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91_SB0653
LRB9104091NTsb
1 AN ACT concerning higher education, amending named Acts.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act
5 is amended by changing Sections 37, 50, 52, 55, and 60 as
6 follows:
7 (110 ILCS 947/37)
8 Sec. 37. Higher education license plate grant program.
9 (a) Each year, the Illinois Student Assistance
10 Commission shall receive a separate appropriation for the
11 purpose of providing grant assistance to students enrolled at
12 Illinois private colleges and universities. Subject to a
13 separate appropriation for such purposes, an applicant is
14 eligible for a grant to a degree-granting, not-for-profit
15 private college or university located in this State under
16 this Section when the Commission finds that the applicant:
17 (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or
18 permanent resident of the United States; and
19 (2) in the absence of grant assistance, will be
20 deterred by financial considerations from completing an
21 educational program at the qualified institution of his
22 or her choice.
23 (b) The private college or university shall award
24 renewals only upon the student's application and upon the
25 institution's finding that the applicant:
26 (1) has remained a student in good standing at a
27 degree-granting, not-for-profit private college or
28 university located in this State;
29 (2) remains a resident of this State; and
30 (3) is in a financial situation that continues to
31 warrant assistance.
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1 (c) All grants shall be applicable only to tuition and
2 necessary fee costs for 2 semesters or 3 quarters in an
3 academic year. Requests for summer term assistance must be
4 made separately and shall be considered on an individual
5 basis according to Commission policy. The institution shall
6 determine the grant amount for each full-time and part-time
7 student, which shall be the smallest of the following
8 amounts:
9 (1) $2,000 for 2 semesters or 3 quarters of
10 full-time undergraduate enrollment or $1,000 for 2
11 semesters or 3 quarters of part-time undergraduate
12 enrollment, or such lesser amount as the institution
13 Commission finds to be available; or
14 (2) the amount that equals the tuition and other
15 necessary fees for 2 semesters or 3 quarters required
16 generally by the institution of all full-time
17 undergraduate students, or in the case of part-time
18 students an amount of tuition and fees for 2 semesters or
19 3 quarters that does not exceed one-half the amount of
20 tuition and necessary fees generally charged to full-time
21 undergraduate students by the institution; or
22 (3) such amount as the institution finds to be
23 appropriate in view of the applicant's financial
24 resources.
25 "Tuition and other necessary fees" as used in this Section
26 includes the customary charge for instruction and use of
27 facilities in general, and the additional fixed fees charged
28 for specified purposes, which are required generally of
29 nongrant recipients for each academic period for which the
30 grant applicant actually enrolls, but does not include fees
31 payable only once or breakage fees and other contingent
32 deposits that are refundable in whole or in part. The
33 Commission may prescribe, by rule not inconsistent with this
34 Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of
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1 tuition and other necessary fees.
2 (d) No applicant, including those presently receiving
3 scholarship assistance under this Act, is eligible for grant
4 program consideration under this Section after receiving a
5 baccalaureate degree or the equivalent of 10 semesters or 15
6 quarters of award payments. The institution shall determine
7 when award payments for part-time enrollment or interim or
8 summer terms shall be counted as a partial semester or
9 quarter of payment.
10 (e) The Commission shall ensure that in each school year
11 the total amount of grants awarded under this Section for
12 study at each degree-granting, not-for-profit private college
13 or university in this State shall be at least equal to the
14 total amount deposited into the University Grant Fund from
15 the issuance or renewal of license plates bearing the name of
16 that degree-granting, not-for-profit private college or
17 university during the calendar year preceding the calendar
18 year in which the school year begins.
19 The institution shall notify applicants that grant
20 assistance is contingent upon the availability of
21 appropriated funds.
22 (Source: P.A. 89-424, eff. 6-1-96; 90-278, eff. 7-31-97.)
23 (110 ILCS 947/50)
24 Sec. 50. Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship
25 program.
