State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_SB1521eng

 
SB1521 Engrossed                               LRB9208236WHpc

 1        AN ACT relating to education.

 2        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section 5.  The State Finance Act is  amended  by  adding
 5    Section 5.545 as follows:

 6        (30 ILCS 105/5.545 new)
 7        Sec.   5.545.    The   Illinois   Future   Teacher  Corps
 8    Scholarship Fund.

 9        Section 10.  The Higher Education Student Assistance  Act
10    is amended by adding Section 65.65 as follows:

11        (110 ILCS 947/65.65 new)
12        Sec. 65.65.  Illinois Future Teacher Corps Scholarships.
13        (a)  In this Section:
14        "Fees"  means matriculation, graduation,  activity, term,
15    or incidental fees.   "Fees"  does  not  include  any   other
16    fees,  including   book  rental, service, laboratory, supply,
17    and union building fees, hospital and medical insurance fees,
18    and any fees established for the operation and maintenance of
19    buildings the income of which is pledged to  the  payment  of
20    interest and principal on bonds issued by the governing board
21    of an institution of higher learning.
22        "Shortage"  means  an  unfilled  teaching position or one
23    that is filled but is occupied by a person who is  not  fully
24    certified  by  the  State  for  that teaching position at the
25    start of the school year.
26        "Scholarship" means  an  Illinois  Future  Teacher  Corps
27    Scholarship.
28        "Tuition    and   other   necessary  fees"  includes  the
29    customary charge for instruction and  use  of  facilities  in
 
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 1    general  and  the additional fixed fees charged for specified
 2    purposes  that  are  required  generally  of  non-scholarship
 3    recipients for each academic term for which the recipient  of
 4    a  scholarship under this Section actually enrolls.  "Tuition
 5    and other necessary fees" does not include fees payable  only
 6    once  or breakage fees and other contingent deposits that are
 7    refundable in whole or in part.  "Tuition and other necessary
 8    fees"  does  not  include  expenses  for  any  sectarian   or
 9    denominational   instruction,   for   the   construction   or
10    maintenance of sectarian or denominational facilities, or for
11    any other sectarian or denominational purposes or activity.
12        (b)  A program is created to provide new teacher training
13    scholarships,  to  be  known as Illinois Future Teacher Corps
14    Scholarships.    The   scholarships   are    for    full-time
15    undergraduate  and  graduate  students  pursuing  studies  at
16    qualified  institutions of higher learning leading to teacher
17    certification in this State.  To  receive  a  scholarship,  a
18    graduate  student  must  be  seeking retraining, from another
19    field, to enter a teaching career.  No more than half of  the
20    scholarships  shall  be  awarded to graduate students seeking
21    retraining.
22        (c)  The Commission, in accordance with rules adopted for
23    the  program  created  under  this  Section,  shall   provide
24    funding,   determine   the  eligibility  of  applicants,  and
25    designate  each  year's  new  recipients  from  among   those
26    applicants who qualify for consideration  by showing:
27             (1)  that   he   or  she is a resident of this State
28        and a citizen or a lawful permanent resident alien of the
29        United States;
30             (2)  that he or she (i) has  successfully  completed
31        the   program   of  instruction   at   an  approved  high
32        school  or (ii) is a student in  good  standing  at  that
33        school  and  is enrolled in a program of instruction that
34        will  be completed by the end of the school year and,  in
 
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 1        either  event,  that  his  or  her cumulative grade point
 2        average was or is in the  upper one-third of his  or  her
 3        high school class;
 4             (3)  that  he  or  she  has  a  superior capacity to
 5        profit by a higher education; and
 6             (4)  that  he  or  she  intends  to  teach   in   an
 7        elementary or secondary school in this State.
 8        (d)  If  for  any  academic  year the number of qualified
 9    applicants  exceeds  the  number  of   scholarships   to   be
10    awarded, the Commission  shall  prioritize  the  awarding  of
11    scholarships  to  applicants  by  considering  (i) identified
12    teacher shortage areas established  by  the  State  Board  of
13    Education  and  (ii)  an applicant's cumulative class rank in
14    high  school  or,  for  graduate  student  applicants,  total
15    undergraduate cumulative grade point average.
16        (e)  Unless otherwise indicated,  scholarships  shall  be
17    good  for  a  period  of  up  to  4  academic years while the
18    recipient is enrolled for full-time  residence  credit  at  a
19    qualified  institution  of  higher  learning.   Each academic
20    year, the scholarship shall cover tuition and other necessary
21    fees for 2 semesters plus the summer session or  4  quarters.
22    For  purposes  of    calculating  scholarship  assistance for
23    recipients attending private institutions of higher learning,
24    tuition and other necessary  fees  for  students  at  private
25    institutions  shall not exceed the average  tuition and other
26    necessary fees for students at  State  universities  for  the
27    academic year in which the scholarship is made.
28        (f)  Before   receiving    scholarship    assistance,   a
29    scholarship  recipient shall be required by the Commission to
30    sign an agreement under which  the  recipient  pledges  that,
31    within  the  5-year  period  following  the completion of the
32    academic program  for  which  the  recipient  was  awarded  a
33    scholarship,  the  recipient  (i) shall teach for a period of
34    not less than 4 years for each academic year  of  scholarship
 
