HB5256ham001 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Rep. Luis Arroyo

Filed: 2/26/2016

09900HB5256ham001 LRB099 17375 NHT 45525 a

AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 5256

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 5256 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is amended by adding Section 65.95 as follows:

(110 ILCS 947/65.95 new)

Sec. 65.95. General Assembly scholarships.

(a) Beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year, the Commission shall, each year, award scholarship assistance under this Section. A total of 8 scholarships per representative district shall be awarded each year. An applicant is eligible for a scholarship under this Section if the applicant meets all of the following qualifications:

(1) He or she is a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen.

(2) He or she is a resident of the representative district for which a scholarship is to be awarded.

(3) He or she is enrolled or accepted for enrollment at a public university in this State.

(b) The Commission shall create a board to select recipients of scholarships under this Section. Each public university shall appoint one member to the board, and the Executive Director of the Commission or his or her designee shall serve as chairperson of the board. Recipients shall be selected from among applicants qualified pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section based on criteria set forth by the board. Preference may be given to previous recipients of assistance under this Section, provided they continue to maintain eligibility and maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by the public university at which they enroll. Once the board has selected scholarship recipients for a given academic year, the board shall forward the applications and any supporting documents of those selected to the Commission for the awarding of scholarships.

(c) Each scholarship awarded under this Section shall be in an amount sufficient to pay the tuition and fees of the public university at which the recipient is enrolled.

(d) The total amount of scholarship assistance awarded by the Commission under this Section to an individual in any given fiscal year, when added to other financial assistance awarded to that individual for that year, shall not exceed the cost of attendance at the public university at which the student is enrolled.

(e) A recipient may receive up to 8 semesters of scholarship assistance under this Section.

(f) All applications for scholarship assistance to be awarded under this Section shall be made to the State representative or State senator who represents the territory where the recipient resides. The State representative or State senator shall choose which applications to forward to the board created under subsection (b) of this Section. The application shall be in a form as set forth by the Commission. The form of application and the information required to be set forth in the application shall be determined by the Commission, and the Commission shall require eligible applicants to submit with their applications such supporting documents as the Commission deems necessary.

(g) Subject to a separate appropriation made for such purposes, payment of any scholarship awarded under this Section shall be determined by the Commission. All scholarship funds distributed in accordance with this Section shall be paid to the public university on behalf of the recipients. Scholarship funds are applicable toward 2 semesters of enrollment within an academic year.

(h) The Commission shall administer the scholarship program established by this Section and shall make all necessary and proper rules not inconsistent with this Section for its effective implementation.".