HB5782 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB097 18748 NHT 63983 b

97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB5782

Introduced 2/16/2012, by Rep. Dave Winters

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Jump Start Scholarship Program Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to establish and administer a Jump Start Scholarship Program. Provides that the purpose of the program is to allow a student who graduates from a public high school in 3 years or less to receive a scholarship funded with a portion of the money saved by this State in general State financial aid funding as a result of the student's early graduation if the student enrolls at any college, university, or technical school accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools that provides instruction from a campus located in this State. Sets forth provisions concerning eligibility, the scholarship amount, application, payments to an institution, and rules.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning education.

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

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Jump Start Scholarship Act.

Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:

"Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.

"Institution" means any college, university, or technical school accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools that provides instruction from a campus located in this State.

"Program" means the Jump Start Scholarship Program.

"Scholarship" means a Jump Start Scholarship.

Section 10. Jump Start Scholarship Program established. The Commission shall establish and administer a Jump Start Scholarship Program. The purpose of the program is to allow a student who graduates from a public high school in 3 years or less to receive a scholarship funded with a portion of the money saved by this State in general State financial aid funding pursuant to Section 18-8.05 of the School Code as a result of the student's early graduation if the student enrolls at any college, university, or technical school accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools that provides instruction from a campus located in this State.

Section 15. Eligibility. To be eligible for the program, a student shall meet the following qualifications:

(1) be a resident of Illinois;

(2) be awarded a high school diploma by a public high school in 3 years or less;

(3) have attended a public high school in this State on a full-time basis for at least 2 semesters prior to graduating; and

(4) within one year after graduating from high school, excluding any time served on active duty in the armed forces of the United States, enroll in a college, university, or technical school accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools that provides instruction from a campus located in this State.

No student who enrolls in a high school for all or any part of a fourth year is eligible for the program.

Section 20. Amount of the scholarship. The amount of the scholarship shall be calculated by the Commission, in consultation with the State Board of Education, based on the per pupil amount of general State financial aid received by the school district of the high school from which the pupil graduated under Section 18-8.05 of the School Code.

One-half of the award shall be paid to an institution on behalf of any eligible student there enrolled at the beginning of the fall semester, and the other half shall be paid in the same manner at the beginning of the spring semester. A student must be enrolled full-time during the spring semester in order to receive the second installment.

Section 25. Application; payments to institution. Any eligible student seeking to obtain a scholarship shall, by September 1st of the year following the student's graduation from high school, apply for admission to an institution. The institution shall determine the student's initial eligibility, and once the student is admitted into the Jump Start Scholarship Program, the Commission shall make scholarship payments to the institution on behalf of the student. Institutions shall submit to the Commission the names of all eligible students by October 1st for the first semester and by February 25th for the second semester, and once the eligibility of each student is verified, the Commission shall distribute the funds necessary to award the scholarship to each eligible student to institutions for the first semester on October 15th or the first working day thereafter, and for the second semester on March 15th or the first working day thereafter.

Section 90. Rules. The Commission may adopt any rules necessary to implement this Act.