Bill Text: IL HB4969 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Allows the dependents of an exonerated person to receive a grant for exonerated persons. Effective July 1, 2020.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-02-18 - Referred to Rules Committee [HB4969 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-HB4969-Introduced.html

---

101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2019 and 2020 HB4969 Introduced , by Rep. Mary E. Flowers SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
110 ILCS 947/62
Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Allows the dependents of an exonerated person to receive a grant for exonerated persons. Effective July 1, 2020.
LRB101 16550 NHT 65934 b
FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
A BILL FOR
HB4969 LRB101 16550 NHT 65934 b
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 62 as follows:
(110 ILCS 947/62)
Sec. 62. Grants for exonerated persons.
(a) In this Section:
"Dependent" means a spouse, natural child, legally adopted
child, or child in the legal custody of an exonerated person.
"Exonerated person" means an individual who has received a
pardon from the Governor of the State of Illinois stating that
such a pardon is issued on the grounds of innocence of the
crime for which he or she was imprisoned or an individual who
has received a certificate of innocence from a circuit court
pursuant to Section 2-702 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
"Satisfactory academic progress" means the qualified
applicant's maintenance of minimum standards of academic
performance, consistent with requirements for maintaining
federal financial aid eligibility, as determined by the
institution of higher learning.
(b) Subject to a separate appropriation for this purpose,
the Commission shall, each year, receive and consider

HB4969 - 2 - LRB101 16550 NHT 65934 b
applications for grant assistance under this Section. Both an
exonerated person and all of his or her dependents qualify to
receive a grant Recipients of grants issued by the Commission
in accordance with this Section must be exonerated persons.
Provided that the recipient is maintaining satisfactory
academic progress, the funds from the grant may be used to pay
up to 8 semesters or 12 quarters of full payment of tuition and
mandatory fees at any public university or public community
college located in this State for either full or part-time
study. This benefit may be used for undergraduate or graduate
study.
In addition, a qualified applicant an exonerated person who
has not yet received a high school diploma or a high school
equivalency certificate and completes a high school
equivalency preparation course through an Illinois Community
College Board-approved provider may use grant funds to pay
costs associated with obtaining a high school equivalency
certificate, including payment of the cost of the high school
equivalency test and up to one retest on each test module, and
any additional fees that may be required in order to obtain an
Illinois High School Equivalency Certificate or an official
transcript of test scores after successful completion of the
high school equivalency test.
(c) An applicant for a grant under this Section need not
demonstrate financial need to qualify for the benefits.
(d) The Commission may adopt any rules necessary to

HB4969 - 3 - LRB101 16550 NHT 65934 b
implement and administer this Section.
(Source: P.A. 99-199, eff. 1-1-16.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
2020.