits provided for in this Section shall be
28 available as long as the federal government provides
29 educational benefits to veterans. No benefits shall be paid
30 under this Section, except for veterans who already have
31 begun their education under this Section, after 6 months
32 following the termination of educational benefits to veterans
33 by the federal government. If the federal government
34 terminates educational benefits to veterans and at a later
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1 time resumes those benefits, the benefits of this Section
2 shall resume.
3 As used in this Section, "time of hostilities in a
4 foreign country" means any action by the armed forces of the
5 United States that is recognized by the issuance of a
6 Presidential proclamation or a Presidential executive order
7 and in which the armed forces expeditionary medal or other
8 campaign service medals are awarded according to Presidential
9 executive order.
10 (Source: P.A. 90-752, eff. 8-14-98.)
11 (110 ILCS 947/65.15)
12 Sec. 65.15. Special education teacher Teachers
13 scholarships.
14 (a) There shall be awarded annually at the end of each
15 school year 250 scholarships to persons qualifying as members
16 of either of the following groups:
17 (1) Students who are otherwise qualified to receive
18 a scholarship as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of
19 this Section and who make application to the Commission
20 for such scholarship and agree to take courses that will
21 prepare the student for the teaching of children
22 described in Section 14-1 of the School Code.
23 (2) Persons holding a valid certificate issued
24 under the laws relating to the certification of teachers
25 and who make application to the Commission for such
26 scholarship and agree to take courses that will prepare
27 them for the teaching of children described in Section
28 14-1 of the School Code.
29 Scholarships awarded under this Section shall be issued
30 pursuant to regulations promulgated by the Commission;
31 provided that no rule or regulation promulgated by the State
32 Board of Education prior to the effective date of this
33 amendatory Act of 1993 pursuant to the exercise of any right,
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1 power, duty, responsibility or matter of pending business
2 transferred from the State Board of Education to the
3 Commission under this Section shall be affected thereby, and
4 all such rules and regulations shall become the rules and
5 regulations of the Commission until modified or changed by
6 the Commission in accordance with law.
7 For the purposes of this Section scholarships awarded
8 each school year shall be deemed to be issued on July 1 of
9 the year prior to in which the start of the postsecondary
10 school term ends and all calculations for use of the
11 scholarship shall be based on such date. Each scholarship
12 shall entitle its holder to exemption from fees as provided
13 in subsection (a) of Section 65.40 while enrolled in a
14 special education program of teacher education, for a period
15 of not more than 4 calendar years and shall be available for
16 use at any time during such period of study except as
17 provided in subsection (b) of Section 65.40.
18 Scholarships issued to holders of a valid certificate
19 issued under the laws relating to the certification of
20 teachers as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection may
21 also entitle the holder thereof to a program of teacher
22 education that will prepare the student for the teaching of
23 children described in Section 14-1 of the School Code at the
24 graduate level.
25 (b) On or before March 1 in Each year, the principal,
26 or his or her designee, of each recognized public, private
27 and parochial high school maintaining the twelfth grade shall
28 certify to the Commission regional superintendent of schools
29 of the county in which such high school is located the names
30 and addresses of all students who are completing an
31 application with the intent to prepare to teach in any
32 recognized public, private, or parochial school of Illinois
33 and ranked scholastically in the upper one-half of their
34 graduating class or, for those not yet and who graduated,
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1 whose from such school during the preceding school year in
2 the order of their scholastic rank in the 4-year high school
3 course of study at the end of the seventh semester is in the
4 upper one-half of their class. The name of no student shall
5 be so certified unless the student signifies in a letter
6 presented to the principal the student's intention to prepare
7 to teach in the public schools of Illinois.
