Full Text of HB1316 100th General Assembly
HB1316eng 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 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 1. This Act may be referred to as the College | 5 | | Affordability Act. | 6 | | Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding | 7 | | Sections 5.878, 5.879, 5.880, and 5.881 as follows: | 8 | | (30 ILCS 105/5.878 new) | 9 | | Sec. 5.878. The College Affordability Fund. | 10 | | (30 ILCS 105/5.879 new) | 11 | | Sec. 5.879. The Work-Study Fund. | 12 | | (30 ILCS 105/5.880 new) | 13 | | Sec. 5.880. The College Affordability Purchasing Fund. | 14 | | (30 ILCS 105/5.881 new) | 15 | | Sec. 5.881. The Illinois Excellence Fund. | 16 | | Section 10. The Board of Higher Education Act is amended by | 17 | | adding Section 9.36 as follows: |
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| 1 | | (110 ILCS 205/9.36 new) | 2 | | Sec. 9.36. Illinois Excellence Program. | 3 | | (a) Subject to appropriation, the Board shall establish and | 4 | | administer a program, to be called the Illinois Excellence | 5 | | Program, to incentivize the recruitment and retention of | 6 | | promising faculty throughout the Illinois system of higher | 7 | | education through the award of faculty and department incentive | 8 | | grants. | 9 | | The Program shall focus on personnel incentives designed to | 10 | | attract and retain sought-after faculty to the Illinois system | 11 | | of higher education. | 12 | | (b) The Illinois Excellence Fund is created as a special | 13 | | fund in the State treasury. All money in the Fund may be used, | 14 | | subject to appropriation, by the Board of Higher Education for | 15 | | the administration of the Illinois Excellence Program. | 16 | | Section 15. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | 17 | | amended by adding Section 23 as follows: | 18 | | (110 ILCS 947/23 new) | 19 | | Sec. 23. College Affordability programs. | 20 | | (a) In this Section: | 21 | | "Continuous enrollment" means a student has attended | 22 | | classes in the fall and spring semester of a single academic | 23 | | year; enrollment in summer semester or intersession terms is | 24 | | not required. |
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| 1 | | "Public institution" means the University of Illinois, | 2 | | Southern Illinois University, Chicago State University, | 3 | | Eastern Illinois University, Governors State University, | 4 | | Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University, | 5 | | Northern Illinois University, Western Illinois University, any | 6 | | public community college in this State, or any other public | 7 | | university, college, or community college
now or hereafter | 8 | | established or authorized by the General Assembly. | 9 | | "Student aid" means scholarships and grants, other than a | 10 | | College Affordability grant, awarded to the student from any | 11 | | source that does not require repayment and half of a student's | 12 | | federally calculated expected family contribution; "student | 13 | | aid" does not include student loans and work-study awards. | 14 | | (b) The Commission shall implement and administer a | 15 | | program, beginning with the 2018-2019 academic year, to award | 16 | | College Affordability grants to all eligible Illinois | 17 | | residents seeking an associate or bachelor's degree, as | 18 | | applicable, from a public institution. The following terms and | 19 | | conditions shall apply to the program: | 20 | | (1) To be eligible for a grant, a student must (i) have | 21 | | been an Illinois resident for at least 2 years immediately | 22 | | prior to applying for a grant, (ii) have graduated from an | 23 | | approved high school with a cumulative grade point average | 24 | | of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent, as | 25 | | determined by the Commission), (iii) have an annual family | 26 | | income of $125,000 or less, and (iv) be admitted to and |
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| 1 | | enrolled full-time, as an Illinois resident, in a public | 2 | | institution in the fall term after graduating from high | 3 | | school. Exceptions to initial enrollment may be made for | 4 | | extenuating circumstances as provided in rules adopted by | 5 | | the Commission. | 6 | | (2) Students applying for a grant shall complete the | 7 | | College Affordability
