101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
SB1525

 

Introduced 2/15/2019, by Sen. Robert Peters

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 505/8  from Ch. 23, par. 5008

    Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Requires the Department of Children and Family Services, subject to appropriations, to provide eligible youth an apprenticeship stipend to cover those costs associated with entering an apprenticeship, including, but not limited to fees, tuition for classes, work clothes, rain gear, boots, and occupation-specific tools. Provide that the following youth shall be eligible for an apprenticeship stipend: youth for whom the Department has court-ordered legal responsibility; youth who aged out of care at age 18 or older; or youth formerly under care who have been adopted and were the subject of an adoption assistance agreement or who have been placed in private guardianship and were the subject of a subsidized guardianship agreement. Limits the stipend to eligible youth who: (i) are enrolled in an approved apprenticeship training program; (ii) are not a recipient of any other scholarship or fee waiver provided by the Department; and (iii) are under the age of 26. Provides that apprenticeship stipends shall be available to an eligible youth for a maximum of 5 years after the youth enrolls in a qualifying apprenticeship program. Waives the age requirement and 5-year cap on the stipend for applicants who were unable to enroll in a qualifying apprenticeship program because the applicant: (i) was called into active duty with the United States Armed Forces; (ii) was deployed for service in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps; or (iii) volunteered in the Peace Corps or the AmeriCorps. Requires the Department to develop outreach programs to ensure qualifying youths are aware of the availability of the apprenticeship stipends. Effective January 1, 2020.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Children and Family Services Act is amended
5by changing Section 8 as follows:
 
6    (20 ILCS 505/8)  (from Ch. 23, par. 5008)
7    Sec. 8. Scholarships and fee waivers; tuition waiver.
8    (a) Each year the Department shall select a minimum of 53
9students (at least 4 of whom shall be children of veterans) to
10receive scholarships and fee waivers which will enable them to
11attend and complete their post-secondary education at a
12community college, university, or college. Youth shall be
13selected from among the youth for whom the Department has
14court-ordered legal responsibility, youth who aged out of care
15at age 18 or older, or youth formerly under care who have been
16adopted or who have been placed in private guardianship.
17Recipients must have earned a high school diploma from an
18accredited institution or a high school equivalency
19certificate or diploma or have met the State criteria for high
20school graduation before the start of the school year for which
21they are applying for the scholarship and waiver. Scholarships
22and fee waivers shall be available to students for at least 5
23years, provided they are continuing to work toward graduation.

 

 

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1Unused scholarship dollars and fee waivers shall be reallocated
2to new recipients. No later than January 1, 2015, the
3Department shall promulgate rules identifying the criteria for
4"continuing to work toward graduation" and for reallocating
5unused scholarships and fee waivers. Selection shall be made on
6the basis of several factors, including, but not limited to,
7scholastic record, aptitude, and general interest in higher
8education. The selection committee shall include at least 2
9individuals formerly under the care of the Department who have
10completed their post-secondary education. In accordance with
11this Act, tuition scholarships and fee waivers shall be
12available to such students at any university or college
13maintained by the State of Illinois. The Department shall
14provide maintenance and school expenses, except tuition and
15fees, during the academic years to supplement the students'
16earnings or other resources so long as they consistently
17maintain scholastic records which are acceptable to their
18schools and to the Department. Students may attend other
19colleges and universities, if scholarships are awarded them,
20and receive the same benefits for maintenance and other
21expenses as those students attending any Illinois State
22community college, university, or college under this Section.
23Beginning with recipients receiving scholarships and waivers
24in August 2014, the Department shall collect data and report
25annually to the General Assembly on measures of success,
26including (i) the number of youth applying for and receiving

 

 

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1scholarships or waivers, (ii) the percentage of scholarship or
2waiver recipients who complete their college or university
3degree within 5 years, (iii) the average length of time it
4takes for scholarship or waiver recipients to complete their
5college or university degree, (iv) the reasons that scholarship
6or waiver recipients are discharged or fail to complete their
7college or university degree, (v) when available, youths'
8outcomes 5 years and 10 years after being awarded the
9scholarships or waivers, and (vi) budget allocations for
10maintenance and school expenses incurred by the Department.
11    (b) Youth who are not selected to receive a scholarship or
12fee waiver under subsection (a) shall receive a tuition and fee
13waiver to assist them in attending and completing their
14post-secondary education at any community college, university,
15or college maintained by the State of Illinois if they are
16youth for whom the Department has court-ordered legal
17responsibility, youth who aged out of care at age 18 or older,
18or youth formerly under care who have been adopted and were the
19subject of an adoption assistance agreement or who have been
20placed in private guardianship and were the subject of a
21subsidized guardianship agreement.
22    To receive a waiver under this subsection, an applicant
23must:
24        (1) have earned a high school diploma from an
25    accredited institution or a high school equivalency
26    certificate or have met the State criteria for high school

