Bill Text: IL SB3540 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Amends the School Code to transfer the administration of the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to the State Board of Education. Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act and the Illinois Vehicle Code to make corresponding changes. Effective July 1, 2020.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2021-01-13 - Session Sine Die [SB3540 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2019-SB3540-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 School Code is amended by adding Section | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | 30-14.9 as follows:
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6 | (105 ILCS 5/30-14.9 new) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | Sec. 30-14.9. Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program; | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | Golden Apple Foundation for Excellence in Teaching. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | (a) In this Section: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | "Foundation" means the Golden Apple Foundation for | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | Excellence in Teaching, a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | corporation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | "Institution of higher learning" has the meaning given to | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | that term in the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | "State Board" means the State Board of Education. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | (b) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | students,
especially minority students, to pursue teaching | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | careers, especially in
teacher shortage
disciplines
(which | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | shall be defined to include early childhood education) or at
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20 | hard-to-staff schools (as defined by the
State Board), to | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | provide those students with the crucial mentoring, guidance, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | and in-service support that will significantly increase the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | likelihood that they will complete their full teaching |
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1 | commitments and elect to continue teaching in targeted | ||||||
2 | disciplines and hard-to-staff schools, and to ensure that | ||||||
3 | students in this State will continue to have access to a pool | ||||||
4 | of highly-qualified teachers, each qualified student shall be | ||||||
5 | awarded a Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program scholarship | ||||||
6 | to any Illinois institution of higher learning. The State Board | ||||||
7 | shall administer the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program, | ||||||
8 | which shall be managed by the Foundation pursuant to the terms | ||||||
9 | of a grant agreement meeting the requirements of Section 4 of | ||||||
10 | the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act. | ||||||
11 | (c) For purposes of this Section, a qualified student shall | ||||||
12 | be a student who meets the following qualifications: | ||||||
13 | (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or | ||||||
14 | eligible noncitizen of the United States; | ||||||
15 | (2) is a high school graduate or a person who has | ||||||
16 | received a high school equivalency certificate; | ||||||
17 | (3) is enrolled or accepted, on at least a half-time | ||||||
18 | basis, at an institution of higher learning; | ||||||
19 | (4) is pursuing a postsecondary course of study leading | ||||||
20 | to initial licensure or pursuing additional course work | ||||||
21 | needed to gain State Board of Education approval to teach, | ||||||
22 | including alternative teacher licensure; and | ||||||
23 | (5) is a participant in programs managed by and is | ||||||
24 | approved to receive a scholarship from the Foundation. | ||||||
25 | (d) Funds designated for the Golden Apple Scholars of | ||||||
26 | Illinois Program shall be used by the State Board for the |
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1 | payment of scholarship assistance under this Section or for the | ||||||
2 | award of grant funds, subject to the Illinois Grant Funds | ||||||
3 | Recovery Act, to the Foundation. Subject to appropriation, | ||||||
4 | awards of grant funds to the Foundation shall be made on an | ||||||
5 | annual basis and following an application for grant funds by | ||||||
6 | the Foundation. | ||||||
7 | (e) Each year, the Foundation shall include in its | ||||||
8 | application to the State Board for grant funds an estimate of | ||||||
9 | the amount of scholarship assistance to be provided to | ||||||
10 | qualified students during the grant period. Any amount of | ||||||
11 | appropriated funds exceeding the estimated amount of | ||||||
12 | scholarship assistance may be awarded by the State Board to the | ||||||
13 | Foundation for management expenses expected to be incurred by | ||||||
14 | the Foundation in providing the mentoring, guidance, and | ||||||
15 | in-service supports that will increase the likelihood that | ||||||
16 | qualified students will complete their teaching commitments | ||||||
17 | and elect to continue teaching in hard-to-staff schools. If the | ||||||
18 | estimate of the amount of scholarship assistance described in | ||||||
19 | the Foundation's application is less than the actual amount | ||||||
20 | required for the award of scholarship assistance to qualified | ||||||