26 (a) As used in this Section:
27 "Eligible applicant" means a minority student who
28 has graduated from high school or has received a General
29 Educational Development Certification and has maintained
30 a cumulative grade point average at the postsecondary
31 level of no less than 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, and who by
32 reason thereof is entitled to apply for scholarships to
33 be awarded under this Section.
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1 "Minority student" means a student who is either (i)
2 Black (a person having origins in any of the black racial
3 groups in Africa); (ii) Hispanic (a person of Spanish or
4 Portuguese culture with origins in Mexico, South or
5 Central America, or the Caribbean islands, regardless of
6 race); (iii) Asian American (a person with origins in any
7 of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia,
8 the Indian subcontinent, including Pakistan, and the
9 Pacific Islands, including, among others, Hawaii,
10 Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia); or (iv) Native
11 American (a person who is a member of a federally or
12 state recognized Indian tribe, or whose parents or
13 grandparents have such membership) and to include the
14 native people of Alaska.
15 "Qualified student" means a person (i) who is a
16 resident of this State and a citizen or permanent
17 resident of the United States; (ii) who is a minority
18 student, as defined in this Section; (iii) who, as an
19 eligible applicant, has made a timely application for a
20 minority teaching scholarship under this Section; (iv)
21 who is enrolled on a full time basis at the sophomore
22 level or above until his or her last semester at a
23 qualified Illinois institution of higher learning as an
24 undergraduate student and has not received a
25 baccalaureate degree, except that last semester seniors
26 must enroll only for a minimum of 6 credit hours in order
27 to retain minority scholarship eligibility under this
28 Section; (v) who is enrolled in a course of study leading
29 to teacher certification; (vi) who maintains a grade
30 point average of no less than 2.5 on a 4.0 scale while
31 enrolled at the postsecondary level; and (vii) who
32 continues to advance satisfactorily toward the attainment
33 of a degree.
34 (b) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois
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1 minority students to pursue teaching careers at the
2 elementary or secondary school level, each qualified student
3 shall be awarded a minority teacher scholarship to any
4 qualified Illinois institution of higher learning.
5 (c) Each minority teacher scholarship awarded under this
6 Section shall be in an amount sufficient to pay the tuition
7 and fees and room and board costs of the qualified Illinois
8 institution of higher learning at which the recipient is
9 enrolled, up to an annual maximum of $5,000; except that in
10 the case of a recipient who does not reside on-campus at the
11 institution at which he or she is enrolled, the amount of the
12 scholarship shall be sufficient to pay tuition and fee
13 expenses and a commuter allowance, up to an annual maximum of
14 $5,000.
15 (d) The total amount of minority teacher scholarship
16 assistance awarded by the Commission under this Section to an
17 individual in any given fiscal year, when added to other
18 financial assistance awarded to that individual for that
19 year, shall not exceed the cost of attendance at the
20 institution at which the student is enrolled. If the amount
21 of minority teacher scholarship to be awarded to a qualified
22 student as provided in subsection (c) of this Section exceeds
23 the cost of attendance at the institution at which the
24 student is enrolled, the minority teacher scholarship shall
25 be reduced by an amount equal to the amount by which the
26 combined financial assistance available to the student
27 exceeds the cost of attendance.
28 (e) The maximum number of academic terms years for which
29 a qualified student can receive minority teacher scholarship
30 assistance shall be 8 semesters or 12 quarters 4 years of
31 undergraduate study.
32 (f) In any academic year for which an eligible applicant
33 under this Section accepts financial assistance through the
34 Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarship Program, as authorized by
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1 Section 551 et seq. of the Higher Education Act of 1965, the
2 applicant shall not be eligible for scholarship assistance
3 awarded under this Section.
4 (g) All applications for minority teacher scholarships
5 to be awarded under this Section shall be made to the
6 Commission on forms which the Commission shall provide for
7 eligible applicants. The form of applications and the
8 information required to be set forth therein shall be
9 determined by the Commission, and the Commission shall
10 require eligible applicants to submit with their applications
11 such supporting documents or recommendations as the
12 Commission deems necessary.
13 (h) Subject to a separate appropriation for such
14 purposes, payment of any minority teacher scholarship awarded
15 under this Section shall be determined by the Commission.