8 (c) The regional superintendent of schools shall on or
9 before May 15 of each year certify the names and addresses of
10 students certified to him or her for that year under
11 subsection (b) to the Commission, which shall issue to each
12 student whose rank, as shown on the list of names and
13 addresses submitted entitled the student to a certificate of
14 scholarship which shall be accepted by any of the
15 universities designated in subsection (a) of Section 65-40 in
16 lieu of any entrance examination. Each holder of a
17 scholarship must furnish proof to the Commission, in such
18 form and at such intervals as the Commission prescribes, of
19 the holder's continued enrollment in a teacher education
20 program qualifying the holder for the scholarship. Any
21 holder of a scholarship who fails to register in a special
22 education program of teacher education at the university
23 within 10 days after the commencement of the term, quarter or
24 semester immediately following the receipt of the scholarship
25 or who, having registered, withdraws from the university or
26 transfers out of teacher education, shall thereupon forfeit
27 the right to use it and it may be granted to the person
28 having the next highest scholastic rank as shown on the list
29 held by submitted to the Commission. If the person having
30 the next highest scholastic rank, within 10 days after
31 notification thereof by the Commission, fails to register at
32 any such university in a special education program of teacher
33 education, or who, having registered, withdraws from the
34 university or transfers out of teacher education, the
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1 scholarship may then be granted to the person shown on the
2 list as having the scholastic rank next below such person.
3 If the principal of any recognized public, private and
4 parochial high school maintaining the twelfth grade fails to
5 certify to the regional superintendent of schools on or
6 before May 1 of any year in accordance with subsection (b)
7 the names of a sufficient number of students to fill the
8 scholarship or scholarships provided for in subsection (a),
9 the scholarship or scholarships available to high schools for
10 which no names are certified shall become available to any
11 eligible student from any other recognized public, private
12 and parochial high school maintaining the twelfth grade in
13 the region and the scholarships available for which no names
14 are certified, shall become available to any eligible
15 student. In order to fill any such scholarship, the regional
16 superintendent of schools shall certify on or before May 15
17 of each year the name and address of any student certified to
18 him or her by the principal of any other school in the region
19 under subsection (b) to the Commission, which shall issue to
20 such student a certificate of scholarship as provided in this
21 Section.
22 Any scholarship that has become or becomes available to
23 any eligible student in the region and is not issued before
24 June 30 following the date it was available shall be
25 transferred to a State pool under the Commission and may be
26 issued to a student in a region that has used all
27 scholarships available to that region. In order to obtain a
28 scholarship in the State pool the regional superintendent of
29 schools shall certify to the Commission that all scholarships
30 available to his or her region have been filled and the name
31 and address of any student certified to him or her by the
32 principal of any school in the region under subsection (b).
33 Upon such certification the Commission shall issue a
34 certificate of scholarship from any available scholarship in
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1 the State pool.
2 (d) Any person who has accepted a scholarship under the
3 preceding subsections of this Section must, after graduation
4 from or termination of enrollment in a teacher education
5 program, teach in any recognized public, private or parochial
6 school in this State for at least 2 of the 5 years
7 immediately following that graduation or termination,
8 excluding, however, from the computation of that 5 year
9 period (i) any time up to 3 4 years spent in the military
10 service, whether such service occurs before or after the
11 person graduates; (ii), and excluding from the computation of
12 that 5 year period any time that person is enrolled full-time
13 in an academic program related to the field of teaching
14 leading to a graduate or postgraduate degree; (iii) the time
15 that person is temporarily totally disabled for a period of
16 time not to exceed 3 years, as established by the sworn
17 affidavit of a qualified physician; (iv) the time that person
18 is seeking and unable to find full time employment as a
19 teacher at an Illinois public, private, or parochial school;
20 or (v) the time that person is taking additional courses, on
21 at least a half-time basis, needed to obtain certification as
22 a teacher in Illinois.
23 A person who has accepted a scholarship under the
24 preceding subsections of this Section and who has been unable
25 to fulfill the teaching requirements of this Section may
26 receive a deferment from the obligation of repayment under
27 this subsection (d) under guidelines established by the
28 Commission; provided that no guideline established for any
29 such purpose by the State Board of Education prior to the
30 effective date of this amendatory Act of 1993 shall be
31 affected by the transfer to the Commission of the
32 responsibility for administering and implementing the
33 provisions of this Section, and all guidelines so established
34 shall become the guidelines of the Commission until modified
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1 or changed by the Commission.
2 Any such person who fails to fulfill this teaching
3 requirement shall pay to the Commission the amount of tuition
4 waived by virtue of his or her acceptance of the scholarship,
5 together with interest at 5% per year on that amount.
