Full Text of HB1256 100th General Assembly
HB1256ham001 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY | Rep. Anna Moeller Filed: 4/21/2017
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| 1 | | AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 1256
| 2 | | AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 1256 by replacing | 3 | | everything after the enacting clause with the following:
| 4 | | "Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | 5 | | amended by adding Section 65.95 as follows: | 6 | | (110 ILCS 947/65.95 new) | 7 | | Sec. 65.95. Bilingual Teachers of Illinois scholarship | 8 | | program. | 9 | | (a) As used in this Section: | 10 | | "Eligible applicant" means a student who is fluent in a | 11 | | language other than English, has graduated from high school or | 12 | | has received a high school equivalency certificate, and has | 13 | | maintained a cumulative grade point average of no less than 2.5 | 14 | | on a 4.0 scale and who, by reason thereof, is entitled to apply | 15 | | for scholarships to be awarded under this Section. | 16 | | "Qualified student" means a person (i) who is a resident of |
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| 1 | | this State and a citizen or permanent resident of the United | 2 | | States; (ii) who, as an eligible applicant, has made a timely | 3 | | application for a bilingual education teacher scholarship | 4 | | under this Section; (iii) who is enrolled on at least a | 5 | | half-time basis at a qualified Illinois institution of higher | 6 | | learning; (iv) who is enrolled in a course of study leading to | 7 | | teacher licensure, including alternative teacher licensure; | 8 | | (v) who maintains a grade point average of no less than 2.5 on | 9 | | a 4.0 scale; and (vi) who continues to advance satisfactorily | 10 | | toward the attainment of a degree. | 11 | | (b) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois | 12 | | students to pursue teaching careers at the preschool, | 13 | | elementary school, or secondary school level, each qualified | 14 | | student shall be awarded a bilingual education teacher | 15 | | scholarship to any qualified Illinois institution of higher | 16 | | learning. However, preference may be given to qualified | 17 | | applicants enrolled at or above the junior level. | 18 | | (c) Each bilingual education teacher scholarship awarded | 19 | | under this Section shall be in an amount sufficient to pay the | 20 | | tuition and fees and room and board costs of the qualified | 21 | | Illinois institution of higher learning at which the recipient | 22 | | is enrolled, up to an annual maximum of $5,000; except that, in | 23 | | the case of a recipient who does not reside on-campus at the | 24 | | institution at which he or she is enrolled, the amount of the | 25 | | scholarship shall be sufficient to pay tuition and fee expenses | 26 | | and a commuter allowance, up to an annual maximum of $5,000. |
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| 1 | | (d) The total amount of bilingual education teacher | 2 | | scholarship assistance awarded by the Commission under this | 3 | | Section to an individual in any given fiscal year, when added | 4 | | to other financial assistance awarded to that individual for | 5 | | that year, shall not exceed the cost of attendance at the | 6 | | institution at which the student is enrolled. If the amount of | 7 | | a bilingual education teacher scholarship to be awarded to a | 8 | | qualified student as provided in subsection (c) of this Section | 9 | | exceeds the cost of attendance at the institution at which the | 10 | | student is enrolled, the bilingual education teacher | 11 | | scholarship shall be reduced by an amount equal to the amount | 12 | | by which the combined financial assistance available to the | 13 | | student exceeds the cost of attendance. | 14 | | (e) The maximum number of academic terms for which a | 15 | | qualified student can receive bilingual education teacher | 16 | | scholarship assistance shall be 8 semesters or 12 quarters. | 17 | | (f) In any academic year for which an eligible applicant | 18 | | under this Section accepts financial assistance through the | 19 | | Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarship Program, as authorized by | 20 | | Section 551 et seq. of the federal Higher Education Act of | 21 | | 1965, the applicant shall not be eligible for scholarship | 22 | | assistance awarded under this Section. | 23 | | (g) All applications for bilingual education teacher | 24 | | scholarships to be awarded under this Section shall be made to | 25 | | the Commission on forms that the Commission shall provide for | 26 | | eligible applicants. The form of applications and the |
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| 1 | | information required to be set forth therein shall be | 2 | | determined by the Commission, and the Commission shall require | 3 | | eligible applicants to submit with their applications such | 4 | | supporting documents or recommendations as the Commission | 5 | | deems necessary. | 6 | | (h) Subject to a separate appropriation for such purposes, | 7 | | payment of any bilingual education teacher scholarship awarded | 8 | | under this Section shall be determined by the Commission. All | 9 | | scholarship funds distributed in accordance with this Section | 10 | | shall be paid to the institution and used only for payment of | 11 | | the tuition and fee and room and board expenses incurred by the | 12 | | student in connection with his or her attendance as an | 13 | | undergraduate student at the institution. Any bilingual | 14 | | education teacher scholarship awarded under this Section shall | 15 | | be applicable to 2 semesters or 3 quarters of enrollment. If a | 16 | | qualified student withdraws from enrollment prior to | 17 | | completion of the first semester or quarter for which the | 18 | | bilingual education teacher scholarship is applicable, the | 19 | | institution shall refund to the Commission the full amount of | 20 | | the bilingual education teacher scholarship. | 21 | | (i) The Commission shall administer the Bilingual Teachers | 22 | | of Illinois scholarship program established by this Section and | 23 | | shall make all necessary and proper rules not inconsistent with | 24 | | this Section for its effective implementation. | 25 | | (j) If an appropriation to the Commission for a given | 26 | | fiscal year is insufficient to provide scholarships under this |