16 All scholarship funds distributed in accordance with this
17 subsection shall be paid to the institution and used only for
18 payment of the tuition and fee and room and board expenses
19 incurred by the student in connection with his or her
20 attendance as an undergraduate student at a qualified
21 Illinois institution of higher learning. Any minority
22 teacher scholarship awarded under this Section shall be
23 applicable to 2 semesters or 3 quarters of enrollment. If a
24 qualified student withdraws from enrollment prior to
25 completion of the first semester or quarter for which the
26 minority teacher scholarship is applicable, the school shall
27 refund to the Commission the full amount of the minority
28 teacher scholarship.
29 (i) The Commission shall administer the minority teacher
30 scholarship aid program established by this Section and shall
31 make all necessary and proper rules not inconsistent with
32 this Section for its effective implementation.
33 (j) When an appropriation to the Commission for a given
34 fiscal year is insufficient to provide scholarships to all
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1 qualified students, the Commission shall allocate the
2 appropriation in accordance with this subsection. If funds
3 are insufficient to provide all qualified students with a
4 scholarship as authorized by this Section, the Commission
5 shall allocate the available scholarship funds for that
6 fiscal year on the basis of the date the Commission receives
7 a complete application form.
8 (k) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (j) or
9 any other provision of this Section, at least 30% of the
10 funds appropriated for scholarships awarded under this
11 Section in each fiscal year shall be reserved for qualified
12 male minority applicants.
13 (l) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any
14 academic year, each recipient of a minority teacher
15 scholarship awarded under this Section shall be required by
16 the Commission to sign an agreement under which the recipient
17 pledges that, within the 5 10 year period following the
18 termination of the undergraduate program for which the
19 recipient was awarded a minority teacher scholarship, the
20 recipient (i) shall teach for a period of not less than one
21 year for each year of scholarship assistance he or she was
22 awarded under this Section; and (ii) shall fulfill this
23 teaching obligation at a nonprofit Illinois public, private,
24 or parochial preschool, elementary school, or secondary
25 school at which no less than 30% of the enrolled students are
26 minority students in the year during which the recipient
27 begins teaching at the school; and (iii) shall, upon request
28 by the Commission, provide the Commission with evidence that
29 he or she is fulfilling or has fulfilled the terms of the
30 teaching agreement provided for in this subsection.
31 (m) If a recipient of a minority teacher scholarship
32 awarded under this Section fails to fulfill the teaching
33 obligation set forth in subsection (l) of this Section, the
34 Commission shall require the recipient to repay the amount of
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1 the scholarships received, prorated according to the fraction
2 of the teaching obligation not completed, at a rate of
3 interest equal to 5% that defined under subpart E of Part 653
4 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and if applicable,
5 reasonable collection fees. The Commission is authorized to
6 establish rules relating to its collection activities for
7 repayment of scholarships under this Section. All repayments
8 collected under this Section shall be forwarded to the State
9 Comptroller for deposit into the State's General Revenue
10 Fund.
11 (n) A recipient of minority teacher scholarship shall
12 not be considered in violation of the agreement entered into
13 pursuant to subsection (l) if the recipient (i) enrolls on a
14 full time basis as a graduate student in a course of study
15 related to the field of teaching at a qualified Illinois
16 institution of higher learning; (ii) is serving, not in
17 excess of 3 years, as a member of the armed services of the
18 United States; (iii) is temporarily totally disabled for a
19 period of time not to exceed 3 years as established by sworn
20 affidavit of a qualified physician; (iv) is seeking and
21 unable to find full time employment as a teacher at an
22 Illinois public, private, or parochial preschool or
23 elementary or secondary school that satisfies the criteria
24 set forth in subsection (l) of this Section and is able to
25 provide evidence of that fact; or, (v) becomes permanently
26 totally disabled as established by sworn affidavit of a
27 qualified physician.
