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91_HB1722eng
HB1722 Engrossed LRB9104093NTsb
1 AN ACT to amend the Higher Education Student Assistance
2 Act by changing Sections 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 65.15 and 65.40 as follows:
7 (110 ILCS 947/65.15)
8 Sec. 65.15. Special education teacher Teachers
9 scholarships.
10 (a) There shall be awarded annually at the end of each
11 school year 250 scholarships to persons qualifying as members
12 of either of the following groups:
13 (1) Students who are otherwise qualified to receive
14 a scholarship as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of
15 this Section and who make application to the Commission
16 for such scholarship and agree to take courses that will
17 prepare the student for the teaching of children
18 described in Section 14-1 of the School Code.
19 (2) Persons holding a valid certificate issued
20 under the laws relating to the certification of teachers
21 and who make application to the Commission for such
22 scholarship and agree to take courses that will prepare
23 them for the teaching of children described in Section
24 14-1 of the School Code.
25 Scholarships awarded under this Section shall be issued
26 pursuant to regulations promulgated by the Commission;
27 provided that no rule or regulation promulgated by the State
28 Board of Education prior to the effective date of this
29 amendatory Act of 1993 pursuant to the exercise of any right,
30 power, duty, responsibility or matter of pending business
31 transferred from the State Board of Education to the
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1 Commission under this Section shall be affected thereby, and
2 all such rules and regulations shall become the rules and
3 regulations of the Commission until modified or changed by
4 the Commission in accordance with law.
5 For the purposes of this Section scholarships awarded
6 each school year shall be deemed to be issued on July 1 of
7 the year prior to in which the start of the postsecondary
8 school term ends and all calculations for use of the
9 scholarship shall be based on such date. Each scholarship
10 shall entitle its holder to exemption from fees as provided
11 in subsection (a) of Section 65.40 while enrolled in a
12 special education program of teacher education, for a period
13 of not more than 4 calendar years and shall be available for
14 use at any time during such period of study except as
15 provided in subsection (b) of Section 65.40.
16 Scholarships issued to holders of a valid certificate
17 issued under the laws relating to the certification of
18 teachers as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection may
19 also entitle the holder thereof to a program of teacher
20 education that will prepare the student for the teaching of
21 children described in Section 14-1 of the School Code at the
22 graduate level.
23 (b) On or before March 1 in Each year, the principal,
24 or his or her designee, of each recognized public, private
25 and parochial high school maintaining the twelfth grade shall
26 certify to the Commission regional superintendent of schools
27 of the county in which such high school is located the names
28 and addresses of all students who are completing an
29 application with the intent to prepare to teach in any
30 recognized public, private, or parochial school of Illinois
31 and ranked scholastically in the upper one-half of their
32 graduating class or, for those not yet and who graduated,
33 whose from such school during the preceding school year in
34 the order of their scholastic rank in the 4-year high school
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1 course of study at the end of the seventh semester is in the
2 upper one-half of their class. The name of no student shall
3 be so certified unless the student signifies in a letter
4 presented to the principal the student's intention to prepare
5 to teach in the public schools of Illinois.
6 (c) The regional superintendent of schools shall on or
7 before May 15 of each year certify the names and addresses of
8 students certified to him or her for that year under
9 subsection (b) to the Commission, which shall issue to each
10 student whose rank, as shown on the list of names and
11 addresses submitted entitled the student to a certificate of
12 scholarship which shall be accepted by any of the
13 universities designated in subsection (a) of Section 65-40 in
14 lieu of any entrance examination. Each holder of a
15 scholarship must furnish proof to the Commission, in such
16 form and at such intervals as the Commission prescribes, of
17 the holder's continued enrollment in a teacher education
18 program qualifying the holder for the scholarship. Any
19 holder of a scholarship who fails to register in a special
20 education program of teacher education at the university
21 within 10 days after the commencement of the term, quarter or
22 semester immediately following the receipt of the scholarship
23 or who, having registered, withdraws from the university or
24 transfers out of teacher education, shall thereupon forfeit
25 the right to use it and it may be granted to the person
26 having the next highest scholastic rank as shown on the list
27 held by submitted to the Commission. If the person having
28 the next highest scholastic rank, within 10 days after
29 notification thereof by the Commission, fails to register at
30 any such university in a special education program of teacher
31 education, or who, having registered, withdraws from the
32 university or transfers out of teacher education, the
33 scholarship may then be granted to the person shown on the
34 list as having the scholastic rank next below such person.