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| 1 | | Section to all qualified students, the Commission shall | 2 | | allocate the appropriation in accordance with this subsection | 3 | | (j). If funds are insufficient to provide all qualified | 4 | | students with a scholarship as authorized by this Section, the | 5 | | Commission shall allocate the available scholarship funds for | 6 | | that fiscal year on the basis of the date the Commission | 7 | | receives a complete application form. | 8 | | (k) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (j) or any | 9 | | other provision of this Section, at least 25% of the funds | 10 | | appropriated for scholarships awarded under this Section in | 11 | | each fiscal year shall be reserved for applicants who earned | 12 | | the State Seal of Biliteracy as a high school graduate. If the | 13 | | Commission does not receive enough applications on or before | 14 | | January 1 of each fiscal year to award 25% of the funds | 15 | | appropriated for these scholarships to applicants who earned | 16 | | the State Seal of Biliteracy, then the Commission may award a | 17 | | portion of the reserved funds to other applicants. | 18 | | (l) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (j) or any | 19 | | other provision of this Section, at least 20% of funds | 20 | | appropriated for scholarships awarded under this Section in | 21 | | each fiscal year shall be reserved for applicants who commit to | 22 | | teaching bilingual education at a school district in this State | 23 | | whose annual student enrollment is less than 300,000. If the | 24 | | Commission does not receive enough applications on or before | 25 | | January 1 of each fiscal year to award 20% of the funds | 26 | | appropriated for these scholarships to applicants who commit to |
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| 1 | | teaching bilingual education at a school district in this State | 2 | | whose annual student enrollment is less than 300,000, then the | 3 | | Commission may award a portion of the reserved funds to other | 4 | | applicants. | 5 | | (m) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (j) or any | 6 | | other provision of this Section, at least 10% of funds | 7 | | appropriated for scholarships awarded under this Section in | 8 | | each fiscal year shall be reserved for applicants who commit to | 9 | | teaching bilingual education in a school district-administered | 10 | | preschool program in this State. If the Commission does not | 11 | | receive enough applications on or before January 1 of each | 12 | | fiscal year to award 10% of the funds appropriated for these | 13 | | scholarships to applicants who commit to teaching bilingual | 14 | | education in a school district-administered preschool program, | 15 | | then the Commission may award a portion of the reserved funds | 16 | | to other applicants. | 17 | | (n) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any | 18 | | academic year, each recipient of a bilingual education teacher | 19 | | scholarship awarded under this Section shall be required by the | 20 | | Commission to sign an agreement under which the recipient | 21 | | pledges that, within the one-year period following the | 22 | | termination of the program for which the recipient was awarded | 23 | | a bilingual education teacher scholarship, the recipient (i) | 24 | | shall begin teaching in this State for a period of not less | 25 | | than one year for each year of scholarship assistance he or she | 26 | | was awarded under this Section and (ii) shall, upon request by |
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| 1 | | the Commission, provide the Commission with evidence that he or | 2 | | she is fulfilling or has fulfilled the terms of the teaching | 3 | | agreement provided for in this subsection (n). | 4 | | (o) If a recipient of a bilingual education teacher | 5 | | scholarship awarded under this Section fails to fulfill the | 6 | | teaching obligation set forth in subsection (n) of this | 7 | | Section, the Commission shall require the recipient to repay | 8 | | the amount of the scholarships received, prorated according to | 9 | | the fraction of the teaching obligation not completed, at a | 10 | | rate of interest equal to 5% and, if applicable, reasonable | 11 | | collection fees. The Commission is authorized to establish | 12 | | rules relating to its collection activities for repayment of | 13 | | scholarships under this Section. All repayments collected | 14 | | under this Section shall be forwarded to the State Comptroller | 15 | | for deposit into the State's General Revenue Fund. | 16 | | (p) A recipient of a bilingual education teacher | 17 | | scholarship shall not be considered in violation of the | 18 | | agreement entered into pursuant to subsection (n) if the | 19 | | recipient (i) enrolls on a full-time basis as a graduate | 20 | | student in a course of study related to the field of teaching | 21 | | at a qualified Illinois institution of higher learning; (ii) is | 22 | | serving, not in excess of 3 years, as a member of the armed | 23 | | services of the United States; (iii) is a person with a | 24 | | temporary total disability for a period of time not to exceed 3 | 25 | | years, as established by sworn affidavit of a qualified | 26 | | physician; (iv) is seeking and unable to find full-time |
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| 1 | | employment as a teacher at an Illinois public, private, or | 2 | | parochial preschool, elementary school, or secondary school | 3 | | that satisfies the criteria set forth in the agreement under | 4 | | subsection (n) of this Section and is able to provide evidence | 5 | | of that fact; (v) becomes a person with a permanent total | 6 | | disability, as established by sworn affidavit of a qualified | 7 | | physician; (vi) is taking additional courses, on at least a | 8 | | half-time basis, needed to obtain licensure as a teacher in | 9 | | Illinois; or (vii) is fulfilling teaching requirements | 10 | | associated with other programs administered by the Commission | 11 | | and cannot concurrently fulfill them under this Section in a | 12 | | period of time equal to the length of the teaching obligation. | 13 | | (q) Scholarship recipients under this Section who withdraw | 14 | | from a program of teacher education but remain enrolled in | 15 | | school to continue their postsecondary studies in another | 16 | | academic discipline shall not be required to commence repayment | 17 | | of their bilingual education teacher scholarship so long as | 18 | | they remain enrolled in school on a full-time basis or if they | 19 | | can document for the Commission special circumstances that | 20 | | warrant extension of repayment. ".
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