State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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91_SB0324eng

 
SB324 Engrossed                                LRB9101870NTsb

 1        AN ACT to amend the Higher Education  Student  Assistance
 2    Act by changing Section 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 changing Section 30 as follows:

 7        (110 ILCS 947/30)
 8        Sec. 30.  Merit recognition scholarship program.
 9        (a)  As used in this Section:
10             "Eligible   applicant"  means  a  student  from  any
11        approved high school located in this State who is engaged
12        in a program that in due course will be completed by  the
13        end   of   the  academic  year  and  whose  7th  semester
14        cumulative high school grade point average is at or above
15        the 95th percentile of his or her high school class after
16        completion of 80% of a high school program of instruction
17        , or a student from any non-recognized high school  whose
18        cumulative  score  on  the ACT is at least 7 points above
19        the statewide average cumulative ACT score as  determined
20        by  the  State  Board  of  Education,  and  who by reason
21        thereof is entitled  to  apply  for  scholarships  to  be
22        awarded under this Section.
23             "Qualified  student"  means  a  person:  (i) of good
24        moral character who is a resident of  this  State  and  a
25        citizen  or permanent resident of the United States, (ii)
26        who,  as  an  eligible  applicant,  has  made  a   timely
27        application  for  a  merit  recognition scholarship under
28        this Section, (iii) who has  successfully  completed  the
29        program of instruction at any high school located in this
30        State, and (iv) who enrolls or is enrolled in a qualified
31        Illinois  institution  of  higher  learning  or a Service
 
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 1        Academy as an undergraduate student or cadet and has  not
 2        received a baccalaureate degree.
 3             "Merit   recognition  scholarship"  means  a  $1,000
 4        academic scholarship awarded under this Section during an
 5        academic year to a qualified student, without  regard  to
 6        financial   need,  as  a  scholarship  to  any  qualified
 7        Illinois institution of  higher  learning  or  a  Service
 8        Academy  in  which that student is or will be enrolled as
 9        an undergraduate student or cadet.
10             "Service Academy" means the U.S. Air Force  Academy,
11        the  U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the U.S. Military Academy,
12        or the U.S. Naval Academy.
13        (b)  In order to identify, encourage, promote, and reward
14    the distinguished academic achievement of students from every
15    high school located in this  State,  each  qualified  student
16    shall  be  awarded  a  merit  recognition  scholarship to any
17    qualified Illinois institution of higher learning or  to  any
18    Service Academy.
19        (c)  No  merit  recognition  scholarship  provided  for a
20    qualified student under this Section shall be  considered  in
21    evaluating  the  financial  situation  of that student, or be
22    deemed a financial resource of or a form of financial aid  or
23    assistance  to  that student, for purposes of determining the
24    eligibility of the student for  any  scholarship,  grant,  or
25    monetary  assistance  awarded by the Commission, the State or
26    any agency thereof pursuant to the provisions  of  any  other
27    Section of this Act or any other law of this State; nor shall
28    any  merit  recognition  scholarship provided for a qualified
29    student  under  this  Section  reduce  the  amount   of   any
30    scholarship, grant, or monetary assistance which that student
31    is  eligible  to  be awarded by the Commission, the State, or
32    any agency thereof in accordance with the provisions  of  any
33    other Section of this Act or any other law of this State.
34        (d)  Each high school located in this State shall certify
 
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 1    to  the Commission the names of its students who are eligible
 2    applicants, specifying which of  the  students  certified  as
 3    eligible applicants have completed the program of instruction
 4    at  that  high school and the graduation date fixed for their
 5    high school class, and  specifying  for  each  of  the  other
 6    eligible  applicants  whose names appear on the certification
 7    the semester of high school  last  completed  by  them.   The
 8    Commission shall promptly notify those eligible applicants so
 9    certified  who  are  reasonably  assured of receiving a Merit
10    Recognition Scholarship in accordance with the annual funding
11    levels recommended in the Governor's Budget -- other than any
12    eligible applicant named on any such certification who, as an
13    eligible applicant, has previously made  application  to  the
14    Commission  for  a  merit  recognition scholarship under this
15    Section -- of their eligibility to apply  for  a  scholarship
16    under this Section. An otherwise eligible applicant who fails
17    to   make   a   timely  application  (as  determined  by  the
18    Commission) for a merit recognition  scholarship  under  this
19    Section  shall  no longer be deemed an eligible applicant and
20    shall not qualify for the  award  of  any  merit  recognition
21    scholarship.
22        (e)  All  applications for merit recognition scholarships
23    to be awarded  under  this  Section  shall  be  made  to  the
24    Commission  on  forms  which the Commission shall provide for
25    eligible  applicants.   The  form  of  applications  and  the
26    information  required  to  be  set  forth  therein  shall  be
27    determined  by  the  Commission,  and  the  Commission  shall
28    require eligible applicants to submit with their applications
29    such  supporting  documents   or   recommendations   as   the
30    Commission deems necessary.
31        (f)  Whenever an eligible applicant who has completed the
32    program  of  instruction  at  any high school located in this
33    State thereafter makes timely application to  the  Commission
34    for  a  merit recognition scholarship under this Section, the
 
