Illinois Compiled Statutes - Full Text

  1. Home
  2. Legislation
  3. Illinois Compiled Statutes

Illinois Compiled Statutes - Full Text

Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS)

Updating the database of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) is an ongoing process. Recent laws may not yet be included in the ILCS database, but they are found on this site as Public Acts soon after they become law. For information concerning the relationship between statutes and Public Acts, refer to the Guide.

Because the statute database is maintained primarily for legislative drafting purposes, statutory changes are sometimes included in the statute database before they take effect. If the source note at the end of a Section of the statutes includes a Public Act that has not yet taken effect, the version of the law that is currently in effect may have already been removed from the database and you should refer to that Public Act to see the changes made to the current law.


110 ILCS 947/65.130

    (110 ILCS 947/65.130)
    Sec. 65.130. Journalism Student Scholarship Program.
    (a) As used in this Section, "local news organization" has the meaning given to that term in the Strengthening Community Media Act.
    (b) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois students to pursue careers in journalism, especially in underserved areas of the State, and to provide those students with financial assistance to increase the likelihood that they will complete their full academic commitment and elect to remain in Illinois to pursue a career in journalism, subject to appropriation, not sooner than the 2025-2026 academic year, the Commission shall implement and administer the Journalism Student Scholarship Program. The Commission shall annually award scholarships to persons preparing to work in Illinois, with preference given to those preparing to work in underserved areas. These scholarships shall be awarded to individuals who make application to the Commission and agree to sign an agreement under which the recipient pledges that, within the 2-year period following the termination of the academic program for which the recipient was awarded a scholarship, the recipient shall:
        (1) begin working in journalism in this State for a
    
period of not less than 2 years;
        (2) fulfill this obligation at local news
    
organization; and
        (3) upon request of the Commission, provide the
    
Commission with evidence that the recipient is fulfilling or has fulfilled the terms of the teaching agreement provided for in this subsection.
    (c) An eligible student is a student who meets the following qualifications:
        (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or
    
eligible noncitizen of the United States;
        (2) is a high school graduate or a person who has
    
received an Illinois high school diploma;
        (3) is enrolled or accepted, on at least a half-time
    
basis, at an institution of higher learning; and
        (4) is pursuing a postsecondary course of study
    
leading to a career in journalism or a similar field.
    (d) Each scholarship shall be used by the recipient for the payment of tuition and fees at an institution of higher learning.
    (e) The Commission shall administer the Program and shall adopt all necessary and proper rules not inconsistent with this Section for its effective implementation.
(Source: P.A. 103-1021, eff. 1-1-25; 104-417, eff. 8-15-25.)