093_SB0339ham001
LRB093 02464 NHT 14894 a
1 AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 339
2 AMENDMENT NO. . Amend Senate Bill 339 on page 6, by
3 replacing lines 26 through 33 with the following:
4 "(110 ILCS 947/52)
5 Sec. 52. Illinois Future Teacher CorpsITEACH Teacher
6 Shortage Scholarship Program.
7 (a) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois
8 students, especially minority students, to pursue teaching
9 careers, especially in teacher shortage disciplines (which
10 shall be defined to include early childhood education) or at
11 hard-to-staff schools (as defined by the Commission in
12 consultation with the State Board of Education), the
13 Commission shall, each year, receive and consider
14 applications for scholarship assistance under this Section.
15 An applicant is eligible for a scholarship under this Section
16 when the Commission finds that the applicant is:
17 (1) a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen;
18 (2) a resident of Illinois;
19 (3) a high school graduate or a person who has
20 received a General Educational Development Certificate;
21 (4) enrolled or accepted for enrollment at or above
22 the junior level, on at least a half-time basis, at an
23 Illinois institution of higher learning; and
-2- LRB093 02464 NHT 14894 a
1 (5) pursuing a postsecondary course of study
2 leading to initial certification in a teacher shortage
3 discipline or pursuing additional course work needed to
4 gain State Board of Education approval to teach,
5 including alternative teacher certification, in an
6 approved specialized area in which a teacher shortage
7 exists.
8 (b) Recipients shall be selected from among applicants
9 qualified pursuant to subsection (a) based on a combination
10 of the following criteria as set forth by the Commission: (1)
11 academic excellence; (2) status as a minority student as
12 defined in Section 50; and (3) financial need. Preference
13 may be given to previous recipients of assistance under this
14 Section, provided they continue to maintain eligibility and
15 maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by the
16 institution of higher learning at which they enroll.
17 Preference may also be given to qualified applicants enrolled
18 at or above the junior level.
19 (c) Each scholarship awarded under this Section shall be
20 in an amount sufficient to pay the tuition and fees and room
21 and board costs of the Illinois institution of higher
22 learning at which the recipient is enrolled, up to an annual
23 maximum of $5,000; except that in the case of a recipient who
24 does not reside on-campus at the institution of higher
25 learning at which he or she is enrolled, the amount of the
26 scholarship shall be sufficient to pay tuition and fee
27 expenses and a commuter allowance, up to an annual maximum of
28 $5,000. For recipients who agree to teach in a teacher
29 shortage discipline or at a hard-to-staff school under
30 subsection (i) of this Section, the Commission may, by rule
31 and subject to appropriation, increase the annual maximum
32 amount to $10,000. If a recipient agrees to teach in both a
33 teacher shortage discipline and at a hard-to-staff school
34 under subsection (i) of this Section, the Commission may
-3- LRB093 02464 NHT 14894 a
1 increase the amount of the scholarship awarded by up to an
2 additional $5,000.
3 (d) The total amount of scholarship assistance awarded
4 by the Commission under this Section to an individual in any
5 given fiscal year, when added to other financial assistance
6 awarded to that individual for that year, shall not exceed
7 the cost of attendance at the institution of higher learning
8 at which the student is enrolled.
9 (e) A recipient may receive up to 48 semesters or 612
10 quarters of scholarship assistance under this Section.
11 (f) All applications for scholarship assistance to be
12 awarded under this Section shall be made to the Commission in
13 a form as set forth by the Commission. The form of
14 application and the information required to be set forth
15 therein shall be determined by the Commission, and the
16 Commission shall require eligible applicants to submit with
17 their applications such supporting documents as the
18 Commission deems necessary.
19 (g) Subject to a separate appropriation made for such
20 purposes, payment of any scholarship awarded under this
21 Section shall be determined by the Commission. There shall be
22 a separate appropriation made for scholarships awarded to
23 recipients who agree to teach in a teacher shortage
24 discipline or at a hard-to-staff school under subsection (i)
25 of this Section. All scholarship funds distributed in
26 accordance with this Section shall be paid to the institution
27 on behalf of the recipients. Scholarship funds are
28 applicable toward 2 semesters or 3 quarters of enrollment
29 within an academic year.
30 (h) The Commission shall administer the ITEACH Teacher
31 Shortage scholarship program established by this Section and
32 shall make all necessary and proper rules not inconsistent
33 with this Section for its effective implementation.
34 (i) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any
-4- LRB093 02464 NHT 14894 a
1 academic year, each recipient of a scholarship awarded under
2 this Section shall be required by the Commission to sign an
3 agreement under which the recipient pledges that, within the
4 one-year period following the termination of the academic
5 program for which the recipient was awarded a scholarship,
6 the recipient: (i) shall begin teaching in a teacher shortage
7 discipline for a period of not less than 5 yearsone year for
8 each year of scholarship assistance awarded under this
9 Section, (ii) shall fulfill this teaching obligation at a
10 nonprofit Illinois public, private, or parochial preschool or
11 an Illinois public elementary or secondary school, and (iii)
12 shall, upon request of the Commission, provide the Commission
13 with evidence that he or she is fulfilling or has fulfilled
14 the terms of the teaching agreement provided for in this
15 subsection.
