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91_HB0080enr HB0080 Enrolled LRB9100386NTsbA 1 AN ACT to amend the Higher Education Student Assistance 2 Act by adding Section 31 and repealing Sections 25 and 30. 3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 4 represented in the General Assembly: 5 Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act 6 is amended by adding Section 31 as follows: 7 (110 ILCS 947/31 new) 8 Sec. 31. Merit Recognition Scholarship program. 9 (a) As used in this Section: 10 "Eligible applicant" means a student from any high school 11 in this State, either approved by or not recognized by the 12 State Board of Education, who is engaged in a program of 13 study that in due course will be completed by the end of the 14 academic year, and (i) whose cumulative high school grade 15 point average is at or above the 95th percentile of his or 16 her high school class after completion of the 6th semester of 17 a high school program of instruction or (ii) whose score on a 18 standardized examination determined by the Commission, taken 19 before or during the 6th semester of high school, is at or 20 above the 95th percentile of students in the State who take 21 the standardized college entrance examination. These high 22 school students are all eligible to receive a scholarship to 23 be awarded under this Section. 24 "Qualified student" means a person: 25 (1) who is a resident of this State and a citizen 26 or permanent resident of the United States; 27 (2) who, as an eligible applicant, is in good 28 academic standing at the high school in which he or she 29 is enrolled and has made a timely application for a Merit 30 Recognition Scholarship under this Section; 31 (3) who has successfully completed the program of HB0080 Enrolled -2- LRB9100386NTsbA 1 instruction at any high school located in this State; and 2 (4) who enrolls or is enrolled in a qualified 3 Illinois institution of higher learning or a Service 4 Academy as an undergraduate student or cadet and has not 5 received a baccalaureate degree. 6 "Merit Recognition Scholarship" means a $1,000 academic 7 scholarship awarded under this Section during an academic 8 year to a qualified student, without regard to financial 9 need, as a scholarship to any qualified Illinois institution 10 of higher learning or a Service Academy in which the student 11 is or will be enrolled as an undergraduate student or cadet. 12 "Service Academy" means the U.S. Air Force Academy, the 13 U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the U.S. Military Academy, or the 14 U.S. Naval Academy. 15 (b) In order to identify, encourage, promote, and reward 16 the distinguished academic achievement of students from every 17 high school located in this State, each qualified student 18 shall be awarded a Merit Recognition Scholarship by the 19 Illinois Student Assistance Commission to any qualified 20 Illinois institution of higher learning or to any Service 21 Academy. 22 (c) No Merit Recognition Scholarship provided for a 23 qualified student under this Section shall be considered in 24 evaluating the financial situation of that student or be 25 deemed a financial resource of or a form of financial aid or 26 assistance to that student, for purposes of determining the 27 eligibility of the student for any scholarship, grant, or 28 monetary assistance awarded by the Commission, the State, or 29 any agency thereof pursuant to the provisions of any other 30 Section of this Act or any other law of this State; nor shall 31 any Merit Recognition Scholarship provided for a qualified 32 student under this Section reduce the amount of any 33 scholarship, grant, or monetary assistance that that student 34 is eligible to be awarded by the Commission, the State, or HB0080 Enrolled -3- LRB9100386NTsbA 1 any agency thereof in accordance with the provisions of any 2 other Section of this Act or any other law of this State. 3 (d) The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is 4 designated as administrator of the Merit Recognition 5 Scholarship program. Each high school located in this State 6 shall certify to the Commission the names of its students who 7 are eligible applicants, specifying which of the students 8 certified as eligible applicants have completed the program 9 of instruction at that high school and the graduation date 10 fixed for their high school class and specifying for each of 11 the other eligible applicants whose names appear on the 12 certification the semester of high school last completed by 13 them. The Commission shall promptly notify those eligible 14 applicants so certified who are reasonably assured of 15 receiving a Merit Recognition Scholarship in accordance with 16 the annual funding levels recommended in the Governor's 17 budget of their eligibility to apply for a scholarship under 18 this Section, other than any eligible applicant named on any 19 such certification who, as an eligible applicant, has 20 previously made application to the Commission for a Merit 21 Recognition Scholarship under this Section. An otherwise 22 eligible applicant who fails to make a timely application (as 23 determined by the Commission) for a Merit Recognition 24 Scholarship under this Section shall no longer be deemed an 25 eligible applicant and shall not qualify for the award. 