21 | students, the Foundation shall be responsible for using awarded | ||||||
22 | grant funds to ensure all qualified students receive | ||||||
23 | scholarship assistance under this Section. | ||||||
24 | (f) All grant funds not expended or legally obligated | ||||||
25 | within the time specified in a grant agreement between the | ||||||
26 | Foundation and the State Board shall be returned to the State |
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1 | Board within 45 days. Any funds legally obligated by the end of | ||||||
2 | a grant agreement shall be liquidated within 45 days or | ||||||
3 | otherwise returned to the State Board within 90 days after the | ||||||
4 | end of the grant agreement that resulted in the award of grant | ||||||
5 | funds. | ||||||
6 | (g) Each scholarship awarded under this Section shall be in | ||||||
7 | an amount
sufficient to pay the tuition and fees and room and | ||||||
8 | board costs of the institution of higher learning at which the | ||||||
9 | recipient is enrolled, up to
an annual maximum of $5,000; | ||||||
10 | except that in the case of a
recipient who
does not
reside
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11 | on-campus at the institution of higher learning at which he or | ||||||
12 | she is enrolled,
the amount of the scholarship shall be | ||||||
13 | sufficient to pay tuition and fee
expenses and a commuter | ||||||
14 | allowance, up to an annual maximum of $5,000. All scholarship | ||||||
15 | funds distributed in accordance with this Section shall be paid | ||||||
16 | to the institution on behalf of recipients. | ||||||
17 | (h) The total amount of scholarship assistance awarded by | ||||||
18 | the State Board
under this Section to an individual in any | ||||||
19 | given fiscal year, when added to
other financial assistance | ||||||
20 | awarded to that individual for that year, shall not
exceed the | ||||||
21 | cost of attendance at the institution of higher learning at | ||||||
22 | which
the student is enrolled. In any academic year for which a | ||||||
23 | qualified student under this Section accepts financial | ||||||
24 | assistance through any other teacher scholarship program | ||||||
25 | administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, a | ||||||
26 | qualified student shall not be eligible for scholarship |
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1 | assistance awarded under this Section. | ||||||
2 | (i) A recipient may receive up to 8 semesters or 12
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3 | quarters of scholarship
assistance under this Section. | ||||||
4 | Scholarship funds are applicable toward 2 semesters or 3 | ||||||
5 | quarters of enrollment each academic year. | ||||||
6 | (j) All applications for scholarship assistance to be | ||||||
7 | awarded under this
Section shall be made to the Foundation in a | ||||||
8 | form determined by the Foundation. Each year, the Foundation | ||||||
9 | shall notify the State Board of the individuals awarded | ||||||
10 | scholarship assistance under this Section. Each year, at least | ||||||
11 | 30% of the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program | ||||||
12 | scholarships shall be awarded to students residing in counties | ||||||
13 | having a population of less than 500,000. | ||||||
14 | (k) The State Board shall administer the payment of
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15 | scholarship assistance provided through the Golden Apple | ||||||
16 | Scholars of Illinois Program and shall make all necessary
and
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17 | proper rules not inconsistent with this Section for the | ||||||
18 | effective
implementation of this Section. | ||||||
19 | (l) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any | ||||||
20 | academic year, each
recipient of a scholarship awarded under | ||||||
21 | this
Section shall be required by the Foundation to sign an | ||||||
22 | agreement under which
the
recipient pledges that, within the | ||||||
23 | 2-year period following the
termination
of the academic program | ||||||
24 | for which the recipient was awarded a scholarship, the
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25 | recipient: (i) shall begin teaching for a period of not
less | ||||||
26 | than 5 years, (ii) shall fulfill this teaching obligation at a |
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1 | nonprofit
Illinois public,
private, or parochial
preschool or | ||||||
2 | an Illinois public elementary or secondary school that | ||||||
3 | qualifies for teacher loan cancellation under Section | ||||||
4 | 465(a)(2)(A) of the federal Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 | ||||||
5 | U.S.C. 1087ee(a)(2)(A)) or other Illinois schools deemed | ||||||
6 | eligible for fulfilling the teaching commitment as designated | ||||||
7 | by the Foundation, and (iii)
shall, upon request of
the | ||||||
8 | Foundation, provide the Foundation with evidence that he or she | ||||||
9 | is fulfilling
or has fulfilled the terms of the teaching | ||||||
10 | agreement provided for in this
subsection (l). Upon request, | ||||||
11 | the Foundation shall provide evidence of teacher fulfillment to | ||||||
12 | the State Board. | ||||||
13 | (m) If a recipient of a scholarship awarded under this | ||||||
14 | Section fails to
fulfill the teaching obligation set forth in | ||||||
15 | subsection (l),
the State Board shall require the recipient to | ||||||
16 | repay the amount of the
scholarships received, prorated | ||||||
17 | according to the fraction of the teaching
obligation not | ||||||
18 | completed, plus interest at a rate of 5% and if applicable, | ||||||
19 | reasonable
collection fees.