28 (o) Scholarship recipients under this Section who
29 withdraw from the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship
30 program but remain enrolled in school to continue their
31 postsecondary studies in another academic discipline shall
32 not be required to commence repayment of their Minority
33 Teachers of Illinois scholarship so long as they remain
34 enrolled in school on a full-time basis or if they can
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1 document for the Commission special circumstances that
2 warrant extension of repayment.
3 (Source: P.A. 87-302; 87-920; 87-997; 87-1004; 88-45;
4 88-231.)
5 (110 ILCS 947/52)
6 Sec. 52. David A. DeBolt Teacher Shortage Scholarship
7 Program.
8 (a) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois
9 students, especially minority students, to pursue teaching
10 careers in teacher shortage disciplines, the Commission
11 shall, each year, receive and consider applications for
12 scholarship assistance under this Section. An applicant is
13 eligible for a scholarship under this Section when the
14 Commission finds that the applicant is:
15 (1) a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen;
16 (2) a resident of Illinois;
17 (3) a high school graduate or a person who has
18 received a General Educational Development Certificate;
19 (4) enrolled or accepted for enrollment, on at
20 least a half-time basis at the sophomore level or above,
21 at an Illinois institution of higher learning; and
22 (5) pursuing a postsecondary course of study
23 leading to initial certification in a teacher shortage
24 discipline or pursuing additional course work needed to
25 gain State Board of Education approval to teach in an
26 approved specialized area in which a teacher shortage
27 exists.
28 (b) Recipients shall be selected from among applicants
29 qualified pursuant to subsection (a) based on a combination
30 of the following criteria as set forth by the Commission: (1)
31 academic excellence; (2) status as a minority student as
32 defined in Section 50; and (3) financial need. Preference
33 may be given to previous recipients of assistance under this
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1 Section, provided they continue to maintain eligibility and
2 maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by the
3 institution of higher learning at which they enroll.
4 (c) Each scholarship awarded under this Section shall be
5 in an amount sufficient to pay the tuition and fees and room
6 and board costs of the Illinois institution of higher
7 learning at which the recipient is enrolled, up to an annual
8 maximum of $5,000; except that in the case of a recipient who
9 does not reside on-campus at the institution of higher
10 learning at which he or she is enrolled, the amount of the
11 scholarship shall be sufficient to pay tuition and fee
12 expenses and a commuter allowance, up to an annual maximum of
13 $5,000.
14 (d) The total amount of scholarship assistance awarded
15 by the Commission under this Section to an individual in any
16 given fiscal year, when added to other financial assistance
17 awarded to that individual for that year, shall not exceed
18 the cost of attendance at the institution of higher learning
19 at which the student is enrolled.
20 (e) A recipient may receive up to 8 semesters or 12
21 quarters of scholarship assistance under this Section.
22 (f) All applications for scholarship assistance to be
23 awarded under this Section shall be made to the Commission in
24 a form as set forth by the Commission. The form of
25 application and the information required to be set forth
26 therein shall be determined by the Commission, and the
27 Commission shall require eligible applicants to submit with
28 their applications such supporting documents as the
29 Commission deems necessary.
30 (g) Subject to a separate appropriation made for such
31 purposes, payment of any scholarship awarded under this
32 Section shall be determined by the Commission. All
33 scholarship funds distributed in accordance with this Section
34 shall be paid to the institution on behalf of the recipients.
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1 Scholarship funds are applicable toward 2 semesters or 3
2 quarters of enrollment within an academic year.
3 (h) The Commission shall administer the David A. DeBolt
4 Teacher Shortage Scholarship Program established by this
5 Section and shall make all necessary and proper rules not
6 inconsistent with this Section for its effective
7 implementation.