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 1    assistance  that  he  or  she was awarded, (ii) shall fulfill
 2    this teaching obligation at a  public  or  nonprofit  private
 3    preschool,  elementary  school,  or  secondary school in this
 4    State, and (iii)  shall,  upon  request  by  the  Commission,
 5    provide  the  Commission  with  evidence  that  he  or she is
 6    fulfilling  or  has  fulfilled  the  terms  of  the  teaching
 7    agreement provided for in this subsection (f).
 8        (g)  If a scholarship  recipient  fails  to  fulfill  the
 9    teaching  obligation  set  forth  in  subsection  (f) of this
10    Section, the Commission shall require the recipient to  repay
11    the  amount of the scholarship assistance received, at a rate
12    of interest equal  to  5%,  and,  if  applicable,  reasonable
13    collection  fees. The Commission may establish rules relating
14    to  its  collection   activities   for   the   repayment   of
15    scholarships.   All  repayments  collected under this Section
16    shall be forwarded to the State Comptroller for deposit  into
17    the General Revenue Fund.
18        A  scholarship  recipient  shall  not  be  considered  in
19    violation   of   the   agreement  entered  into  pursuant  to
20    subsection (f) of this Section if the recipient  (i)  enrolls
21    on  a  full-time  basis  as a graduate student in a course of
22    study related to  the  field   of  teaching  at  a  qualified
23    institution  of  higher learning, (ii) is serving as a member
24    of the armed services of the United States for  a  period  of
25    time  not  to  exceed  3  years, (iii) is temporarily totally
26    disabled for a period of time  not  to  exceed  3  years,  as
27    established by sworn affidavit of a qualified physician, (iv)
28    is  seeking  and  unable  to  find  full-time employment as a
29    teacher  at  a  public  or   nonprofit   private   preschool,
30    elementary  school,  or  secondary  school that satisfies the
31    criteria set forth in subsection (f) of this Section  and  is
32    able  to  provide  evidence  of  that  fact,  or  (v) becomes
33    permanently  totally  disabled,  as  established   by   sworn
34    affidavit  of  a  qualified physician. No claim for repayment
 
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 1    may be filed against the estate of a decedent or incompetent.
 2        Each person applying for a scholarship shall be  provided
 3    with  a  copy  of  this  subsection (g) at the time he or she
 4    applies for the scholarship.
 5        (h)  The Commission  may  prescribe,  by  rule,  detailed
 6    provisions  concerning  the  computation of tuition and other
 7    necessary fees, which must  not  be  inconsistent  with  this
 8    Section.
 9        (i)  If an applicant for a scholarship under this Section
10    accepts  another teacher preparation scholarship administered
11    by  the  Commission  for  the  same  academic  year  as   the
12    scholarship  under  this Section, that applicant shall not be
13    eligible for a scholarship under this Section.
14        (j)  To  continue  receiving  scholarship  assistance,  a
15    scholarship recipient must remain  a  full-time  student  and
16    must  maintain  a  cumulative  grade  point  average  at  the
17    postsecondary level of no less than 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
18        (k)  A  scholarship  shall not be awarded to or continued
19    for anyone who has been convicted of a criminal offense  that
20    would   disqualify   that   person   from  receiving  teacher
21    certification in this State.
22        (l)  If a scholarship recipient satisfies  the  president
23    of  the institution of higher learning in which the recipient
24    is enrolled (or someone designated by the president) that the
25    recipient requires a leave of  absence  for  the  purpose  of
26    earning   funds to  defray his or her expenses while enrolled
27    in the institution, for study abroad or internship study,  or
28    on  account of illness or military service, then leave may be
29    granted for a period of time not to exceed 6 years (with time
30    spent in the armed forces not included as part of  this  time
31    limit)  without violating the agreement entered into pursuant
32    to subsection (f) of this Section.
33        (m)  Scholarship amounts  due   to   an   institution  of
34    higher  learning  shall be payable by the Comptroller to that
 