Payments received by the State | ||||||
20 | Board under this subsection (m)
shall be remitted to the State | ||||||
21 | Comptroller for deposit into
the General Revenue Fund, except | ||||||
22 | that that portion of a
recipient's repayment that equals the | ||||||
23 | amount in expenses that
the State Board has reasonably incurred | ||||||
24 | in attempting
collection from that recipient shall be remitted | ||||||
25 | to the State
Comptroller for deposit into the State Board's | ||||||
26 | Accounts
Receivable Fund. |
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1 | (n) A recipient of a scholarship awarded by the Foundation | ||||||
2 | under this
Section shall not be considered to have failed to | ||||||
3 | fulfill the teaching obligations of the agreement entered into | ||||||
4 | pursuant to
subsection (l) if the recipient (i) enrolls on a | ||||||
5 | full-time basis as a graduate
student in a course of study | ||||||
6 | related to the field of teaching at an institution
of higher | ||||||
7 | learning; (ii) is serving as a member of the armed services of | ||||||
8 | the
United States; (iii) is a person with a temporary total | ||||||
9 | disability, as established by sworn
affidavit of a qualified | ||||||
10 | physician; (iv) is seeking and unable to find
full-time | ||||||
11 | employment as a teacher at a school that satisfies the criteria | ||||||
12 | set
forth
in subsection (l) and is able to provide evidence of | ||||||
13 | that fact; (v) is taking additional courses, on at least a | ||||||
14 | half-time basis, needed to obtain licensure as a teacher in | ||||||
15 | Illinois; (vi) is fulfilling teaching requirements associated | ||||||
16 | with other programs administered by the Illinois Student | ||||||
17 | Assistance Commission and cannot concurrently fulfill them | ||||||
18 | under this Section in a period of time equal to the length of | ||||||
19 | the teaching obligation; or (vii) is participating in a program | ||||||
20 | established under Executive Order 10924 of the President of the | ||||||
21 | United States or the federal National Community Service Act of | ||||||
22 | 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12501 et seq.). Any such
extension of the | ||||||
23 | period during which the teaching requirement must be fulfilled
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24 | shall be subject to limitations of duration as established by | ||||||
25 | the State Board. | ||||||
26 | (o) A recipient who fails to fulfill the teaching |
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1 | obligations of the agreement entered into pursuant to | ||||||
2 | subsection (l) shall repay the amount of scholarship assistance | ||||||
3 | awarded to him or her under this Section within 10 years. | ||||||
4 | (p) Annually, at a time determined by the State Board in | ||||||
5 | consultation with the Foundation, the Foundation shall submit a | ||||||
6 | report to assist the State Board in monitoring the Foundation's | ||||||
7 | performance of grant activities. The report shall describe the | ||||||
8 | following: | ||||||
9 | (1) the Foundation's anticipated expenditures for the | ||||||
10 | next fiscal year; | ||||||
11 | (2) the number of qualified students receiving | ||||||
12 | scholarship assistance at each institution of higher | ||||||
13 | learning where a qualified student was enrolled under this | ||||||
14 | Section during the previous fiscal year; | ||||||
15 | (3) the total monetary value of scholarship funds paid | ||||||
16 | to each institution of higher learning at which a qualified | ||||||
17 | student was enrolled during the previous fiscal year; | ||||||
18 | (4) the number of scholarship recipients who completed | ||||||
19 | a baccalaureate degree during the previous fiscal year; | ||||||
20 | (5) the number of scholarship recipients who fulfilled | ||||||
21 | their teaching obligation during the previous fiscal year; | ||||||
22 | (6) the number of scholarship recipients who failed to | ||||||
23 | fulfill their teaching obligation during the previous | ||||||
