Bill Text: IL HB0208 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to award grants, subject to appropriation, to applicants who are teachers licensed under the School Code and are employed by a school district within an area designated as a poverty area by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to obtain additional course credit or an additional degree at a public university located in this State. Provides that the amount of the grant shall equal 50% of the tuition and other necessary fees required of the teacher by the public university at which the teacher enrolls. Requires grant recipients to contract with the Commission to teach for an additional 2 years in the school district in which they were employed at the time of application for the grant. Sets forth provisions concerning this commitment.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Failed) 2019-01-08 - Session Sine Die [HB0208 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2017-HB0208-Introduced.html

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100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2017 and 2018 HB0208 Introduced , by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
110 ILCS 947/65.47 new
Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to award grants, subject to appropriation, to applicants who are teachers licensed under the School Code and are employed by a school district within an area designated as a poverty area by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to obtain additional course credit or an additional degree at a public university located in this State. Provides that the amount of the grant shall equal 50% of the tuition and other necessary fees required of the teacher by the public university at which the teacher enrolls. Requires grant recipients to contract with the Commission to teach for an additional 2 years in the school district in which they were employed at the time of application for the grant. Sets forth provisions concerning this commitment.
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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning education.
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 adding Section 65.47 as follows:
(110 ILCS 947/65.47 new)
Sec. 65.47. Grants to teachers to further their education.
(a) In this Section, "tuition and other necessary fees" has
the meaning ascribed to that term in Section 35 of this Act.
(b) Subject to appropriation, the Commission shall award
grants to applicants who are teachers licensed under Article
21B of the School Code and are employed by a school district
within an area designated as a poverty area by the Department
of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to obtain additional
course credit or an additional degree at a public university
located in this State. The amount of the grant shall equal 50%
of the tuition and other necessary fees required of the teacher
by the public university at which the teacher enrolls.
(c) Grant recipients under this Section are required to
contract with the Commission to teach for an additional 2 years
in the school district in which they were employed at the time
of application for the grant. Such commitment shall begin upon
the completion of the additional course credit or degree for

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which he or she was awarded a grant and must be completed
within 3 years, unless extended by the Commission. A grant
recipient must also sign a note, payable to the Commission, for
the full amount of benefits awarded to him or her under this
Section, with interest as provided in this subsection (c),
subject to cancellation as provided in this Section. Completion
of one year of the commitment shall operate to cancel 50% of
the amount of benefits provided to the grant recipient. The
failure of a grant recipient to complete all or part of the
commitment shall obligate him or her to proportionately repay
the amount of benefits provided, plus 5% interest on that
amount.
(d) If a grant recipient under this Section fails to cancel
his or her commitment as provided in this Section, the
Commission shall cause an appropriate action to be commenced on
the note signed by the teacher, unless the failure to cancel
the commitment was occasioned by the death or total and
permanent disability of the grant recipient.
(e) The Commission may adopt any rules necessary to
implement this Section.