8 (i) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any
9 academic year, each recipient of a scholarship awarded under
10 this Section shall be required by the Commission to sign an
11 agreement under which the recipient pledges that, within the
12 5 year period following the termination of the academic
13 program for which the recipient was awarded a scholarship,
14 the recipient: (i) shall teach in a teacher shortage
15 discipline for a period of not less than one year for each
16 year of scholarship assistance awarded under this Section,
17 (ii) shall fulfill this teaching obligation at an Illinois
18 public, private, or parochial preschool or elementary or
19 secondary school, and (iii) shall, upon request of the
20 Commission, provide the Commission with evidence that he or
21 she is fulfilling or has fulfilled the terms of the teaching
22 agreement provided for in this subsection.
23 (j) If a recipient of a scholarship awarded under this
24 Section fails to fulfill the teaching obligation set forth in
25 subsection (i) of this Section, the Commission shall require
26 the recipient to repay the amount of the scholarships
27 received, prorated according to the fraction of the teaching
28 obligation not completed, plus interest at a rate no greater
29 than the highest rate applicable for educational loans made
30 pursuant to Title IV, Part B of the Higher Education Act of
31 1965, as amended, and if applicable, reasonable collection
32 fees. The Commission is authorized to establish rules
33 relating to its collection activities for repayment of
34 scholarships under this Section.
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1 (k) A recipient of a scholarship awarded by the
2 Commission under this Section shall not be in violation of
3 the agreement entered into pursuant to subsection (i) if the
4 recipient (i) enrolls on a full-time basis as a graduate
5 student in a course of study related to the field of teaching
6 at an institution of higher learning; (ii) is serving as a
7 member of the armed services of the United States; (iii) is
8 temporarily totally disabled, as established by sworn
9 affidavit of a qualified physician; or (iv) is seeking and
10 unable to find full-time employment as a teacher at a school
11 that satisfies the criteria set forth in subsection (i) and
12 is able to provide evidence of that fact. Any such extension
13 of the period during which the teaching requirement must be
14 fulfilled shall be subject to limitations of duration as
15 established by the Commission.
16 (Source: P.A. 90-201, eff. 7-24-97.)
17 (110 ILCS 947/55)
18 Sec. 55. Police officer or fire officer survivor grant.
19 Grants shall be provided for any spouse, natural child,
20 legally adopted child, or child in the legal custody of
21 police officers and fire officers killed or permanently
22 disabled with 90% to 100% disability in the line of duty
23 while employed by, or in the voluntary service of, this State
24 or any local public entity in this State. Beneficiaries need
25 not be Illinois residents at the time of enrollment in order
26 to receive this grant. Beneficiaries are entitled to 8
27 semesters or 12 quarters of full payment of tuition and
28 mandatory fees at any State-sponsored Illinois institution of
29 higher learning for either full or part-time study, or the
30 equivalent of 8 semesters or 12 quarters of payment of
31 tuition and mandatory fees at the rate established by the
32 Commission for private institutions in the State of Illinois,
33 provided the recipient is maintaining satisfactory academic
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1 progress. This benefit may be used for undergraduate or
2 graduate study. The benefits of this Section shall be
3 administered by and paid out of funds available to the
4 Commission and shall accrue to the bona fide applicant
5 without the requirement of demonstrating financial need to
6 qualify for those benefits.
7 (Source: P.A. 89-430, eff. 12-15-95.)
8 (110 ILCS 947/60)
9 Sec. 60. Grants for dependents of Department of
10 Corrections employees killed or permanently disabled in the
11 line of duty. Any spouse, natural child, legally adopted
12 child, or child in the legal custody of an employee of the
13 Department of Corrections who is assigned to a security
14 position with the Department with responsibility for inmates
15 of any correctional institution under the jurisdiction of the
16 Department and who is killed or permanently disabled with 90%
17 to 100% disability in the line of duty is entitled to 8
18 semesters or 12 quarters of full payment of tuition and
19 mandatory fees at any State-supported Illinois institution of
20 higher learning for either full or part-time study, or the
21 equivalent of 8 semesters or 12 quarters of payment of
22 tuition and mandatory fees at the rate established by the
23 Commission for private institutions in the State of Illinois,
24 provided the recipient is maintaining satisfactory academic
25 progress. This benefit may be used for undergraduate or
26 graduate study. Beneficiaries need not be Illinois residents
27 at the time of enrollment in order to receive this grant. The
28 benefits of this Section shall be administered by and paid
29 out of funds available to the Commission and shall accrue to
30 the bona fide applicant without the requirement of
31 demonstrating financial need to qualify for those benefits.