24 | fiscal year; | ||||||
25 | (7) the number of scholarship recipients granted an | ||||||
26 | extension described in subsection (n) during the previous |
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1 | fiscal year; | ||||||
2 | (8) the number of scholarship recipients required to | ||||||
3 | repay scholarship assistance in accordance with subsection | ||||||
4 | (m) during the previous fiscal year; | ||||||
5 | (9) the number of scholarship recipients who | ||||||
6 | successfully repaid scholarship assistance in full during | ||||||
7 | the previous fiscal year; | ||||||
8 | (10) the number of scholarship recipients who | ||||||
9 | defaulted on their obligation to repay scholarship | ||||||
10 | assistance during the previous fiscal year; | ||||||
11 | (11) the amount of scholarship assistance subject to | ||||||
12 | collection in accordance with subsection (m) at the end of | ||||||
13 | the previous fiscal year; | ||||||
14 | (12) the amount of collected funds to be remitted to | ||||||
15 | the State Comptroller in accordance with subsection (m) at | ||||||
16 | the end of the previous fiscal year; and | ||||||
17 | (13) other information that the State Board may | ||||||
18 | reasonably request. | ||||||
19 | (q) The Auditor General shall prepare an annual audit of | ||||||
20 | the operations and finances of the Golden Apple Scholars of | ||||||
21 | Illinois Program. This audit shall be provided to the Governor, | ||||||
22 | General Assembly, and State Board. | ||||||
23 | (r) The suspension of grant making authority found in | ||||||
24 | Section 4.2 of the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act shall not | ||||||
25 | apply to grants made pursuant to this Section. | ||||||
26 | (s) On July 1, 2020, there is transferred to the State |
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1 | Board from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission all | ||||||
2 | authority and responsibility exercised by the Commission | ||||||
3 | before July 1, 2020 with respect to the administration of the | ||||||
4 | Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program. On and after July 1, | ||||||
5 | 2020, the State Board shall administer, in accordance with all | ||||||
6 | applicable laws and rules, the conduct and operation of the | ||||||
7 | Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program. | ||||||
8 | On July 1, 2020, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission | ||||||
9 | shall transfer to the State Board, as successor to the | ||||||
10 | Commission for all purposes of administering the Golden Apple | ||||||
11 | Scholars of Illinois Program, all books, accounts, records, | ||||||
12 | papers, documents, contracts, agreements, and pending business | ||||||
13 | in the possession or under the control of the Commission and | ||||||
14 | relating to its administration of the Golden Apple Scholars of | ||||||
15 | Illinois Program. All pending applications made before July 1, | ||||||
16 | 2020 for scholarship awards under the Golden Apple Scholars of | ||||||
17 | Illinois Program and all scholarships awarded under that | ||||||
18 | program before July 1, 2020 shall be unaffected by the transfer | ||||||
19 | to the State Board of all responsibilities and authority | ||||||
20 | formerly exercised by the Commission with respect to that | ||||||
21 | program. The Commission shall furnish to the State Board such | ||||||
22 | other information as the State Board may request to assist it | ||||||
23 | in administering this Section. | ||||||
24 | On July 1, 2020, references in any law, appropriation,
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25 | rule, form, or other document to the Illinois Student | ||||||
26 | Assistance Commission are deemed, in appropriate contexts, to |
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1 | be references to the State Board of Education
for all purposes | ||||||
2 | of administering the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program.
