HB0014 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB095 03774 NHT 23803 b

95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB0014

Introduced 1/19/2007, by Rep. Lou Lang

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Higher Education Scholarship Act. Allows scholarships to be awarded to entering freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors at community colleges, colleges, and universities, whether public or private, located in this State. Establishes Illinois residency requirements, minimum grade point average requirements, and other requirements that the student must meet to be eligible for a scholarship. Provides that the scholarship, subject to the amounts appropriated by the General Assembly, includes tuition and mandatory fees (in an amount not to exceed the maximum amount allowed to be awarded under the Monetary Award Program for a student at a private institution). Authorizes the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to promulgate rules relating to the scholarships. Effective July 1, 2007.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Higher Education Scholarship Act.

Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:

"Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.

"Eligible high school" means:

(1) a public high school located in Illinois;

(2) a private school located in Illinois where children are taught the branches of education taught to children of corresponding age and grade in public high schools in Illinois and which has been recognized by the Commission; or

(3) a public or private secondary school located in another state and accredited by one of the following regional agencies:

(A) The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

(B) The New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

(C) The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

(D) The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

(E) The Northwestern Association of Schools and Colleges.

(F) The Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

"Freshman student" means a student at an institution of higher education who has attempted less than 31 semester hours.

"Grade point average" means the numbered grade average calculated using a 4.0 scale.

"Institution of higher education" means a community college, college, or university, whether public or private, located in this State.

"Junior student" means a student at an institution of higher education who has attempted at least 61 semester hours but less than 91 semester hours.

"Mandatory fees" means fees approved by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission that are charged by an institution of higher education to every student enrolled in that institution of higher education, regardless of the student's program of study.

"Matriculated status" means being recognized as a student in a defined program of study leading to a degree at an institution of higher education.

"Scholarship" means the scholarship awarded under this Act.

"Semester hours" includes each semester hour attempted, whether remedial or for credit toward a degree, but shall not include any semester hour attempted before graduating from high school or earning a general educational development (GED) equivalency diploma.

"Senior student" means a student at an institution of higher education who has attempted at least 91 semester hours but less than 128 semester hours.

"Sophomore student" means a student at an institution of higher education who has attempted at least 31 semester hours but less than 61 semester hours.

"Title IV" means Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C.A. Sec. 1070, et seq.).

Section 10. Ineligibility for scholarship. A student is ineligible for a scholarship under this Act if the student:

(1) is not a United States citizen or a permanent resident alien who meets the definition of an eligible noncitizen under federal Title IV requirements;

(2) is in default on a federal Title IV educational loan or a State of Illinois educational loan, provided that a student who is otherwise eligible and has fully repaid the defaulted loan shall be eligible to obtain a scholarship for future academic terms but not retroactively;

(3) owes a refund on a federal Title IV student financial aid program or an Illinois student financial aid program, provided that a student who is otherwise eligible and has fully paid the refund owed shall be eligible to obtain a scholarship for future academic terms but not retroactively; or

(4) does not meet each qualification listed under Section 15, 20, 25, or 30 of this Act applicable to the student.

Section 15. Freshman eligibility for scholarship. To be eligible for a scholarship, an entering freshman student seeking a degree at an institution of higher education shall:

(1) meet residency requirements by meeting the requirements to be classified as a legal resident of Illinois as established by the program rules promulgated by the Commission, which shall be based upon the in-state tuition policy of the governing board of the institution of higher education in which the student is enrolled;

(2) meet achievement standards by having graduated from an eligible high school with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 while meeting the curriculum requirements of his or her program of study, or, in the case of a student who is otherwise qualified but did not graduate from an eligible high school, by earning a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 at an institution of higher education at the end of the semester in which the student has attempted 30 semester hours, provided that the student shall be eligible to receive a retroactive scholarship for the student's freshman year to be paid at the end of the freshman year; and

(3) meet enrollment standards by being admitted, enrolled, and classified as an undergraduate student in a matriculated status.

