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| [ Introduced ] | [ Enrolled ] | [ House Amendment 001 ] |
92_SB0406eng SB406 Engrossed LRB9202508NTsb 1 AN ACT in relation to higher education student 2 assistance. 3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 4 represented in the General Assembly: 5 Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act 6 is amended by changing Section 35 as follows: 7 (110 ILCS 947/35) 8 Sec. 35. Monetary award program. 9 (a) The Commission shall, each year, receive and 10 consider applications for grant assistance under this 11 Section. Subject to a separate appropriation for such 12 purposes, an applicant is eligible for a grant under this 13 Section when the Commission finds that the applicant: 14 (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or 15 permanent resident of the United States; and 16 (2) in the absence of grant assistance, will be 17 deterred by financial considerations from completing an 18 educational program at the qualified institution of his 19 or her choice. 20 (b) The Commission shall award renewals only upon the 21 student's application and upon the Commission's finding that 22 the applicant: 23 (1) has remained a student in good standing; 24 (2) remains a resident of this State; and 25 (3) is in a financial situation that continues to 26 warrant assistance. 27 (c) All grants shall be applicable only to tuition and 28 necessary fee costs for 2 semesters or 3 quarters in an 29 academic year. Requests for summer term assistance will be 30 made separately and shall be considered on an individual 31 basis according to Commission policy. Each student who is SB406 Engrossed -2- LRB9202508NTsb 1 awarded a grant under this Section and is enrolled in summer 2 school classes shall be eligible for a summer school grant. 3 The summer school grant amount shall not exceed the lesser of 4 50 percent of the maximum annual grant amount authorized by 5 this Section or the actual cost of tuition and fees at the 6 institution at which the student is enrolled at least 7 part-time. For the regular academic year, the Commission 8 shall determine the grant amount for each full-time and 9 part-time student, which shall be the smallest of the 10 following amounts: 11 (1) $4,968$4,740for 2 semesters or 3 quarters of 12 full-time undergraduate enrollment or $2,484$2,370for 2 13 semesters or 3 quarters of part-time undergraduate 14 enrollment, or such lesser amount as the Commission finds 15 to be available; or 16 (2) the amount which equals the 2 semesters or 3 17 quarters tuition and other necessary fees required 18 generally by the institution of all full-time 19 undergraduate students, or in the case of part-time 20 students an amount of tuition and fees for 2 semesters or 21 3 quarters which shall not exceed one-half the amount of 22 tuition and necessary fees generally charged to full-time 23 undergraduate students by the institution; or 24 (3) such amount as the Commission finds to be 25 appropriate in view of the applicant's financial 26 resources. 27 "Tuition and other necessary fees" as used in this Section 28 include the customary charge for instruction and use of 29 facilities in general, and the additional fixed fees charged 30 for specified purposes, which are required generally of 31 nongrant recipients for each academic period for which the 32 grant applicant actually enrolls, but do not include fees 33 payable only once or breakage fees and other contingent 34 deposits which are refundable in whole or in part. The SB406 Engrossed -3- LRB9202508NTsb 1 Commission may prescribe, by rule not inconsistent with this 2 Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of 3 tuition and other necessary fees. 4 (d) No applicant, including those presently receiving 5 scholarship assistance under this Act, is eligible for 6 monetary award program consideration under this Act after 7 receiving a baccalaureate degree or the equivalent of 10 8 semesters or 15 quarters of award payments. The Commission 9 shall determine when award payments for part-time enrollment 10 or interim or summer terms shall be counted as a partial 11 semester or quarter of payment. 12 (e) The Commission, in determining the number of grants 13 to be offered, shall take into consideration past experience 14 with the rate of grant funds unclaimed by recipients. The 15 Commission shall notify applicants that grant assistance is 16 contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds. 17 (f) The Commission may request appropriations for 18 deposit into the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund. Monies 19 deposited into the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund may be 20 expended exclusively for one purpose: to make Monetary Award 21 Program grants to eligible students. Amounts on deposit in 22 the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund may not exceed 2% of 23 the current annual State appropriation for the Monetary Award 24 Program. 25 The purpose of the Monetary Award Program Reserve Fund is 26 to enable the Commission each year to assure as many students 27 as possible of their eligibility for a Monetary Award Program 28 grant and to do so before commencement of the academic year. 29 Moneys deposited in this Reserve Fund are intended to enhance 30 the Commission's management of the Monetary Award Program, 31 minimizing the necessity, magnitude, and frequency of 32 adjusting award amounts and ensuring that the annual Monetary 33 Award Program appropriation can be fully utilized. 34 (g) The Commission shall determine the eligibility of SB406 Engrossed -4- LRB9202508NTsb 1 and make grants to applicants enrolled at qualified 2 for-profit institutions in accordance with the criteria set 3 forth in this Section. The eligibility of applicants 4 enrolled at such for-profit institutions shall be limited as 5 follows: 6 (1) Beginning with the academic year 1997, only to 7 eligible first-time freshmen and first-time transfer 8 students who have attained an associate degree. 9 (2) Beginning with the academic year 1998, only to 10 eligible freshmen students, transfer students who have 11 attained an associate degree, and students who receive a 12 grant under paragraph (1) for the academic year 1997 and 13 whose grants are being renewed for the academic year 14 1998. 15 (3) Beginning with the academic year 1999, to all 16 eligible students. 17 (Source: P.A. 90-122, eff. 7-17-97; 90-647, eff. 7-24-98; 18 90-769, eff. 8-14-98; 91-249, eff. 7-22-99; 91-250, eff. 19 7-22-99; 91-357, eff. 7-29-99; 91-747, eff. 7-1-00.) 20 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect on 21 July 1, 2001.