 

 

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1    graduation before the start of the school year for which
2    the applicant is applying for the waiver;
3        (2) enroll in a qualifying post-secondary education
4    before the applicant reaches the age of 26; and
5        (3) apply for federal and State grant assistance by
6    completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
7    The community college or public university that an
8applicant attends must waive any tuition and fee amounts that
9exceed the amounts paid to the applicant under the federal Pell
10Grant Program or the State's Monetary Award Program.
11    Tuition and fee waivers shall be available to a student for
12at least the first 5 years the student is enrolled in a
13community college, university, or college maintained by the
14State of Illinois so long as the student makes satisfactory
15progress toward completing his or her degree. The age
16requirement and 5-year cap on tuition and fee waivers under
17this subsection shall be waived and eligibility for tuition and
18fee waivers shall be extended for any applicant or student who
19the Department determines was unable to enroll in a qualifying
20post-secondary school or complete an academic term because the
21applicant or student: (i) was called into active duty with the
22United States Armed Forces; (ii) was deployed for service in
23the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps; or
24(iii) volunteered in the Peace Corps or the AmeriCorps. The
25Department shall extend eligibility for a qualifying applicant
26or student by the total number of months or years during which

 

 

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1the applicant or student served on active duty with the United
2States Armed Forces, was deployed for service in the United
3States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, or
4volunteered in the Peace Corps or the AmeriCorps. The number of
5months an applicant or student served on active duty with the
6United States Armed Forces shall be rounded up to the next
7higher year to determine the maximum length of time to extend
8eligibility for the applicant or student.
9    The Department may provide the student with a stipend to
10cover maintenance and school expenses, except tuition and fees,
11during the academic years to supplement the student's earnings
12or other resources so long as the student consistently
13maintains scholastic records which are acceptable to the
14student's school and to the Department.
15    The Department shall develop outreach programs to ensure
16that youths who qualify for the tuition and fee waivers under
17this subsection who are high school students in grades 9
18through 12 or who are enrolled in a high school equivalency
19testing program are aware of the availability of the tuition
20and fee waivers.
21    (c) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall provide
22eligible youth an apprenticeship stipend to cover those costs
23associated with entering an apprenticeship, including, but not
24limited to fees, tuition for classes, work clothes, rain gear,
25boots, and occupation-specific tools. The following youth
26shall be eligible for the apprenticeship stipend provided under

 

 

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1this subsection: youth for whom the Department has
2court-ordered legal responsibility; youth who aged out of care
3at age 18 or older; or youth formerly under care who have been
4adopted and were the subject of an adoption assistance
5agreement or who have been placed in private guardianship and
6were the subject of a subsidized guardianship agreement.
7    To receive a stipend under this subsection, an applicant
8must:
9        (1) be enrolled in an apprenticeship training program
10    approved or recognized by the Illinois Department of
11    Employment Security or a similar federal entity;
12        (2) not be a recipient of a scholarship or fee waiver
13    under subsection (a) or (b); and
14        (3) be under the age of 26 before enrolling in a
15    qualified apprenticeship program.
16    Apprenticeship stipends shall be available to an eligible
17youth for a maximum of 5 years after the youth enrolls in a
18qualifying apprenticeship program so long as the youth makes
19satisfactory progress toward completing his or her
20apprenticeship. The age requirement and 5-year cap on the
21apprenticeship stipend provided under this subsection shall be
22extended for any applicant who the Department determines was
23unable to enroll in a qualifying apprenticeship program because
24the applicant: (i) was called into active duty with the United
25States Armed Forces; (ii) was deployed for service in the
26United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps; or

 

 

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1(iii) volunteered in the Peace Corps or the AmeriCorps. The
2Department shall extend eligibility for a qualifying applicant
3by the total number of months or years during which the
4applicant served on active duty with the United States Armed
5Forces, was deployed for service in the United States Public
6Health Service Commissioned Corps, or volunteered in the Peace
7Corps or the AmeriCorps. The number of months an applicant
8served on active duty with the United States Armed Forces shall
9be rounded up to the next higher year to determine the maximum
10length of time to extend eligibility for the applicant.
11    The Department shall develop outreach programs to ensure
12that youths who qualify for the apprenticeship stipends under
13this subsection who are high school students in grades 9
14through 12 or who are enrolled in a high school equivalency
15testing program are aware of the availability of the
16apprenticeship stipend.
17(Source: P.A. 99-78, eff. 7-20-15; 100-1045, eff. 1-1-19.)
 
18    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
191, 2020.