Section 20. Sophomore eligibility for scholarship. To be eligible for a scholarship, a sophomore student seeking a degree at an institution of higher education shall:

(1) meet residency requirements by meeting the requirements to be classified as a legal resident of Illinois as established by the program rules promulgated by the Commission, which shall be based upon the in-state tuition policy of the governing board of the institution of higher education in which the student is enrolled;

(2) meet achievement standards by meeting the following criteria:

(A) earning a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 at an institution of higher education at the end of the semester in which the student has attempted 30 semester hours; and

(B) maintaining satisfactory academic progress in a course of study in accordance with the standards and practices used for federal Title IV programs by the institution of higher education in which the student is enrolled; and

(3) meet enrollment standards by being admitted, enrolled, and classified as an undergraduate student in a matriculated status.

Section 25. Junior eligibility for scholarship. To be eligible for a scholarship, a junior student seeking a degree at an institution of higher education shall:

(1) meet residency requirements by meeting the requirements to be classified as a legal resident of Illinois as established by the program rules promulgated by the Commission, which shall be based upon the in-state tuition policy of the governing board of the institution of higher education in which the student is enrolled;

(2) meet achievement standards by meeting the following criteria:

(A) earning a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 at an institution of higher education at the end of the semester in which the student has attempted 60 semester hours; and

(B) maintaining satisfactory academic progress in a course of study in accordance with the standards and practices used for federal Title IV programs by the institution of higher education in which the student is enrolled; and

(3) meet enrollment standards by being admitted, enrolled, and classified as an undergraduate student in a matriculated status.

Section 30. Senior eligibility for scholarship. To be eligible for a scholarship, a senior student seeking a degree at an institution of higher education shall:

(1) meet residency requirements by meeting the requirements to be classified as a legal resident of Illinois as established by the program rules promulgated by the Commission, which shall be based upon the in-state tuition policy of the governing board of the institution of higher education in which the student is enrolled;

(2) meet achievement standards by meeting the following criteria:

(A) meeting all achievement standards for scholarship eligibility in his or her junior year;

(B) earning a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 at an institution of higher education at the end of the semester in which the student has attempted 90 semester hours; and

(C) maintaining satisfactory academic progress in a course of study in accordance with the standards and practices used for federal Title IV programs by the institution of higher education in which the student is enrolled; and

(3) meet enrollment standards by being admitted, enrolled, and classified as an undergraduate student in a matriculated status.

Section 35. Cessation of eligibility.

(a) A student who fails to maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 at the end of the semester in which the student has attempted 30 semester hours may attend the next 30 semester hours without a scholarship. An otherwise eligible student who regains a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 at the end of the semester in which the student has attempted 60 semester hours may requalify for a scholarship.

(b) For students eligible for a scholarship under this Act, no minimum number of hours of enrollment is required.

(c) Except as set out in subsection (d) of this Section, a student may receive the scholarship until the first of these events:

(1) the student has earned a baccalaureate degree; or

(2) the student has attempted at any institution of higher education a total of 127 semester hours.

(d) A student enrolled in an undergraduate degree program designed to be more than 127 semester hours in length is eligible to receive the scholarship for the lesser of:

(1) a total of 150 attempted semester hours; or

(2) the number of hours required for graduation if the student has a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 after the semester in which the student attempted 127 semester hours.

Section 37. Condition for receipt of scholarship. As a condition for receiving a scholarship under this Act, a student must certify that he or she has applied for other federal and State grants.

Section 40. Scholarship amount. Subject to the amounts appropriated by the General Assembly, a scholarship awarded under this Act shall include (i) for a public institution of higher education, tuition and approved mandatory fees or (ii) for a private institution of higher education, tuition and approved mandatory fees in an amount not to exceed the maximum amount allowed to be awarded each academic year under Section 35 of the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. However, a scholarship may be applied only to tuition and mandatory fees not covered by any federal grant.

Section 990. Rules. The Commission is authorized to promulgate rules not inconsistent with this Act relating to scholarships described in this Act.

Section 995. Funding. The funding for the scholarships described in this Act shall be subject to annual appropriations enacted by the General Assembly, which shall establish the total amount of funding for these scholarships.

Section 999. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2007.