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1 If the principal of any recognized public, private and
2 parochial high school maintaining the twelfth grade fails to
3 certify to the regional superintendent of schools on or
4 before May 1 of any year in accordance with subsection (b)
5 the names of a sufficient number of students to fill the
6 scholarship or scholarships provided for in subsection (a),
7 the scholarship or scholarships available to high schools for
8 which no names are certified shall become available to any
9 eligible student from any other recognized public, private
10 and parochial high school maintaining the twelfth grade in
11 the region and the scholarships available for which no names
12 are certified, shall become available to any eligible
13 student. In order to fill any such scholarship, the regional
14 superintendent of schools shall certify on or before May 15
15 of each year the name and address of any student certified to
16 him or her by the principal of any other school in the region
17 under subsection (b) to the Commission, which shall issue to
18 such student a certificate of scholarship as provided in this
19 Section.
20 Any scholarship that has become or becomes available to
21 any eligible student in the region and is not issued before
22 June 30 following the date it was available shall be
23 transferred to a State pool under the Commission and may be
24 issued to a student in a region that has used all
25 scholarships available to that region. In order to obtain a
26 scholarship in the State pool the regional superintendent of
27 schools shall certify to the Commission that all scholarships
28 available to his or her region have been filled and the name
29 and address of any student certified to him or her by the
30 principal of any school in the region under subsection (b).
31 Upon such certification the Commission shall issue a
32 certificate of scholarship from any available scholarship in
33 the State pool.
34 (d) Any person who has accepted a scholarship under the
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1 preceding subsections of this Section must, after graduation
2 from or termination of enrollment in a teacher education
3 program, teach in any recognized public, private or parochial
4 school in this State for at least 2 of the 5 years
5 immediately following that graduation or termination,
6 excluding, however, from the computation of that 5 year
7 period (i) any time up to 3 4 years spent in the military
8 service, whether such service occurs before or after the
9 person graduates; (ii), and excluding from the computation of
10 that 5 year period any time that person is enrolled full-time
11 in an academic program related to the field of teaching
12 leading to a graduate or postgraduate degree; (iii) the time
13 that person is temporarily totally disabled for a period of
14 time not to exceed 3 years, as established by the sworn
15 affidavit of a qualified physician; (iv) the time that person
16 is seeking and unable to find full time employment as a
17 teacher at an Illinois public, private, or parochial school;
18 or (v) the time that person is taking additional courses, on
19 at least a half-time basis, needed to obtain certification as
20 a teacher in Illinois.
21 A person who has accepted a scholarship under the
22 preceding subsections of this Section and who has been unable
23 to fulfill the teaching requirements of this Section may
24 receive a deferment from the obligation of repayment under
25 this subsection (d) under guidelines established by the
26 Commission; provided that no guideline established for any
27 such purpose by the State Board of Education prior to the
28 effective date of this amendatory Act of 1993 shall be
29 affected by the transfer to the Commission of the
30 responsibility for administering and implementing the
31 provisions of this Section, and all guidelines so established
32 shall become the guidelines of the Commission until modified
33 or changed by the Commission.
34 Any such person who fails to fulfill this teaching
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1 requirement shall pay to the Commission the amount of tuition
2 waived by virtue of his or her acceptance of the scholarship,
3 together with interest at 5% per year on that amount.
4 However, this obligation to repay the amount of tuition
5 waived plus interest does not apply when the failure to
6 fulfill the teaching requirement results from the death or
7 adjudication as a person under legal disability of the person
8 holding the scholarship, and no claim for repayment may be
9 filed against the estate of such a decedent or person under
10 legal disability. Payments received by the Commission under
11 this subsection (d) shall be remitted to the State Treasurer
12 for deposit in the general revenue fund. Each person
13 receiving applying for such a scholarship shall be provided
14 with a description of the provisions copy of this subsection
15 (d) at the time he or she qualifies applies for the benefits
16 of such a scholarship.