grant application in their initial | 8 | | semester of enrollment. Students shall complete the Free | 9 | | Application for Federal Student Aid each academic year in | 10 | | which they seek to receive a grant. | 11 | | (3) To continue to receive a grant, a student must | 12 | | maintain Illinois residency, as well as a cumulative grade | 13 | | point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or its | 14 | | equivalent, as determined by the Commission). | 15 | | (4) Each academic year, subject to money appropriated | 16 | | by the General Assembly from the College Affordability | 17 | | Fund, a grant shall be equal to the cost of tuition and | 18 | | mandatory fees at the public institution attended less all | 19 | | other student aid, as determined by the Commission. For the | 20 | | 2018-2019 academic year, if grants are awarded under this | 21 | | Section, the total amount of institutional aid awarded | 22 | | directly by a public institution to its students in the | 23 | | form of scholarships, grants, and waivers must be no less | 24 | | than the total amount of such institutional aid awarded by | 25 | | that public institution for the 2017-2018 academic year. | 26 | | For the 2019-2020 academic year and each academic year |
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| 1 | | thereafter for which grants are awarded under this Section, | 2 | | the total amount of institutional aid that must be awarded | 3 | | under this paragraph (4) shall be adjusted for inflation as | 4 | | determined by the Consumer
Price Index for All Urban | 5 | | Consumers as determined by the United States
Department of | 6 | | Labor. Student aid shall be credited first to the student's | 7 | | tuition and mandatory fees. The amount of the grant may be | 8 | | based on the annual family income of the student, as | 9 | | determined by the Commission, but in no event may a grant | 10 | | exceed $4,000. Each public institution shall annually | 11 | | report its undergraduate tuition rate for Illinois | 12 | | residents and the number of its undergraduates who are | 13 | | Illinois residents to the Commission. | 14 | | (5) A student awarded a grant who has an approved | 15 | | medical or personal leave of absence from a public | 16 | | institution may continue to receive the grant upon resuming | 17 | | the student's education at the public institution so long | 18 | | as the student continues to meet all applicable eligibility | 19 | | requirements under this Section and as adopted by the | 20 | | Commission. The total of all approved leaves of absence may | 21 | | not exceed 6 months. | 22 | | (6) A student is eligible for a grant until the | 23 | | occurrence of the first
of the following events: | 24 | | (A) the student has earned a bachelor's degree; or | 25 | | (B) the sum of the number of years the student has | 26 | | attended a public institution equals 6 years from the |
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| 1 | | date of the
student's initial enrollment at a public | 2 | | institution,
exclusive of approved leaves of absence, | 3 | | except that no more than 3 of those years may be for | 4 | | attendance at a public community college. | 5 | | (7) Except for a medical or personal leave of absence, | 6 | | as approved by a public institution, a student awarded a | 7 | | grant under this Section shall maintain continuous | 8 | | enrollment at a public institution. | 9 | | (8) A student awarded a grant under this Section shall | 10 | | participate in a student loan counseling program through | 11 | | the Commission. This program may be completed online. | 12 | | (c) In awarding grants under this Section, the Commission | 13 | | shall, by rule, develop the selection and renewal criteria for | 14 | | students. | 15 | | (d) Prior to receiving grant assistance for any academic | 16 | | year, each recipient of a grant awarded under this Section | 17 | | shall be required by the Commission to sign an agreement under | 18 | | which the recipient pledges that, beginning within the one-year | 19 | | period following the termination of the academic program for | 20 | | which the recipient was awarded a grant, the recipient shall | 21 | | reside in this State for a period of not less than 2 years. If | 22 | | the recipient is 26 years old or younger, his or her parent or | 23 | | guardian must also sign the agreement, agreeing to repay any | 24 | | amounts that the recipient does not repay under subsection (e) | 25 | | of this Section. Each recipient shall, upon request of the | 26 | | Commission, provide the Commission with evidence that he or she |
