Public Act 098-0967
 
SB3306 EnrolledLRB098 19694 NHT 55570 b


  
    AN ACT concerning education.
  
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:
  




  
 
    Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is 
amended  by changing Section 35 as follows:
 



    (110 ILCS 947/35)



    Sec. 35. Monetary award program. 

    (a) The Commission shall, each year, receive and consider 
applications
for grant assistance under this Section.  Subject 
to a separate
appropriation for such purposes, an applicant is 
eligible for a grant under
this Section when the Commission 
finds that the applicant:


        (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or 
    permanent resident
of the United States; and


        (2) in the absence of grant assistance, will be 
    deterred by
financial considerations from completing an 
    educational program at the
qualified institution of his or 
    her choice.

    (b) The Commission shall award renewals only upon the 
student's application
and upon the Commission's finding that 
the applicant:


        (1) has remained a student in good standing;


        (2) remains a resident of this State; and


        (3) is in a financial situation that continues to 
    warrant assistance.

    (c) All grants shall be applicable only to tuition and 
necessary fee costs. The Commission shall determine the grant

amount for each student, which shall not exceed the smallest of

the following amounts:


        (1) subject to appropriation, $5,468 for fiscal year 
    2009, $5,968 for fiscal year 2010, and $6,468 for fiscal 
    year 2011 and each fiscal year thereafter, or such lesser 
    amount as
the Commission finds to be available, during an 
    academic year;


        (2) the amount which equals 2 semesters or 3 quarters 
    tuition
and other necessary fees required generally by the 
    institution of all
full-time undergraduate students; or


        (3) such amount as the Commission finds to be 
    appropriate in view of
the applicant's financial 
    resources.

    Subject to appropriation, the maximum grant amount for 
students not subject to subdivision (1) of this subsection (c) 
must be increased by the same percentage as any increase made 
by law to the maximum grant amount under subdivision (1) of 
this subsection (c). 
    "Tuition and other necessary fees" as used in this Section 
include the
customary charge for instruction and use of 
facilities in general, and the
additional fixed fees charged 
for specified purposes, which are required
generally of 
nongrant recipients for each academic period for which the 
grant
applicant actually enrolls, but do not include fees 
payable only once or
breakage fees and other contingent 
deposits which are refundable in whole or in
part.  The 
Commission may prescribe, by rule not inconsistent with this

Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of 
tuition and other
necessary fees.

    (d) No applicant, including those presently receiving 
scholarship
assistance under this Act, is eligible for monetary 
award program
consideration under this Act after receiving a 
baccalaureate degree or
the equivalent of 135 semester credit 
hours of award payments.

    (e) The Commission, in determining the number of grants to 
be offered,
shall take into consideration past experience with 
the rate of grant funds
unclaimed by recipients.  The Commission 
shall notify applicants that grant
assistance is contingent 
upon the availability of appropriated funds.

    (e-5) The General Assembly finds and declares that it is an 
important purpose of the Monetary Award Program to facilitate 
access to college both for students who pursue postsecondary 
education immediately following high school and for those who 
pursue postsecondary education later in life, particularly 
Illinoisans who are dislocated workers with financial need and 
who are seeking to improve their economic position through 
education.  For the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 academic years, the 
Commission shall give additional and specific consideration to 
the needs of dislocated workers with the intent of allowing 
applicants who are dislocated workers an opportunity to secure 
financial assistance even if applying later than the general 
pool of applicants. The Commission's consideration shall 
include, in determining the number of grants to be offered, an 
estimate of the resources needed to serve dislocated workers 
who apply after the Commission initially suspends award 
announcements for the upcoming regular academic year, but prior 
to the beginning of that academic year. For the purposes of 
this subsection (e-5), a dislocated worker is defined as in the 
federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998. 
    (f) The Commission may request appropriations for deposit 
into the
Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund.  Monies deposited 
into the Monetary Award
Program Reserve Fund may be expended 
exclusively for one purpose: to make
Monetary Award Program 
grants to eligible students.  Amounts on deposit in the
Monetary 
Award Program Reserve Fund may not exceed 2% of the current 
annual
State appropriation for the Monetary Award Program.

    The purpose of the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund is 
to enable the
Commission each year to assure as many students 
as possible of their
eligibility for a Monetary Award Program 
grant and to do so before commencement
of the academic year.  
Moneys deposited in this Reserve Fund are intended to
enhance 
the Commission's management of the Monetary Award Program, 
minimizing
the necessity, magnitude, and frequency of 
adjusting award amounts and ensuring
that the annual Monetary 
Award Program appropriation can be fully utilized.

    (g) The Commission shall determine the eligibility of and 
make grants to
applicants enrolled at qualified for-profit 
institutions in accordance with the
criteria set forth in this 
Section.  The eligibility of applicants enrolled at
such 
for-profit institutions shall be limited as follows:


        (1) Beginning with the academic year 1997, only to 
    eligible first-time
freshmen and
first-time transfer 
    students who have attained an associate degree.


        (2) Beginning with the academic year 1998, only to 
    eligible freshmen
students,
transfer students who have 
    attained an associate degree, and students who
receive a 
    grant under paragraph (1) for the academic year 1997 and 
    whose grants
are being renewed for the academic year 1998.


        (3) Beginning with the academic year 1999, to all 
    eligible students.

(Source: P.A. 95-917, eff. 8-26-08.)

 

    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
becoming law.