Bill Text: IL HB0520 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Failed) 2014-12-03 - Session Sine Die [HB0520 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2013-HB0520-Introduced.html

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98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2013 and 2014 HB0520 Introduced , by Rep. Michael J. Madigan SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
110 ILCS 947/52
Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program.
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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 changing Section 52 as follows:
(110 ILCS 947/52)
Sec. 52. Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program.
(a) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois
students, especially minority students, to pursue teaching
careers, especially in teacher shortage disciplines (which
shall be defined to include early childhood education) or at
hard-to-staff schools (as defined by the the Commission in
consultation with the State Board of Education), to provide
those students with the crucial mentoring, guidance, and
in-service support that will significantly increase the
likelihood that they will complete their full teaching
commitments and elect to continue teaching in targeted
disciplines and hard-to-staff schools, and to ensure that
students in this State will continue to have access to a pool
of highly-qualified teachers, the Commission shall combine the
best practices and methods and programmatic functions of the
Illinois Future Teacher Corps Program and the Golden Apple
Foundation for Excellence in Teaching's Golden Apple Scholars

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of Illinois Program into one program. The consolidated program
shall be known as the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program
and shall be managed by the Golden Apple Foundation for
Excellence in Teaching.
(1) This consolidated program shall be fully
operational before July 1, 2012. The existing programs, the
Illinois Future Teacher Corps Program and the Golden Apple
Scholars Program, shall continue to exist and be governed
as they have under this Section before the effective date
of this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly and any
associated administrative rules, but shall also begin a
transition period commencing on the first day of the 2010
fiscal year and ending on the last day of the 2013 fiscal
year.
(2) During the transition period, the Commission
shall, in consultation with the Golden Apple Foundation,
establish rules governing the transition period and
related fund transfers and to facilitate coordination and
implementation of the consolidated program. Eligible
students in this State may continue to apply for Illinois
Future Teacher Corps scholarships under the current rules
governing such applications during the transition period.
Fiscal Year 2012 shall be the last year that such
scholarships are available.
(3) The Commission shall, by March 30, 2010, develop an
estimate of General Revenue Funds that it expects will

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remain unexpended at the end of FY 2010 from the FY 2010
appropriation for the Illinois Future Teacher Corps. No
later than April 15, 2010, the Commission shall cause to be
transferred funds comprising 85% of this estimated amount
to the Golden Apple Foundation for Excellence in Teaching.
The Commission shall subsequently transfer funding from
the Illinois Future Teacher Corps Program to the Golden
Apple Foundation for Excellence in Teaching on the
following schedule and in the following amounts:
(A) FY 2011: an amount equal to 58% of the total
combined appropriation for the Golden Apple Foundation
for Excellence in Teaching and the Illinois Future
Teacher Corps Program;
(B) FY 2012: an amount equal to 80% of the combined
total appropriation for the Golden Apple Foundation
for Excellence in Teaching and the Illinois Future
Teacher Corps Program;
(C) FY 2013: the entire appropriation shall be
designated for the Golden Apple Foundation for
Excellence in Teaching.
(4) Following the consolidation of the 2 programs, at
least 30% of Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program
scholarships available each year shall be awarded to
students residing in counties having a population of less
than 500,000.
(5) Following the consolidation of the 2 programs, the

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Auditor General shall prepare an annual audit of the
operations and finances of the Golden Apple Scholars of
Illinois Program. This audit shall be provided to the
Governor and the General Assembly.
(a-5) The Commission shall, each year until Fiscal Year
2011, receive and consider applications for scholarship
assistance under this Section. An applicant is eligible for an
Illinois Future Teacher Corps scholarship under this Section
when the Commission finds that the applicant is:
(1) a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen;
(2) a resident of Illinois;
(3) a high school graduate or a person who has received
a General Educational Development Certificate;
(4) enrolled or accepted for enrollment at or above the
junior level, on at least a half-time basis, at an Illinois
institution of higher learning; and
(5) pursuing a postsecondary course of study leading to
initial certification or pursuing additional course work
needed to gain State Board of Education approval to teach,
including alternative teacher certification.
(b) Recipients shall be selected from among applicants
qualified pursuant to subsection (a) based on a combination of
the following criteria as set forth by the Commission until
Fiscal Year 2011: (1) academic excellence; (2) status as a
minority student as defined in Section 50; and (3) financial
need. Preference may be given to previous recipients of

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assistance under this Section, provided they continue to
maintain eligibility and maintain satisfactory academic
progress as determined by the institution of higher learning at
which they enroll.
In each year until the consolidation of the 2 programs
under subsection (a) of this Section has been completed, to
support mentoring, guidance, and in-service support for
teaching candidates in order to increase the likelihood that
they will complete their full teaching commitments and elect to
continue teaching in targeted disciplines and hard-to-staff
schools, a minimum of 200 awards shall be allocated to
participants in the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois program.
(c) Each scholarship awarded under this Section shall be in
an amount sufficient to pay the tuition and fees and room and
board costs of the Illinois institution of higher learning at
which the recipient is enrolled, up to an annual maximum of
$5,000; except that in the case of a recipient who does not
reside on-campus at the institution of higher learning at which
he or she is enrolled, the amount of the scholarship shall be
sufficient to pay tuition and fee expenses and a commuter
allowance, up to an annual maximum of $5,000. For recipients
who agree to teach in a teacher shortage discipline or at a
hard-to-staff school under subsection (i) of this Section, the
Commission may, by rule and subject to appropriation, increase
the annual maximum amount to $10,000. If a recipient agrees to
teach in both a teacher shortage discipline and at a

