Bill Text: IL HB2827 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Under the monetary award program, provides for the awarding of grants to students enrolled in dual credit coursework pursuant to a partnership agreement between a school district and a community college district. Provides that a grant may be applied only to the costs of tuition and other necessary fees charged for the coursework and the student must complete and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Effective immediately.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-03-29 - Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Chris Miller [HB2827 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2021-HB2827-Introduced.html
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| 1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | amended by changing Section 35 as follows:
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| 6 | (110 ILCS 947/35)
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| 7 | Sec. 35. Monetary award program.
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| 8 | (a) The Commission shall, each year, receive and consider | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | applications
for grant assistance under this Section. Subject | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | to a separate
appropriation for such purposes, an applicant is | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | eligible for a grant under
this Section when the Commission | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | finds that the applicant:
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| 13 | (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | permanent resident
of the United States; and
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| 15 | (2) in the absence of grant assistance, will be | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 | deterred by
financial considerations from completing an | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 | educational program at the
qualified institution of his or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | her choice or from enrolling in dual credit coursework | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | pursuant to Section 16 of the Dual Credit Quality Act.
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| 20 | (b) The Commission shall award renewals only upon the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | student's application
and upon the Commission's finding that | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 | the applicant:
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| 23 | (1) has remained a student in good standing;
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| 1 | (2) remains a resident of this State; and
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| 2 | (3) is in a financial situation that continues to | ||||||
| 3 | warrant assistance.
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| 4 | (c) All grants shall be applicable only to tuition and | ||||||
| 5 | necessary fee costs. The Commission shall determine the grant
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| 6 | amount for each student, which shall not exceed the smallest | ||||||
| 7 | of
the following amounts:
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| 8 | (1) subject to appropriation, $5,468 for fiscal year | ||||||
| 9 | 2009, $5,968 for fiscal year 2010, and $6,468 for fiscal | ||||||
| 10 | year 2011 and each fiscal year thereafter, or such lesser | ||||||
| 11 | amount as
the Commission finds to be available, during an | ||||||
| 12 | academic year;
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| 13 | (2) the amount which equals 2 semesters or 3 quarters | ||||||
| 14 | tuition
and other necessary fees required generally by the | ||||||
| 15 | institution of all
full-time undergraduate students; or
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| 16 | (3) such amount as the Commission finds to be | ||||||
| 17 | appropriate in view of
the applicant's financial | ||||||
| 18 | resources.
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| 19 | Subject to appropriation, the maximum grant amount for | ||||||
| 20 | students not subject to subdivision (1) of this subsection (c) | ||||||
| 21 | must be increased by the same percentage as any increase made | ||||||
| 22 | by law to the maximum grant amount under subdivision (1) of | ||||||
| 23 | this subsection (c). | ||||||
| 24 | "Tuition and other necessary fees" as used in this Section | ||||||
| 25 | include the
customary charge for instruction and use of | ||||||
| 26 | facilities in general, and the
additional fixed fees charged | ||||||
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| 1 | for specified purposes, which are required
generally of | ||||||
| 2 | nongrant recipients for each academic period for which the | ||||||
| 3 | grant
applicant actually enrolls, but do not include fees | ||||||
| 4 | payable only once or
breakage fees and other contingent | ||||||
| 5 | deposits which are refundable in whole or in
part. The | ||||||
| 6 | Commission may prescribe, by rule not inconsistent with this
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| 7 | Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of | ||||||
| 8 | tuition and other
necessary fees.
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| 9 | (d) No applicant, including those presently receiving | ||||||
| 10 | scholarship
assistance under this Act, is eligible for | ||||||
| 11 | monetary award program
consideration under this Act after | ||||||
| 12 | receiving a baccalaureate degree or
the equivalent of 135 | ||||||
| 13 | semester credit hours of award payments.
