98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
SB3307

 

Introduced 2/14/2014, by Sen. Chapin Rose

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
110 ILCS 947/25

    Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the State scholar program.


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A BILL FOR

 

SB3307LRB098 19693 NHT 54901 b

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

 

 

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1obtaining or providing the examination results shall be paid by
2the candidate to the agency designated by the Commission to
3provide the examination service. In the event that a candidate
4or candidates are unable to participate in the examination for
5financial reasons, the Commission may choose to pay the
6examination fee on the candidate's or candidates' behalf. Any
7notary fee which may also be required as part of the total
8application shall be paid by the applicant.
9    (e) The Commission shall award to each State Scholar a
10certificate or other suitable form of recognition. The decision
11to attend a non-qualified institution of higher learning shall
12not disqualify applicants who are otherwise fully qualified.
13    (f) Subject to appropriation, each State Scholar who
14enrolls or is enrolled in an institution of higher learning in
15this State shall also receive a one-time grant of $1,000 to be
16applied to tuition and mandatory fees and paid directly to the
17institution of higher learning. However, a student who has been
18awarded a Merit Recognition Scholarship under Section 31 of
19this Act may not be awarded a grant under this subsection (f),
20although he or she may still be designated a State Scholar.
21    (g) The Commission shall conduct a study detailing all of
22the 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
5the study conducted under this subsection (g) must be verified
6by that university.
7    On or before January 1, 2010, the Commission must submit a
8report to the General Assembly that contains the findings of
9the study conducted under this subsection (g) and the
10Commission's recommendations on how to make State universities
11more accessible to State Scholars.
12    (h) The Commission shall adopt all necessary and proper
13rules not inconsistent with this Section for its effective
14implementation.
15(Source: P.A. 95-715, eff. 1-1-09; 95-760, eff. 7-28-08;
1696-315, eff. 8-11-09; 96-328, eff. 8-11-09.)