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| 1 | | is fulfilling or has fulfilled the terms of the agreement | 2 | | provided for in this subsection (d). | 3 | | (e) If a recipient of a grant awarded under this Section | 4 | | fails to fulfill the residency obligation set forth in | 5 | | subsection (d) of this Section, the Commission shall require | 6 | | the recipient to repay, without interest, the amount of the | 7 | | grants received, prorated according to the fraction of the | 8 | | obligation not completed, and, if applicable, reasonable | 9 | | collection fees. The Commission shall allow the recipient to | 10 | | repay one-tenth of the amount owed each year for 10 years. The | 11 | | Commission is authorized to establish rules relating to its | 12 | | collection activities for repayment of grants under this | 13 | | Section. | 14 | | (f) A recipient of a grant awarded by the Commission under | 15 | | this Section is not in violation of the agreement entered into | 16 | | pursuant to subsection (d) of this Section if the recipient (i) | 17 | | is serving as a member of the armed services of the United | 18 | | States; (ii) is enrolled in a graduate program following | 19 | | graduation from a public university; (iii) is temporarily | 20 | | totally disabled, as established by sworn affidavit of a | 21 | | qualified physician; or (iv) cannot fulfill the residency | 22 | | obligation due to his or her death, disability, or | 23 | | incompetency, as established by sworn affidavit of a qualified | 24 | | physician. No claim for repayment may be filed against the | 25 | | estate of such a decedent or incompetent. Any extension of the | 26 | | period during which the residency requirement must be fulfilled |
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| 1 | | is subject to limitations of duration as established by the | 2 | | Commission. | 3 | | (g) The College Affordability Fund is created as a special | 4 | | fund in the State treasury. The Fund shall consist of money | 5 | | appropriated by the General Assembly and any gifts, bequests, | 6 | | or donations made to the Fund. All money in the Fund shall only | 7 | | be used, subject to appropriation, by the Commission for the | 8 | | purposes of awarding grants under this Section. | 9 | | (h) Subject to appropriation from the Work-Study Fund, the | 10 | | Commission shall implement and administer a program in which | 11 | | the Commission shall award work-study stipends to applicants | 12 | | who are recipients of grants under this Section and who agree | 13 | | to work for 5 to 15 hours per week as peer mentors or tutors for | 14 | | other grant recipients under this Section under a work-study | 15 | | program established by the public institution. Eligibility for | 16 | | a stipend shall be based on the applicant's merit and the | 17 | | amount appropriated in a given fiscal year. The Commission | 18 | | shall establish an annual deadline for applying for a stipend. | 19 | | The Work-Study Fund is created as a special fund in the | 20 | | State treasury. All money in the Fund shall be used, subject to | 21 | | appropriation, by the Commission for the purposes of this | 22 | | subsection (h). | 23 | | (i) Subject to appropriation from the College | 24 | | Affordability Purchasing Fund, the Commission shall implement | 25 | | and administer a program in which the Commission shall buy out | 26 | | the private student loans of any eligible participant that the |
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| 1 | | eligible participant incurred to attend a public institution. | 2 | | The Commission may establish its own separate repayment | 3 | | conditions, but the Commission must set a 0% interest rate on | 4 | | any loans it buys out. In order to be eligible to participate | 5 | | in the program established under this subsection (i), the | 6 | | participant (1) must have graduated from a public institution | 7 | | before the start of the 2018-2019 academic year with a | 8 | | cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale | 9 | | (or its equivalent, as determined by the Commission) and (2) | 10 | | must be currently repaying any federal student loans incurred | 11 | | to attend a public institution on an income-based repayment | 12 | | plan. | 13 | | The College Affordability Purchasing Fund is created as a | 14 | | special fund in the State treasury. All money in the Fund shall | 15 | | be used, subject to appropriation, by the Commission for the | 16 | | purposes of this subsection (i).
| 17 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, | 18 | | 2018, except that Section 15 and this Section take effect upon | 19 | | becoming law. |
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