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3 | (110 ILCS 947/52 rep.) | ||||||
4 | Section 10. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | ||||||
5 | amended by repealing Section 52.
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6 | Section 15. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended by | ||||||
7 | changing Section 3-648 as follows:
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8 | (625 ILCS 5/3-648)
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9 | Sec. 3-648. Education license plates.
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10 | (a) The Secretary, upon receipt of an application made in | ||||||
11 | the form
prescribed by the Secretary, may issue special | ||||||
12 | registration plates designated
as Education license plates. | ||||||
13 | The special plates issued under this Section
shall be affixed | ||||||
14 | only to passenger vehicles of the first division and motor
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15 | vehicles of the second division weighing not more than 8,000 | ||||||
16 | pounds. Plates
issued under this Section shall expire according | ||||||
17 | to the multi-year procedure
established by Section 3-414.1 of | ||||||
18 | this Code.
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19 | (b) The design and color of the plates
shall be determined | ||||||
20 | by a contest that every elementary school pupil in the
State of | ||||||
21 | Illinois is eligible to enter. The designs submitted for the | ||||||
22 | contest
shall be judged on September 30, 2002, and the winning | ||||||
23 | design shall be selected
by a committee
composed of the |
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1 | Secretary, the Director of State Police, 2 members of the
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2 | Senate, one member chosen by the President of the Senate and | ||||||
3 | one member chosen
by the
Senate Minority Leader, and 2 members | ||||||
4 | of the House of Representatives, one
member chosen by the | ||||||
5 | Speaker of the House and one member chosen by the House
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6 | Minority
Leader.
The
Secretary may allow the plates to be | ||||||
7 | issued as vanity or personalized plates
under Section 3-405.1 | ||||||
8 | of the Code. The Secretary shall prescribe stickers or
decals | ||||||
9 | as provided under Section 3-412 of this Code.
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10 | (c) An applicant for the special plate shall be charged a | ||||||
11 | $40 fee for
original issuance,
in addition to the appropriate | ||||||
12 | registration fee.
Of this $40 additional original issuance fee, | ||||||
13 | $15 shall be deposited into the
Secretary of State Special
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14 | License Plate Fund, to be used by the Secretary to help defray | ||||||
15 | the
administrative processing costs, and
$25 shall be deposited | ||||||
16 | into the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Fund.
For each | ||||||
17 | registration renewal period, a $40 fee, in addition to the
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18 | appropriate registration fee, shall be charged.
Of this $40 | ||||||
19 | additional renewal fee, $2 shall be deposited into the | ||||||
20 | Secretary of
State Special License
Plate Fund and $38 shall be | ||||||
21 | deposited into the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Fund. Each
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22 | fiscal year, once deposits from the additional original | ||||||
23 | issuance and renewal
fees into the Secretary of State Special | ||||||
24 | License Plate Fund have reached
$500,000, all the amounts | ||||||
25 | received for the additional fees for the balance of
the fiscal | ||||||
26 | year shall be
deposited into the Golden Apple Scholars of |
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1 | Illinois Fund.
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2 | (d) The Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Fund
is created | ||||||
3 | as a special fund in the State treasury. All
moneys in the | ||||||
4 | Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Fund
shall be apportioned | ||||||
5 | according to Section 30-14.9 of the School Code 52 of the | ||||||
6 | Higher Education Student Assistance Act .
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7 | (Source: P.A. 98-533, eff. 8-23-13.)
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8 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, | ||||||
9 | 2020.
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