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 1    institution  on  vouchers  approved  by   the Commission.
 2        (n)  The Commission shall administer the program  created
 3    under  this  Section and shall adopt all necessary and proper
 4    rules not inconsistent with this Section  for  the  program's
 5    effective  implementation.  All  applications for scholarship
 6    assistance shall be made to the Commission in a form  as  set
 7    forth  by  the  Commission.   The form of application and the
 8    information required to be set forth in the application shall
 9    be determined by the Commission,  and  the  Commission  shall
10    require  applicants  to  submit  with  their applications any
11    supporting documents that the Commission deems necessary.
12        (o)  If an appropriation to the Commission  for  a  given
13    fiscal  year  is  insufficient to provide scholarships to all
14    qualified applicants, then the Commission shall allocate  the
15    available  scholarship  funds  for  that   fiscal year on the
16    basis  of  the  date  the  Commission  receives  a   complete
17    application form from a qualified applicant.

18        Section  15.   The  Illinois  Vehicle  Code is amended by
19    adding Section 3-648 as follows:

20        (625 ILCS 5/3-648 new)
21        Sec. 3-648.  Education license plates.
22        (a)  The Secretary, upon receipt of an  application  made
23    in  the  form  prescribed by the Secretary, may issue special
24    registration plates designated as Education  license  plates.
25    The special plates issued under this Section shall be affixed
26    only  to  passenger  vehicles of the first division and motor
27    vehicles of the second division weighing not more than  8,000
28    pounds.   Plates  issued  under  this  Section  shall  expire
29    according  to the multi-year procedure established by Section
30    3-414.1 of this Code.
31        (b)  The  design  and  color  of  the  plates  shall   be
32    determined by a contest that every elementary school pupil in
 
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 1    the  State  of  Illinois  is  eligible  to enter. The designs
 2    submitted for the contest shall be judged  on  September  30,
 3    2002, and the winning design shall be selected by a committee
 4    composed  of  the  Secretary, the Director of State Police, 2
 5    members of the Senate, one member chosen by the President  of
 6    the  Senate  and  one  member  chosen  by the Senate Minority
 7    Leader, and 2 members of the House  of  Representatives,  one
 8    member  chosen  by  the  Speaker  of the House and one member
 9    chosen by the House Minority Leader. The Secretary may  allow
10    the  plates  to  be  issued  as vanity or personalized plates
11    under Section 3-405.1  of  the  Code.   The  Secretary  shall
12    prescribe  stickers or decals as provided under Section 3-412
13    of this Code.
14        (c)  An applicant for the special plate shall be  charged
15    a   $40  fee  for  original  issuance,  in  addition  to  the
16    appropriate registration fee. Of this $40 additional original
17    issuance fee, $15 shall be deposited into  the  Secretary  of
18    State Special License Plate Fund, to be used by the Secretary
19    to  help  defray the administrative processing costs, and $25
20    shall be deposited into the  Illinois  Future  Teacher  Corps
21    Scholarship  Fund.    For each registration renewal period, a
22    $40 fee, in addition to  the  appropriate  registration  fee,
23    shall  be  charged.  Of  this  $40 additional renewal fee, $2
24    shall be  deposited  into  the  Secretary  of  State  Special
25    License  Plate  Fund  and  $38  shall  be  deposited into the
26    Illinois Future Teacher Corps Scholarship Fund.  Each  fiscal
27    year, once deposits from the additional original issuance and
28    renewal  fees  into  the  Secretary  of State Special License
29    Plate Fund have reached $500,000, all  the  amounts  received
30    for  the  additional  fees for the balance of the fiscal year
31    shall be deposited into the  Illinois  Future  Teacher  Corps
32    Scholarship Fund.
33        (d)  The  Illinois  Future Teacher Corps Scholarship Fund
34    is created as a special fund  in  the  State  treasury.   All
 
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 1    moneys  in the Illinois Future Teacher Corps Scholarship Fund
 2    shall be appropriated  to  the  Illinois  Student  Assistance
 3    Commission for scholarships under Section 65.65 of the Higher
 4    Education Student Assistance Act.

 5        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
 6    becoming law.

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