093_HB2329eng

 
HB2329 Engrossed                     LRB093 07684 NHT 07866 b

 1        AN ACT concerning education.

 2        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

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

 6        (110 ILCS 947/35)
 7        Sec. 35. Monetary award program.
 8        (a)  The   Commission   shall,  each  year,  receive  and
 9    consider  applications  for  grant  assistance   under   this
10    Section.   Subject  to  a  separate  appropriation  for  such
11    purposes,  an  applicant  is  eligible for a grant under this
12    Section if when the Commission finds that the applicant:
13             (1)  is a resident of this State and  a  citizen  or
14        permanent resident of the United States; and
15             (2)  in  the  absence  of  grant assistance, will be
16        deterred by financial considerations from  completing  an
17        educational  program  at the qualified institution of his
18        or her choice.
19        (b)  The Commission shall award renewals  only  upon  the
20    student's  application and upon the Commission's finding that
21    the applicant:
22             (1)  has remained a student in good standing;
23             (2)  remains a resident of this State; and
24             (3)  is in a financial situation that  continues  to
25        warrant assistance.
26        (c)  All  grants  shall be applicable only to tuition and
27    necessary fee costs for 2  semesters  or  3  quarters  in  an
28    academic  year.   Requests for summer term assistance will be
29    made separately and shall  be  considered  on  an  individual
30    basis  according  to Commission policy.   Each student who is
31    awarded a grant under this Section and is enrolled in  summer
 
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 1    school  classes  shall be eligible for a summer school grant.
 2    The summer school grant amount shall not exceed the lesser of
 3    50 percent of the maximum annual grant amount  authorized  by
 4    this  Section  or  the actual cost of tuition and fees at the
 5    institution  at  which  the  student  is  enrolled  at  least
 6    part-time.  For the regular  academic  year,  the  Commission
 7    shall  determine  the  grant  amount  for  each full-time and
 8    part-time  student,  which  shall  be  the  smallest  of  the
 9    following amounts:
10             (1)  $4,968  for  2  semesters  or  3  quarters   of
11        full-time   undergraduate  enrollment  or  $2,484  for  2
12        semesters  or  3  quarters  of  part-time   undergraduate
13        enrollment, or such lesser amount as the Commission finds
14        to be available; or
15             (2)  the  amount  which  equals the 2 semesters or 3
16        quarters  tuition  and  other  necessary  fees   required
17        generally   by   the   institution   of   all   full-time
18        undergraduate  students,  or  in  the  case  of part-time
19        students an amount of tuition and fees for 2 semesters or
20        3 quarters which shall not exceed one-half the amount  of
21        tuition and necessary fees generally charged to full-time
22        undergraduate students by the institution; or
23             (3)  such  amount  as  the  Commission  finds  to be
24        appropriate  in  view  of   the   applicant's   financial
25        resources.
26    "Tuition  and  other  necessary fees" as used in this Section
27    include the customary  charge  for  instruction  and  use  of
28    facilities  in general, and the additional fixed fees charged
29    for specified  purposes,  which  are  required  generally  of
30    nongrant  recipients  for  each academic period for which the
31    grant applicant actually enrolls, but  do  not  include  fees
32    payable  only  once  or  breakage  fees  and other contingent
33    deposits which are refundable  in  whole  or  in  part.   The
34    Commission  may prescribe, by rule not inconsistent with this
 
HB2329 Engrossed            -3-      LRB093 07684 NHT 07866 b
 1    Section, detailed provisions concerning  the  computation  of
 2    tuition and other necessary fees.
 3        (d)  No  applicant,  including  those presently receiving
 4    scholarship  assistance  under  this  Act,  is  eligible  for
 5    monetary award program consideration  under  this  Act  after
 6    receiving  a  baccalaureate  degree  or  the equivalent of 10
 7    semesters or 15 quarters of award payments.   The  Commission
 8    shall  determine when award payments for part-time enrollment
 9    or interim or summer terms shall  be  counted  as  a  partial
10    semester or quarter of payment.
11        (e)  The  Commission, in determining the number of grants
12    to be offered, shall take into consideration past  experience
13    with  the  rate  of grant funds unclaimed by recipients.  The
14    Commission shall notify applicants that grant  assistance  is
15    contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds.
16        (f)  The   Commission   may  request  appropriations  for
17    deposit into the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund.  Monies
18    deposited into the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund may be
19    expended exclusively for one purpose: to make Monetary  Award
20    Program  grants  to eligible students.  Amounts on deposit in
21    the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund may not exceed 2%  of
22    the current annual State appropriation for the Monetary Award
23    Program.
24        The purpose of the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund is
25    to enable the Commission each year to assure as many students
26    as possible of their eligibility for a Monetary Award Program
27    grant  and to do so before commencement of the academic year.
28    Moneys deposited in this Reserve Fund are intended to enhance
29    the Commission's management of the  Monetary  Award  Program,
30    minimizing   the   necessity,  magnitude,  and  frequency  of
31    adjusting award amounts and ensuring that the annual Monetary
32    Award Program appropriation can be fully utilized.
33        (g)  The Commission shall determine  the  eligibility  of
34    and   make   grants   to  applicants  enrolled  at  qualified
 
HB2329 Engrossed            -4-      LRB093 07684 NHT 07866 b
 1    for-profit institutions in accordance with the  criteria  set
 2    forth   in  this  Section.   The  eligibility  of  applicants
 3    enrolled at such for-profit institutions shall be limited  as
 4    follows:
 5             (1)  Beginning  with the academic year 1997, only to
 6        eligible  first-time  freshmen  and  first-time  transfer
 7        students who have attained an associate degree.
 8             (2)  Beginning with the academic year 1998, only  to
 9        eligible  freshmen  students,  transfer students who have
10        attained an associate degree, and students who receive  a
11        grant  under paragraph (1) for the academic year 1997 and
12        whose grants are being  renewed  for  the  academic  year
13        1998.
14             (3)  Beginning  with  the academic year 1999, to all
15        eligible students.
16    (Source: P.A. 91-249, eff.  7-22-99;  91-250,  eff.  7-22-99;
17    91-357,  eff.  7-29-99;  91-747,  eff.  7-1-00;  92-45,  eff.
18    7-1-01.)

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