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hard-to-staff school under subsection (i) of this Section, the
Commission may increase the amount of the scholarship awarded
by up to an additional $5,000.
(d) The total amount of scholarship assistance awarded by
the Commission under this Section to an individual in any given
fiscal year, when added to other financial assistance awarded
to that individual for that year, shall not exceed the cost of
attendance at the institution of higher learning at which the
student is enrolled.
(e) A recipient may receive up to 4 semesters or 6 quarters
of scholarship assistance under this Section.
(f) All applications for scholarship assistance to be
awarded under this Section shall be made to the Commission in a
form as set forth by the Commission. The form of application
and the information required to be set forth therein shall be
determined by the Commission, and the Commission shall require
eligible applicants to submit with their applications such
supporting documents as the Commission deems necessary.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, following the
completion of the transition of funding of the Illinois Future
Teacher Corps to the Golden Apple Foundation for Excellence in
Teaching, all applications for scholarship assistance under
this Section shall be in a form determined by the Golden Apple
Foundation for Excellence in Teaching.
(g) Subject to a separate appropriation made for such
purposes, payment of any scholarship awarded under this Section

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shall be determined by the Commission. There shall be a
separate appropriation made for scholarships awarded to
recipients who agree to teach in a teacher shortage discipline
or at a hard-to-staff school under subsection (i) of this
Section. The Commission may use for scholarship assistance
under this Section (i) all funds appropriated for scholarships
under this Section that were formerly known as ITEACH Teacher
Shortage Scholarships and (ii) all funds appropriated for
scholarships under Section 65.65 of this Act (repealed by this
amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly), formerly known as
Illinois Future Teacher Corps Scholarships.
All scholarship funds distributed in accordance with this
Section shall be paid to the institution on behalf of the
recipients. Scholarship funds are applicable toward 2
semesters or 3 quarters of enrollment within an academic year.
(h) The Commission shall administer the scholarship
program established by this Section and shall make all
necessary and proper rules not inconsistent with this Section
for its effective implementation.
(i) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any
academic year, each recipient of a scholarship awarded under
this Section shall be required by the Commission to sign an
agreement under which the recipient pledges that, within the
one-year period following the termination of the academic
program for which the recipient was awarded a scholarship, the
recipient: (i) shall begin teaching for a period of not less

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than 5 years, (ii) shall fulfill this teaching obligation at a
nonprofit Illinois public, private, or parochial preschool or
an Illinois public elementary or secondary school, and (iii)
shall, upon request of the Commission, provide the Commission
with evidence that he or she is fulfilling or has fulfilled the
terms of the teaching agreement provided for in this
subsection.
(j) If a recipient of a scholarship awarded under this
Section fails to fulfill the teaching obligation set forth in
subsection (i) of this Section, the Commission shall require
the recipient to repay the amount of the scholarships received,
prorated according to the fraction of the teaching obligation
not completed, plus interest at a rate of 5% and if applicable,
reasonable collection fees. The Commission is authorized to
establish rules relating to its collection activities for
repayment of scholarships under this Section. Payments
received by the Commission under this subsection (j) shall be
remitted to the State Comptroller for deposit into the General
Revenue Fund, except that that portion of a recipient's
repayment that equals the amount in expenses that the
Commission has reasonably incurred in attempting collection
from that recipient shall be remitted to the State Comptroller
for deposit into the Commission's Accounts Receivable Fund.
(k) A recipient of a scholarship awarded by the Commission
under this Section shall not be in violation of the agreement
entered into pursuant to subsection (i) if the recipient (i)

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enrolls on a full-time basis as a graduate student in a course
of study related to the field of teaching at an institution of
higher learning; (ii) is serving as a member of the armed
services of the United States; (iii) is temporarily totally
disabled, as established by sworn affidavit of a qualified
physician; (iv) is seeking and unable to find full-time
employment as a teacher at a school that satisfies the criteria
set forth in subsection (i) and is able to provide evidence of
that fact; (v) is taking additional courses, on at least a
half-time basis, needed to obtain certification as a teacher in
Illinois; or (vi) is fulfilling teaching requirements
associated with other programs administered by the Commission
and cannot concurrently fulfill them under this Section in a
period of time equal to the length of the teaching obligation.
Any such extension of the period during which the teaching
requirement must be fulfilled shall be subject to limitations
of duration as established by the Commission.
(Source: P.A. 95-939, eff. 1-1-09; 96-411, eff. 8-13-09.)