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| 14 | (d-5) In this subsection (d-5), "renewing applicant" means | ||||||
| 15 | a student attending an institution of higher learning or | ||||||
| 16 | enrolled in dual credit coursework pursuant to Section 16 of | ||||||
| 17 | the Dual Credit Quality Act who received a Monetary Award | ||||||
| 18 | Program grant during the prior academic year. Beginning with | ||||||
| 19 | the processing of applications for the 2020-2021 academic | ||||||
| 20 | year, the Commission shall annually publish a priority | ||||||
| 21 | deadline date for renewing applicants. Subject to | ||||||
| 22 | appropriation, a renewing applicant who files by the published | ||||||
| 23 | priority deadline date shall receive a grant if he or she | ||||||
| 24 | continues to meet the eligibility requirements under this | ||||||
| 25 | Section. A renewing applicant's failure to apply by the | ||||||
| 26 | priority deadline date established under this subsection (d-5) | ||||||
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| 1 | shall not disqualify him or her from receiving a grant if | ||||||
| 2 | sufficient funding is available to provide awards after that | ||||||
| 3 | date. | ||||||
| 4 | (e) The Commission, in determining the number of grants to | ||||||
| 5 | be offered,
shall take into consideration past experience with | ||||||
| 6 | the rate of grant funds
unclaimed by recipients. The | ||||||
| 7 | Commission shall notify applicants that grant
assistance is | ||||||
| 8 | contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds.
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| 9 | (e-5) The General Assembly finds and declares that it is | ||||||
| 10 | an important purpose of the Monetary Award Program to | ||||||
| 11 | facilitate access to college both for students who pursue | ||||||
| 12 | postsecondary education immediately following high school and | ||||||
| 13 | for those who pursue postsecondary education later in life, | ||||||
| 14 | particularly Illinoisans who are dislocated workers with | ||||||
| 15 | financial need and who are seeking to improve their economic | ||||||
| 16 | position through education. For the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 | ||||||
| 17 | academic years, the Commission shall give additional and | ||||||
| 18 | specific consideration to the needs of dislocated workers with | ||||||
| 19 | the intent of allowing applicants who are dislocated workers | ||||||
| 20 | an opportunity to secure financial assistance even if applying | ||||||
| 21 | later than the general pool of applicants. The Commission's | ||||||
| 22 | consideration shall include, in determining the number of | ||||||
| 23 | grants to be offered, an estimate of the resources needed to | ||||||
| 24 | serve dislocated workers who apply after the Commission | ||||||
| 25 | initially suspends award announcements for the upcoming | ||||||
| 26 | regular academic year, but prior to the beginning of that | ||||||
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| 1 | academic year. For the purposes of this subsection (e-5), a | ||||||
| 2 | dislocated worker is defined as in the federal Workforce
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| 3 | Innovation and Opportunity Act. | ||||||
| 4 | (f) (Blank).
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| 5 | (g) The Commission shall determine the eligibility of and | ||||||
| 6 | make grants to
applicants enrolled at qualified for-profit | ||||||
| 7 | institutions in accordance with the
criteria set forth in this | ||||||
| 8 | Section. The eligibility of applicants enrolled at
such | ||||||
| 9 | for-profit institutions shall be limited as follows:
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| 10 | (1) Beginning with the academic year 1997, only to | ||||||
| 11 | eligible first-time
freshmen and
first-time transfer | ||||||
| 12 | students who have attained an associate degree.
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| 13 | (2) Beginning with the academic year 1998, only to | ||||||
| 14 | eligible freshmen
students,
transfer students who have | ||||||
| 15 | attained an associate degree, and students who
receive a | ||||||
| 16 | grant under paragraph (1) for the academic year 1997 and | ||||||
| 17 | whose grants
are being renewed for the academic year 1998.
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| 18 | (3) Beginning with the academic year 1999, to all | ||||||
| 19 | eligible students.
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| 20 | (g-5) The Commission shall determine the eligibility of | ||||||
| 21 | and make grants to applicants enrolled in dual credit | ||||||
| 22 | coursework pursuant to Section 16 of the Dual Credit Quality | ||||||
| 23 | Act, subject to the following requirements: | ||||||
| 24 | (1) A grant may be applied only to the costs of tuition | ||||||
| 25 | and other necessary fees charged for the coursework. | ||||||
| 26 | (2) The applicant must complete and submit a Free | ||||||
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| 1 | Application for Federal Student Aid. | ||||||
| 2 | (h) The Commission may adopt rules to implement this | ||||||
| 3 | Section. | ||||||
| 4 | (Source: P.A. 100-477, eff. 9-8-17; 100-621, eff. 7-20-18; | ||||||
| 5 | 100-823, eff. 8-13-18; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19.)
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| 6 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
| 7 | becoming law.
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