6 However, this obligation to repay the amount of tuition
7 waived plus interest does not apply when the failure to
8 fulfill the teaching requirement results from the death or
9 adjudication as a person under legal disability of the person
10 holding the scholarship, and no claim for repayment may be
11 filed against the estate of such a decedent or person under
12 legal disability. Payments received by the Commission under
13 this subsection (d) shall be remitted to the State Treasurer
14 for deposit in the general revenue fund. Each person
15 receiving applying for such a scholarship shall be provided
16 with a description of the provisions copy of this subsection
17 (d) at the time he or she qualifies applies for the benefits
18 of such a scholarship.
19 (e) This Section is basically substantially the same as
20 Sections 30-1, 30-2, 30-3, and 30-4a of the School Code,
21 which are repealed by this amendatory Act of 1993, and shall
22 be construed as a continuation of the teacher scholarship
23 program established by that prior law, and not as a new or
24 different teacher scholarship program. The State Board of
25 Education shall transfer to the Commission, as the successor
26 to the State Board of Education for all purposes of
27 administering and implementing the provisions of this
28 Section, all books, accounts, records, papers, documents,
29 contracts, agreements, and pending business in any way
30 relating to the teacher scholarship program continued under
31 this Section; and all scholarships at any time awarded under
32 that program by, and all applications for any such
33 scholarships at any time made to, the State Board of
34 Education shall be unaffected by the transfer to the
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1 Commission of all responsibility for the administration and
2 implementation of the teacher scholarship program continued
3 under this Section. The State Board of Education shall
4 furnish to the Commission such other information as the
5 Commission may request to assist it in administering this
6 Section.
7 (Source: P.A. 88-228; 88-670, eff. 12-2-94.)
8 (110 ILCS 947/65.40)
9 Sec. 65.40. General provisions; leaves of absence.
10 (a) The scholarships issued under Section Sections 65.15
11 through 65.35 may be used at the University of Illinois,
12 Southern Illinois University, Chicago State University,
13 Eastern Illinois University, Governors State University,
14 Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University,
15 Northern Illinois University, and Western Illinois University
16 as provided in those Sections. Unless otherwise indicated,
17 the these scholarships shall be good for a period of not more
18 than 4 years while enrolled for residence credit and shall
19 exempt the holder from the payment of tuition and other
20 necessary fees as defined in Section 35 of this Act, or any
21 matriculation, graduation, activity, term or incidental fee,
22 except any portion of a multipurpose fee which is used for a
23 purpose for which exemption is not granted under this
24 Section. Exemption shall not be granted from any other fees,
25 including book rental, service, laboratory, supply, union
26 building, hospital and medical insurance fees and any fees
27 established for the operation and maintenance of buildings,
28 the income of which is pledged to the payment of interest and
29 principal on bonds issued by the governing board of any
30 university or community college.
31 Any student who has been or shall be awarded a
32 scholarship shall be reimbursed by the appropriate university
33 or community college for any charges fees which he or she has
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1 paid and for which exemption is granted under this Section,
2 if application for such reimbursement is made within 2 months
3 following the school term for which the charges fees were
4 paid.
5 The holder of a scholarship shall be subject to all
6 examinations, rules and requirements of the university or
7 community college in which he or she is enrolled except as
8 herein directed.
9 This Section does not prohibit the Board of Trustees of
10 the University of Illinois, the Board of Trustees of Southern
11 Illinois University, the Board of Trustees of Chicago State
12 University, the Board of Trustees of Eastern Illinois
13 University, the Board of Trustees of Governors State
14 University, the Board of Trustees of Illinois State
15 University, the Board of Trustees of Northeastern Illinois
16 University, the Board of Trustees of Northern Illinois
17 University, and the Board of Trustees of Western Illinois
18 University for the institutions under their respective
19 jurisdictions from granting other scholarships.
20 (b) Any student enrolled in a university to which he or
21 she is holding a scholarship issued under Section Sections
22 65.15 through 65.35 who satisfies the president of the
23 university or someone designated by the president that the
24 student requires leave of absence for the purpose of earning
25 funds to defray his or her expenses while in attendance or on
26 account of illness or military service may be granted such
27 leave and allowed a period of not to exceed 6 years in which
28 to complete his or her course at the university. Time spent
29 in the armed forces shall not be part of the 6 years.
30 (Source: P.A. 88-228; 89-4, eff. 1-1-96.)
31 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July
32 1, 1999.
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