32 (Source: P.A. 89-430, eff. 12-15-95.)
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1 Section 10. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended by
2 changing Section 3-629 as follows:
3 (625 ILCS 5/3-629)
4 Sec. 3-629. Collegiate license plates; scholarship fund.
5 (a) In addition to any other special license plate, the
6 Secretary, upon receipt of all applicable fees and
7 applications made in the form prescribed by the Secretary of
8 State, may issue collegiate license plates. The collegiate
9 plates issued under this Section shall be affixed only to
10 passenger vehicles of the first division and motor vehicles
11 of the second division weighing not more than 8,000 pounds
12 and subject to the staggered registration system. Plates
13 issued under this Section shall expire according to the
14 staggered multi-year procedure established under Section
15 3-414.1 of this Code.
16 (b) The design, color, and format of the plates shall be
17 wholly within the discretion of the Secretary of State. The
18 Secretary of State may, at his or her discretion, issue the
19 plates for any public or degree-granting, not-for-profit
20 private college or university located in this State. The
21 Secretary may, in his or her discretion, allow the plates to
22 be issued as vanity plates or personalized in accordance with
23 Section 3-405.1 of this Code. The plates are not required to
24 designate "Land Of Lincoln", as prescribed in subsection (b)
25 of Section 3-412 of this Code. The Secretary shall prescribe
26 the eligibility requirements including a minimum level of
27 specialized license plates requests and, in his or her
28 discretion, shall approve and prescribe stickers or decals as
29 provided under Section 3-412.
30 (c) An applicant shall be charged a $40 fee for original
31 issuance in addition to the applicable registration fee. Of
32 the original issuance fee in the case of a public university
33 or college, $25 shall be deposited into the State College and
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1 University Trust Fund and $15 shall be deposited into the
2 Secretary of State Special License Plate Fund to be used by
3 the Secretary of State, subject to appropriation, to help
4 defray the administrative costs of issuing the plate. Of the
5 original issuance fee in the case of a degree-granting,
6 not-for-profit private college or university, $25 shall be
7 deposited into the University Grant Fund and $15 shall be
8 deposited into the Secretary of State Special License Plate
9 Fund to be used by the Secretary of State, subject to
10 appropriation, to help defray the administrative cost of
11 issuing the plate. In addition to the regular renewal fee,
12 an applicant shall be charged $27 for the renewal of each set
13 of license plates issued under this Section; $25 shall be
14 deposited into the State College and University Trust Fund in
15 the case of a public university or college or into the
16 University Grant Fund in the case of a degree-granting,
17 not-for-profit private college or university, and $2 shall be
18 deposited into the Secretary of State Special License Plate
19 Fund plates for all collegiate plates.
20 (d) The State College and University Trust Fund is
21 created as a special fund in the State treasury. All moneys
22 in the State College and University Trust Fund shall be
23 appropriated to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission
24 Board of Higher Education for distribution to each public
25 university or college in proportion to the number of plates
26 sold in regard to that university or college according to
27 subsection (c). Receipts deposited into the State College
28 and University Trust Fund during the preceding calendar year
29 shall be distributed to participating public institutions by
30 April 1. This revenue shall be used for the sole purpose of
31 scholarship grant awards.
32 (e) The University Grant Fund is created as a special
33 fund in the State treasury. All moneys in the University
34 Grant Fund shall be appropriated to the Illinois Student
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1 Assistance Commission to make reimbursements to participating
2 private colleges and universities under the Higher Education
3 License Plate Grant Program.
4 (Source: P.A. 89-424, eff. 6-1-96; 89-626, eff. 8-9-96;
5 90-14, eff. 7-1-97; 90-278, eff. 7-31-97; 90-774, eff.
6 8-14-98.)