16 (j) If a recipient of a scholarship awarded under this
17 Section fails to fulfill the teaching obligation set forth in
18 subsection (i) of this Section, the Commission shall require
19 the recipient to repay the amount of the scholarships
20 received, prorated according to the fraction of the teaching
21 obligation not completed, plus interest at a rate of 5% and
22 if applicable, reasonable collection fees. The Commission is
23 authorized to establish rules relating to its collection
24 activities for repayment of scholarships under this Section.
25 Payments received by the Commission under this subsection (j)
26 shall be remitted to the State Comptroller for deposit into
27 the General Revenue Fund, except that that portion of a
28 recipient's repayment that equals the amount in expenses that
29 the Commission has reasonably incurred in attempting
30 collection from that recipient shall be remitted to the State
31 Comptroller for deposit into the Commission's Accounts
32 Receivable Fund.
33 (k) A recipient of a scholarship awarded by the
34 Commission under this Section shall not be in violation of
-5- LRB093 02464 NHT 14894 a
1 the agreement entered into pursuant to subsection (i) if the
2 recipient (i) enrolls on a full-time basis as a graduate
3 student in a course of study related to the field of teaching
4 at an institution of higher learning; (ii) is serving as a
5 member of the armed services of the United States; (iii) is
6 temporarily totally disabled, as established by sworn
7 affidavit of a qualified physician; or (iv) is seeking and
8 unable to find full-time employment as a teacher at a school
9 that satisfies the criteria set forth in subsection (i) and
10 is able to provide evidence of that fact. Any such extension
11 of the period during which the teaching requirement must be
12 fulfilled shall be subject to limitations of duration as
13 established by the Commission.
14 (Source: P.A. 91-670, eff. 12-22-99; 92-845, eff. 1-1-03.)";
15 and
16 by deleting pages 7 through 9; and
17 on page 10, by deleting lines 1 through 9; and
18 on page 15, immediately below line 1, by inserting the
19 following:
20 "Section 10. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended by
21 changing 3-648 as follows:
22 (625 ILCS 5/3-648)
23 Sec. 3-648. Education license plates.
24 (a) The Secretary, upon receipt of an application made
25 in the form prescribed by the Secretary, may issue special
26 registration plates designated as Education license plates.
27 The special plates issued under this Section shall be affixed
28 only to passenger vehicles of the first division and motor
29 vehicles of the second division weighing not more than 8,000
30 pounds. Plates issued under this Section shall expire
31 according to the multi-year procedure established by Section
-6- LRB093 02464 NHT 14894 a
1 3-414.1 of this Code.
2 (b) The design and color of the plates shall be
3 determined by a contest that every elementary school pupil in
4 the State of Illinois is eligible to enter. The designs
5 submitted for the contest shall be judged on September 30,
6 2002, and the winning design shall be selected by a committee
7 composed of the Secretary, the Director of State Police, 2
8 members of the Senate, one member chosen by the President of
9 the Senate and one member chosen by the Senate Minority
10 Leader, and 2 members of the House of Representatives, one
11 member chosen by the Speaker of the House and one member
12 chosen by the House Minority Leader. The Secretary may allow
13 the plates to be issued as vanity or personalized plates
14 under Section 3-405.1 of the Code. The Secretary shall
15 prescribe stickers or decals as provided under Section 3-412
16 of this Code.
17 (c) An applicant for the special plate shall be charged
18 a $40 fee for original issuance, in addition to the
19 appropriate registration fee. Of this $40 additional original
20 issuance fee, $15 shall be deposited into the Secretary of
21 State Special License Plate Fund, to be used by the Secretary
22 to help defray the administrative processing costs, and $25
23 shall be deposited into the Illinois Future Teacher Corps
24 Scholarship Fund. For each registration renewal period, a
25 $40 fee, in addition to the appropriate registration fee,
26 shall be charged. Of this $40 additional renewal fee, $2
27 shall be deposited into the Secretary of State Special
28 License Plate Fund and $38 shall be deposited into the
29 Illinois Future Teacher Corps Scholarship Fund. Each fiscal
30 year, once deposits from the additional original issuance and
31 renewal fees into the Secretary of State Special License
32 Plate Fund have reached $500,000, all the amounts received
33 for the additional fees for the balance of the fiscal year
34 shall be deposited into the Illinois Future Teacher Corps
-7- LRB093 02464 NHT 14894 a
1 Scholarship Fund.
2 (d) The Illinois Future Teacher Corps Scholarship Fund
3 is created as a special fund in the State treasury.
4 Ninety-five percent of the moneys in the Illinois Future
5 Teacher Corps Scholarship Fund shall be appropriated to the
6 Illinois Student Assistance Commission for scholarships under
7 Section 52 or 65.65 of the Higher Education Student
8 Assistance Act, and 5% of the moneys in the Illinois Future
9 Teacher Corps Scholarship Fund shall be appropriated to the
10 State Board of Education for grants to the Golden Apple
11 Foundation for Excellence in Teaching, a recognized
12 charitable organization that meets the requirements of Title
13 26, Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Code.
14 (Source: P.A. 92-445, eff. 8-17-01; 92-651, eff. 7-11-02;
15 92-845, eff. 1-1-03.)
16 (110 ILCS 947/65.65 rep.)
17 Section 15. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act
18 is amended by repealing Section 65.65.".