26 (e) All applications for Merit Recognition Scholarships 27 to be awarded under this Section shall be made to the 28 Commission on forms that the Commission shall provide for 29 eligible applicants. The form of applications and the 30 information required to be set forth therein shall be 31 determined by the Commission, and the Commission shall 32 require eligible applicants to submit with their applications 33 such supporting documents as the Commission deems necessary. 34 (f) The names and addresses of Merit Recognition HB0080 Enrolled -4- LRB9100386NTsbA 1 Scholarship recipients are a matter of public record. 2 (g) Whenever an eligible applicant who has completed the 3 program of instruction at any high school located in this 4 State thereafter makes timely application to the Commission 5 for a Merit Recognition Scholarship under this Section, the 6 Commission shall promptly determine whether that eligible 7 applicant is a qualified student as defined in subsection (a) 8 of this Section. Each such eligible applicant so determined 9 by the Commission to be a qualified student shall be awarded 10 a Merit Recognition Scholarship in the amount of $1,000, 11 effective exclusively during the academic year following the 12 qualified student's high school graduation, subject to 13 appropriation by the General Assembly. 14 (h) Subject to a separate appropriation for purposes of 15 this Section, payment of any Merit Recognition Scholarship 16 awarded under this Section shall be determined exclusively by 17 the Commission. All scholarship funds distributed in 18 accordance with this subsection (h) shall be paid to the 19 qualified Illinois institution of higher learning or Service 20 Academy and used only for payment of the educational expenses 21 incurred by the student in connection with his or her 22 attendance as an undergraduate student or cadet at that 23 institution or Service Academy, including but not limited to 24 tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, 25 required Service Academy uniforms, and travel and personal 26 expenses related to the student's attendance at that 27 institution or Service Academy. Any Merit Recognition 28 Scholarship awarded under this Section shall be applicable to 29 2 semesters or 3 quarters of enrollment. Should a qualified 30 student withdraw from enrollment prior to completion of the 31 first semester or quarter for which the Merit Recognition 32 Scholarship is applicable, the student shall refund to the 33 Commission the amount of the scholarship received. 34 (i) The Commission shall administer the Merit HB0080 Enrolled -5- LRB9100386NTsbA 1 Recognition Scholarship program established by this Section 2 and shall make all necessary and proper rules, not 3 inconsistent with this Section, for its effective 4 implementation. 5 (j) When an appropriation to the Commission for purposes 6 of this Section is insufficient to provide scholarships to 7 all qualified students, the Commission shall allocate the 8 appropriation in accordance with this subsection (j). If 9 funds are insufficient to provide all qualified students with 10 a scholarship as authorized by subsection (g) of this 11 Section, the Commission shall allocate the scholarships to 12 qualified students in order of decreasing relative academic 13 rank, as determined by the Commission using a formula based 14 upon the qualified student's grade point average, score on 15 the appropriate statewide standardized examination, or a 16 combination of grade point average and standardized test 17 score. All Merit Recognition Scholarships awarded shall be 18 in the amount of $1,000. 19 (k) The Commission, in determining the number of Merit 20 Recognition Scholarships to be offered pursuant to subsection 21 (j) of this Section, shall take into consideration past 22 experience with the rate of merit scholarship funds unclaimed 23 by qualified students. To the extent necessary to avoid an 24 over-commitment of funds, the Commission may allocate 25 scholarship funds on the basis of the date the Commission 26 receives a completed application form. 27 (110 ILCS 947/30 rep.) 28 Section 10. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act 29 is amended by repealing Section 30. 30 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 31 1, 2000.