Public Act 93-0455

HB1119 Enrolled                      LRB093 08153 NHT 08359 b

    AN ACT relating to higher education student assistance.

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

    Section  5.   The Higher Education Student Assistance Act
is amended by changing Section 36 as follows:

    (110 ILCS 947/36)
    Sec. 36.  Silas Purnell  Illinois  Incentive  for  Access
grant program.
    (a)  The Commission each year shall determine eligibility
for the Illinois Incentive for Access grant from applications
received  for  Monetary  Award Program grant assistance under
Section 35 of this Act.  An applicant shall be determined  as
eligible  for  an  Illinois  Incentive for Access grant under
this Section when the Commission finds that the applicant:
         (1)  is a resident of this State and  a  citizen  or
    permanent resident of the United States;
         (2)  has  limited  no  personal  or family financial
    resources  available  for  expenditure   on   educational
    expenses, as defined by current federal student financial
    aid methodology;
         (3)  has   not   already  received  a  baccalaureate
    degree; and
         (4)  is  enrolled  at  least  one-half  time  as   a
    freshman  undergraduate  student  at an approved Illinois
    institution  of  higher  learning  participating  in  the
    Monetary Award Program administered by the Commission.
    (b)  Subject  to  a  separate  appropriation   made   for
purposes  of  awarding  grants  under  this Section, Illinois
Incentive  for  Access  grants  shall  be  paid  in  multiple
disbursements as determined  by  the  Commission  (i)  in  an
amount  not  to exceed $1,000 $500 per applicant per year for
applicants with an expected family  contribution  of  $0,  as
defined  by current federal student aid methodology, and (ii)
in an amount not  to  exceed  $500  for  applicants  with  an
expected  family  contribution  of $500 or less but more than
$0, as defined by current federal  student  aid  methodology.
In  awarding  grants,  the  Commission shall give priority to
applicants with an expected family contribution  of  $0.   No
recipient  may  receive  a  grant under this Section for more
than 2 semesters or 3 quarters of award payments.
    (c)  Eligibility for grants awarded  under  this  Section
shall  be  determined  solely  on  the basis of the financial
resources of the applicant and the applicant's family.   Cost
of  attendance  at  the institution in which the applicant is
enrolled shall not affect eligibility for  an  award,  except
that  State  student  financial assistance awarded under this
Act, including the Illinois Incentive for Access  award,  may
not exceed the institution's cost of attendance.
    (d)  The  Commission  shall  notify applicants that grant
assistance is contingent upon  availability  of  appropriated
funds.
    (e)  The  Commission shall submit a written evaluation of
the Illinois Incentive for Access program  to  the  Governor,
the General Assembly, and the Board of Higher Education on or
before  October  1,  1999, including a report of the progress
made toward the goal of increasing the access  and  retention
rates for Illinois Incentive for Access grant recipients.
(Source: P.A. 89-512, eff. 7-11-96.)

    Section  99.  Effective  date.   This Act takes effect on
July 1, 2004.