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 1    Commission shall promptly  determine  whether  that  eligible
 2    applicant is a qualified student as defined in subsection (a)
 3    of  this Section.  Each such eligible applicant so determined
 4    by  the  Commission  to  be  a  qualified  student  shall  be
 5    designated as such by the Commission and shall be  awarded  a
 6    merit  recognition  scholarship  in  the  amount  of  $1,000,
 7    effective  during  the  academic year following the qualified
 8    student's high  school  graduation  or,  should  the  General
 9    Assembly  specifically  so  provide in an appropriation under
10    this Section, effective for a subsequent academic year.
11        (g)  Subject to a separate appropriation for purposes  of
12    this  Section,  payment  of any merit recognition scholarship
13    awarded  under  this  Section  shall  be  determined  by  the
14    Commission.  All scholarship funds distributed in  accordance
15    with  this subsection shall be paid to the qualified Illinois
16    institution of higher learning or Service  Academy  and  used
17    only  for payment of the educational expenses incurred by the
18    student in connection  with  his  or  her  attendance  as  an
19    undergraduate student or cadet at that institution or Service
20    Academy,  including but not limited to tuition and fees, room
21    and board,  books  and  supplies,  required  Service  Academy
22    uniforms,  and  travel  and  personal expenses related to the
23    student's attendance at that institution or Service  Academy.
24    Any  merit recognition scholarship awarded under this Section
25    shall  be  applicable  to  2  semesters  or  3  quarters   of
26    enrollment.   Should   a   qualified  student  withdraw  from
27    enrollment prior to completion of  the  first    semester  or
28    quarter  for  which  the  merit  recognition  scholarship  is
29    applicable,  the  student shall refund to  the Commission the
30    full amount of the merit recognition scholarship.
31        (h)  The   Commission   shall   administer   the    merit
32    recognition  scholarship  aid  program  established  by  this
33    Section  and  shall  make all necessary and proper rules, not
34    inconsistent   with   this   Section,   for   its   effective
 
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 1    implementation.
 2        (i)  When an appropriation to the Commission for purposes
 3    of this Section is insufficient to  provide  scholarships  to
 4    all  qualified  students,  the  Commission shall allocate the
 5    appropriation in accordance with this subsection.   If  funds
 6    are  insufficient  to  provide  all qualified students with a
 7    scholarship as authorized by subsection (f),  the  Commission
 8    shall  allocate  the  scholarships  to  qualified students in
 9    order of decreasing percentile as determined by the  eligible
10    applicant's  cumulative grade point  average, except that the
11    percentile   placement    of    qualified    students    from
12    non-recognized  high  schools shall be determined as follows:
13    those with a cumulative ACT score of 34 or above shall be  in
14    the  99th  percentile, those with a cumulative ACT score that
15    is at least 33  but  less  than  34  shall  be  in  the  98th
16    percentile,  those  with  a  cumulative  ACT score that is at
17    least 32 but less than 33 shall be in  the  97th  percentile,
18    those  with  a  cumulative  ACT score that is at least 31 but
19    less than 32 shall be in the 96th percentile, and those  with
20    a  cumulative  ACT  score that is at least 7 points above the
21    statewide average cumulative ACT score but less than 31 shall
22    be  in  the  95th  percentile.      All   merit   recognition
23    scholarships shall be in the amount of $1,000.
24        (j)  The   Commission,   in  determining  the  number  of
25    scholarships to be offered pursuant to subsection (i),  shall
26    take  into  consideration  past  experience  with the rate of
27    scholarship funds unclaimed by qualified  students.   To  the
28    extent  necessary  to  avoid  an overcommitment of funds, the
29    Commission may allocate scholarship funds on the basis of the
30    date the Commission receives a complete application form.
31        (k)  (Blank).
32    (Source: P.A. 90-372, eff. 7-1-98; 90-728, eff. 1-1-99.)

33        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect  July
 
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 1    1, 1999.

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