96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
HB4039

 

Introduced 2/27/2009, by Rep. Ron Stephens

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
110 ILCS 947/25

    Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. With respect to the State scholar program, provides that an applicant is eligible to be designated a State Scholar if he or she is a resident of this State attending a Department of Defense school. Effective July 1, 2009.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1     AN ACT concerning education.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is
5 amended by changing Section 25 as follows:
 
6     (110 ILCS 947/25)
7     Sec. 25. State scholar program.
8     (a) An applicant is eligible to be designated a State
9 Scholar when the Commission finds the candidate:
10         (1) is a resident of this State, including a resident
11     attending a Department of Defense school, and a citizen or
12     permanent resident of the United States;
13         (2) has successfully completed the program of
14     instruction at an approved high school, or is a student in
15     good standing at such a school and is engaged in a program
16     which in due course will be completed by the end of the
17     academic year, and in either event that the candidate's
18     academic standing is above the class median; and that the
19     candidate has not had any university, college, normal
20     school, private junior college or public community
21     college, or other advanced training subsequent to
22     graduation from high school; and
23         (3) has superior capacity to profit by a higher

 

 

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1     education.
2     (b) In determining an applicant's superior capacity to
3 profit by a higher education, the Commission shall consider the
4 candidate's scholastic record in high school and the results of
5 the examination conducted under the provisions of this Act. The
6 Commission shall establish by rule the minimum conditions of
7 eligibility in terms of the foregoing factors, and the relative
8 weight to be accorded to those factors.
9     (c) The Commission shall base its State Scholar
10 designations upon the eligibility formula prescribed in its
11 rules, except that notwithstanding those rules or any other
12 provision of this Section, a student nominated by his or her
13 school shall be designated a State Scholar if that student
14 achieves an Illinois Standard Test Score at or above the 95th
15 percentile among students taking the designated examinations
16 in Illinois that year, as determined by the Commission.
17     (d) The Commission shall obtain the results of a
18 competitive examination from the applicants. The examination
19 shall provide a measure of each candidate's ability to perform
20 college work and shall have demonstrated utility in such a
21 selection program. The Commission shall select, and designate
22 by rule, the specific examinations to be used in determining
23 the applicant's superior capacity to profit from a higher
24 education. Candidates may be asked by the Commission to take
25 those steps necessary to provide results of the designated
26 examination as part of their applications. Any nominal cost of

 

 

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1 obtaining or providing the examination results shall be paid by
2 the candidate to the agency designated by the Commission to
3 provide the examination service. In the event that a candidate
4 or candidates are unable to participate in the examination for
5 financial reasons, the Commission may choose to pay the
6 examination fee on the candidate's or candidates' behalf. Any
7 notary fee which may also be required as part of the total
8 application shall be paid by the applicant.
9     (e) The Commission shall award to each State Scholar a
10 certificate or other suitable form of recognition. The decision
11 to attend a non-qualified institution of higher learning shall
12 not disqualify applicants who are otherwise fully qualified.
13     (f) Subject to appropriation, each State Scholar who
14 enrolls or is enrolled in an institution of higher learning in
15 this State shall also receive a one-time grant of $1,000 to be
16 applied to tuition and mandatory fees and paid directly to the
17 institution of higher learning. However, a student who has been
18 awarded a Merit Recognition Scholarship under Section 31 of
19 this Act may not be awarded a grant under this subsection (f),
20 although he or she may still be designated a State Scholar.
21     (g) (f) The Commission shall conduct a study detailing all
22 of the following information:
23         (1) The number of students designated State Scholars in
24     2008 and 2009.
25         (2) The number of State Scholars who applied to State
26     universities in 2008 and 2009.

 

 

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1         (3) The number of State Scholars who were denied
2     admittance into the State universities to which they
3     applied in 2008 and 2009.
4     All data collected from a State university in regards to
5 the study conducted under this subsection (g) (f) must be
6 verified by that university.
7     On or before January 1, 2010, the Commission must submit a
8 report to the General Assembly that contains the findings of
9 the study conducted under this subsection (g) (f) and the
10 Commission's recommendations on how to make State universities
11 more accessible to State Scholars.
12     (h) (g) The Commission shall adopt all necessary and proper
13 rules not inconsistent with this Section for its effective
14 implementation.
15 (Source: P.A. 95-715, eff. 1-1-09; 95-760, eff. 7-28-08;
16 revised 9-5-08.)
 
17     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
18 2009.