Rep. Mary E. Flowers
Filed: 3/21/2023
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| 1 | AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 1086
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| 2 | AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 1086 by replacing | ||||||
| 3 | everything after the enacting clause with the following:
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| 4 | "Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | ||||||
| 5 | amended by adding Section 65.120 as follows: | ||||||
| 6 | (110 ILCS 947/65.120 new) | ||||||
| 7 | Sec. 65.120. Grants for essential workers. | ||||||
| 8 | (a) In this Section: | ||||||
| 9 | "Dependent" means a spouse, natural child, legally adopted | ||||||
| 10 | child, or child in the legal custody of an essential worker. | ||||||
| 11 | "Essential worker" means an individual whose employment | ||||||
| 12 | duties provide a service that is typically deemed vital to | ||||||
| 13 | public health and safety and economic and national security | ||||||
| 14 | and essential to continue critical infrastructure operations. | ||||||
| 15 | "Essential worker" includes, but is not limited to, a medical | ||||||
| 16 | or healthcare worker; child care or school personnel; an | ||||||
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| 1 | in-home support provider; a telecommunications, information | ||||||
| 2 | technology systems, defense, food or agriculture, | ||||||
| 3 | transportation or logistics, energy, or water or wastewater | ||||||
| 4 | worker, or law enforcement personnel. | ||||||
| 5 | "Satisfactory academic progress" means the qualified | ||||||
| 6 | applicant's maintenance of minimum standards of academic | ||||||
| 7 | performance, consistent with requirements for maintaining | ||||||
| 8 | federal financial aid eligibility, as determined by the | ||||||
| 9 | institution of higher learning. | ||||||
| 10 | (b) Subject to a separate appropriation for this purpose, | ||||||
| 11 | the Commission shall, each year, receive and consider | ||||||
| 12 | applications for grant assistance under this Section. Both an | ||||||
| 13 | essential worker and all dependents of the essential worker | ||||||
| 14 | qualify to receive a grant issued by the Commission in | ||||||
| 15 | accordance with this Section. Provided that the recipient is | ||||||
| 16 | maintaining satisfactory academic progress, the funds from the | ||||||
| 17 | grant may be used to pay up to 8 semesters or 12 quarters of | ||||||
| 18 | full payment of tuition and mandatory fees at any public | ||||||
| 19 | university or public community college located in this State | ||||||
| 20 | for either full or part-time study based on the income of the | ||||||
| 21 | recipient. This benefit may be used for undergraduate or | ||||||
| 22 | graduate study. | ||||||
| 23 | In addition, a qualified applicant who has not yet | ||||||
| 24 | received a high school diploma or a high school equivalency | ||||||
| 25 | certificate and completes a high school equivalency | ||||||
| 26 | preparation course through an Illinois Community College | ||||||
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| 1 | Board-approved provider may use grant funds to pay costs | ||||||
| 2 | associated with obtaining a high school equivalency | ||||||
| 3 | certificate, including payment of the cost of the high school | ||||||
| 4 | equivalency test and up to one retest on each test module, and | ||||||
| 5 | any additional fees that may be required in order to obtain an | ||||||
| 6 | Illinois High School Equivalency Certificate or an official | ||||||
| 7 | transcript of test scores after successful completion of the | ||||||
| 8 | high school equivalency test. | ||||||
| 9 | (c) An applicant for a grant under this Section need not | ||||||
| 10 | demonstrate financial need to qualify for the benefits. | ||||||
| 11 | (d) The Commission may adopt any rules necessary to | ||||||
| 12 | implement and administer this Section.
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| 13 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, | ||||||
| 14 | 2023.".
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