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92_HB3113eng HB3113 Engrossed LRB9206701NTks 1 AN ACT relating to higher education student assistance. 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 adding Section 32 as follows: 6 (110 ILCS 947/32 new) 7 Sec. 32. Prairie State Achievement Award Scholarship 8 program. 9 (a) As used in this Section: 10 "Eligible applicant" means a student who has earned the 11 Prairie State Achievement Award in all five academic areas, 12 as provided in Section 2-3.64 of the School Code. 13 "Qualified student" means a person (i) who is a resident 14 of this State and a citizen or permanent resident of the 15 United States, (ii) who has successfully completed the 16 program of instruction at any public high school located in 17 this State, and (iii) who enrolls or is enrolled in a 18 qualified institution of higher learning as an undergraduate 19 student and has not received a baccalaureate degree. 20 "Prairie State Achievement Award Scholarship" means a 21 $500 academic scholarship awarded under this Section during 22 an academic year to a qualified student, without regard to 23 financial need, as a scholarship to any qualified institution 24 of higher learning in which that student is or will be 25 enrolled as an undergraduate student. 26 (b) In order to encourage, promote, and reward the 27 academic achievement of students on the Prairie State 28 Achievement Examination, each qualified student shall be 29 awarded a Prairie State Achievement Award Scholarship by the 30 Commission to any qualified institution of higher learning. 31 (c) No Prairie State Achievement Award Scholarship HB3113 Engrossed -2- LRB9206701NTks 1 provided for a qualified student under this Section shall be 2 considered in evaluating the financial situation of that 3 student or be deemed a financial resource of or a form of 4 financial aid or assistance to that student for purposes of 5 determining the eligibility of the student for any 6 scholarship, grant, or monetary assistance awarded by the 7 Commission, the State, or any agency thereof pursuant to the 8 provisions of any other Section of this Act or any other law 9 of this State; nor shall any Prairie State Achievement Award 10 Scholarship provided for a qualified student under this 11 Section reduce the amount of any scholarship, grant, or 12 monetary assistance that the student is eligible to be 13 awarded by the Commission, the State, or any agency thereof 14 in accordance with the provisions of any other Section of 15 this Act or any other law of this State. 16 (d) The Commission is designated as administrator of the 17 Prairie State Achievement Award Scholarship program. The 18 State Board of Education shall annually certify to the 19 Commission the names of students who are eligible applicants. 20 The Commission shall promptly notify those eligible 21 applicants so certified who are reasonably assured of 22 receiving a Prairie State Achievement Award Scholarship, in 23 accordance with the annual funding levels recommended in the 24 Governor's budget, of their eligibility to apply for a 25 scholarship under this Section, other than any eligible 26 applicant named on the certification who, as an eligible 27 applicant, has previously made application to the Commission 28 for a Prairie State Achievement Award Scholarship under this 29 Section. An otherwise eligible applicant who fails to make a 30 timely application, as determined by the Commission, for a 31 Prairie State Achievement Award Scholarship under this 32 Section shall no longer be deemed an eligible applicant and 33 shall not qualify for the award of any Prairie State 34 Achievement Award Scholarship. HB3113 Engrossed -3- LRB9206701NTks 1 (e) All applications for Prairie State Achievement Award 2 Scholarships to be awarded under this Section shall be made 3 to the Commission on forms that the Commission shall provide 4 for eligible applicants. The form of applications and the 5 information required to be set forth therein shall be 6 determined by the Commission, and the Commission shall 7 require eligible applicants to submit with their applications 8 such supporting documents or recommendations as the 9 Commission deems necessary. 10 (f) The names and addresses of Prairie State Achievement 11 Award Scholarship recipients are a matter of public record. 12 (g) Whenever an eligible applicant who has completed the 13 program of instruction at any public high school located in 14 this State thereafter makes timely application to the 15 Commission for a Prairie State Achievement Award Scholarship 16 under this Section, the Commission shall promptly determine 17 whether that eligible applicant is a qualified student as 18 defined in subsection (a) of this Section. Each such 19 eligible applicant so determined by the Commission to be a 20 qualified student shall be awarded a Prairie State 21 Achievement Award Scholarship in the amount of $500, 22 effective exclusively during the academic year following the 23 qualified student's high school graduation, subject to 24 appropriation by the General Assembly. 25 (h) Subject to a separate appropriation for purposes of 26 this Section, payment of any Prairie State Achievement Award 27 Scholarship awarded under this Section shall be determined 28 exclusively by the Commission. All scholarship funds 29 distributed in accordance with this subsection (h) shall be 30 paid to the qualified institution of higher learning and used 31 only for payment of the educational expenses incurred by the 32 student in connection with his or her attendance as an 33 undergraduate student at that institution, including but not 34 limited to tuition and fees, room and board, books and HB3113 Engrossed -4- LRB9206701NTks 1 supplies, and travel and personal expenses related to the 2 student's attendance at that institution. Any Prairie State 3 Achievement Award Scholarship awarded under this Section 4 shall be applicable to 2 semesters or 3 quarters of 5 enrollment. Should a qualified student withdraw from 6 enrollment prior to completion of the first semester or 7 quarter for which the Prairie State Achievement Award 8 Scholarship is applicable, the student shall refund to the 9 Commission the amount of the scholarship received. 10 (i) The Commission shall administer the Prairie State 11 Achievement Award Scholarship program established by this 12 Section and shall make all necessary and proper rules, not 13 inconsistent with this Section, for its effective 14 implementation. 15 (j) When an appropriation to the Commission for purposes 16 of this Section is insufficient to provide scholarships to 17 all qualified students, the Commission shall allocate the 18 appropriation in accordance with this subsection (j). If 19 funds are insufficient to provide all qualified students with 20 a scholarship as authorized by subsection (g) of this 21 Section, the Commission shall allocate the scholarships to 22 qualified students in order of decreasing percentile as 23 determined by the eligible applicant's cumulative grade point 24 average. 25 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect on 26 July 1, 2001.