HJ0032eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0032 Engrossed LRB095 11362 NHT 32131 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 32

WHEREAS, The Monetary Award Program, also known as "MAP", which is administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, is among the premiere state-funded, need-based, postsecondary grant programs in the United States; and

WHEREAS, MAP grants are intended to provide funding for all Illinois students seeking postsecondary degrees who demonstrate financial need, providing $347 million in grants to 146,853 students in 2006; and

WHEREAS, The profile of students attending Illinois colleges and universities has undergone dramatic changes in the past decade, as increasing numbers of students are older, married, parents, or working; and

WHEREAS, Those students defined as independent, meaning those who are 24 years of age or older, those who are married, those with dependents, and those who have been in the military, are often the most financially challenged in their endeavors to pursue a postsecondary education; and

WHEREAS, As more working adults seek to return to school, they face a federal financial aid system designed primarily for traditional students; and

WHEREAS, Low-income working adults are often expected to contribute an unrealistic proportion of their income to college costs; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, in cooperation with the Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Community College Board, an organization representing working women, an organization representing private colleges and universities, and other concerned parties, document the overall financial need of independent students in Illinois and the degree to which they are served by the Monetary Award Program in a report to be delivered to the General Assembly no later than December 31, 2007; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.