(110 ILCS 947/20)
Sec. 20. Functions of Commission.
(a) The Commission, in accordance with this Act, shall prepare and supervise
the issuance of public information concerning its provisions; prescribe the
form and regulate the submission of applications for assistance; provide for
and conduct, or cause to be conducted, all eligibility determinations of
applicants; award the appropriate financial assistance; and, upon request by a
member of the General Assembly, nominate or evaluate and recommend for
nomination applicants for General Assembly scholarships in accordance with
criteria specified by the member under Section 30-9 of the School Code.
(b) The Commission is authorized to participate in any programs
for monetary assistance to students and to receive, hold, and disburse all such
funds made available by any agency or organization for the purpose or purposes
for which they are made available. The Commission is authorized to administer
a program of grant assistance as authorized by the Baccalaureate Savings Act.
The Commission is authorized to participate in any programs established to
improve student financial aid services or the proficiency of persons engaged in
student financial aid services and to receive, hold, and disburse all funds
made available by any agency or organization for the purpose or purposes for
which they are made available subject to the appropriations of the General
Assembly.
(c) The Commission is authorized to deny a scholarship or a grant to
any person who has defaulted on a guaranteed student loan and who is not
maintaining a satisfactory repayment record. If a person has a defaulted
guaranteed student loan but is otherwise eligible for assistance pursuant
to Section 40, the Commission shall award one term of assistance
during which a satisfactory repayment record must be established. If such a
repayment record is not established, additional assistance shall be denied
until a satisfactory repayment record is established.
(d) The Commission is authorized to participate with federal, state,
county, local, and university law enforcement agencies in cooperative
efforts to detect and prosecute incidents of fraud in student assistance
programs.
(e) The Administrative Review Law shall apply to and govern all proceedings
for the judicial review of final administrative decisions of the
Commission.
(f) The Commission is authorized to make all necessary and proper rules, not
inconsistent with this Act, for the efficient exercise of the foregoing
functions.
(g) Unless otherwise provided by statute, the functions of the
Commission shall be exercised without regard to any applicant's race,
creed, sex, color, national origin, or ancestry. (h) The Commission is authorized to establish systems and programs to encourage employers to match employee contributions to prepaid programs of college savings by making donations to the Commission for prepaid programs of college savings to make higher education affordable for all residents of the State and to receive, hold, and disburse all such funds made available through those programs for the purposes for which they are authorized by rule or by law.
(Source: P.A. 96-198, eff. 8-10-09.)
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