17 (e) This Section is basically substantially the same as
18 Sections 30-1, 30-2, 30-3, and 30-4a of the School Code,
19 which are repealed by this amendatory Act of 1993, and shall
20 be construed as a continuation of the teacher scholarship
21 program established by that prior law, and not as a new or
22 different teacher scholarship program. The State Board of
23 Education shall transfer to the Commission, as the successor
24 to the State Board of Education for all purposes of
25 administering and implementing the provisions of this
26 Section, all books, accounts, records, papers, documents,
27 contracts, agreements, and pending business in any way
28 relating to the teacher scholarship program continued under
29 this Section; and all scholarships at any time awarded under
30 that program by, and all applications for any such
31 scholarships at any time made to, the State Board of
32 Education shall be unaffected by the transfer to the
33 Commission of all responsibility for the administration and
34 implementation of the teacher scholarship program continued
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1 under this Section. The State Board of Education shall
2 furnish to the Commission such other information as the
3 Commission may request to assist it in administering this
4 Section.
5 (Source: P.A. 88-228; 88-670, eff. 12-2-94.)
6 (110 ILCS 947/65.40)
7 Sec. 65.40. General provisions; leaves of absence.
8 (a) The scholarships issued under Section Sections 65.15
9 through 65.35 may be used at the University of Illinois,
10 Southern Illinois University, Chicago State University,
11 Eastern Illinois University, Governors State University,
12 Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University,
13 Northern Illinois University, and Western Illinois University
14 as provided in those Sections. Unless otherwise indicated,
15 the these scholarships shall be good for a period of not more
16 than 4 years while enrolled for residence credit and shall
17 exempt the holder from the payment of tuition and other
18 necessary fees as defined in Section 35 of this Act, or any
19 matriculation, graduation, activity, term or incidental fee,
20 except any portion of a multipurpose fee which is used for a
21 purpose for which exemption is not granted under this
22 Section. Exemption shall not be granted from any other fees,
23 including book rental, service, laboratory, supply, union
24 building, hospital and medical insurance fees and any fees
25 established for the operation and maintenance of buildings,
26 the income of which is pledged to the payment of interest and
27 principal on bonds issued by the governing board of any
28 university or community college.
29 Any student who has been or shall be awarded a
30 scholarship shall be reimbursed by the appropriate university
31 or community college for any charges fees which he or she has
32 paid and for which exemption is granted under this Section,
33 if application for such reimbursement is made within 2 months
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1 following the school term for which the charges fees were
2 paid.
3 The holder of a scholarship shall be subject to all
4 examinations, rules and requirements of the university or
5 community college in which he or she is enrolled except as
6 herein directed.
7 This Section does not prohibit the Board of Trustees of
8 the University of Illinois, the Board of Trustees of Southern
9 Illinois University, the Board of Trustees of Chicago State
10 University, the Board of Trustees of Eastern Illinois
11 University, the Board of Trustees of Governors State
12 University, the Board of Trustees of Illinois State
13 University, the Board of Trustees of Northeastern Illinois
14 University, the Board of Trustees of Northern Illinois
15 University, and the Board of Trustees of Western Illinois
16 University for the institutions under their respective
17 jurisdictions from granting other scholarships.
18 (b) Any student enrolled in a university to which he or
19 she is holding a scholarship issued under Section Sections
20 65.15 through 65.35 who satisfies the president of the
21 university or someone designated by the president that the
22 student requires leave of absence for the purpose of earning
23 funds to defray his or her expenses while in attendance or on
24 account of illness or military service may be granted such
25 leave and allowed a period of not to exceed 6 years in which
26 to complete his or her course at the university. Time spent
27 in the armed forces shall not be part of the 6 years.
28 (Source: P.A. 88-228; 89-4, eff. 1-1-96.)
29 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July
30 1, 1999.
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