State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

   [ Search ]   [ Legislation ]
[ Home ]   [ Back ]   [ Bottom ]



91_HB2090

 
                                               LRB9103045NTsb

 1        AN   ACT   to   establish   the  College  Level  Illinois
 2    Merit-Based Scholarship Program.

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

 5        Section  1.  Short  title.   This Act may be cited as the
 6    College Level Illinois Merit-Based Scholarship Act.

 7        Section 5.  Creation of program.   The  Illinois  College
 8    Level  Merit-Based Scholarship Program (hereinafter sometimes
 9    referred to as the "CLIMB  Scholarship  Program")  is  hereby
10    created  under which scholarships are to be awarded annually,
11    beginning with the 2000-2001 academic year.

12        Section 10.  Definitions.  In this Act:
13        "Regular undergraduate program" means an academic program
14    of study in a public institution of higher  education  at  or
15    below   the   baccalaureate   level   leading  to  either  an
16    associate's degree or bachelor's degree.
17        "Public institution of higher education" has the  meaning
18    ascribed  to  that  term  in Section 1 of the Board of Higher
19    Education Act.

20        Section   15.  Program   administration.     The    CLIMB
21    Scholarship  Program  shall  be  administered by the Illinois
22    Student Assistance  Commission,  which  shall  publicize  the
23    availability   of   scholarships   under  the  program.   All
24    applications for scholarships to be awarded  under  this  Act
25    shall  be  made to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission
26    in  a  form  prescribed  by  the  Commission,  and  shall  be
27    accompanied by such supporting documents  as  the  Commission
28    requires   to   determine   the  scholarship  eligibility  of
29    applicants.
 
                            -2-                LRB9103045NTsb
 1        Section 20.  Scholarship eligibility.  Each recipient  of
 2    a CLIMB  Scholarship shall:
 3             (1)  be a resident of the State who graduates from a
 4        high school located in the State;
 5             (2)  possess   a  cumulative  grade  point  average,
 6        computed after the first semester of his  or  her  senior
 7        year  in  high school, of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or
 8        its equivalent, in core academic  curriculum  classes  in
 9        English,  Mathematics,  Science,  and  Social Studies, as
10        calculated and indicated on  the  recipient's  transcript
11        from a high school located in this State;
12             (3)  apply   for   such  State  and  federal  higher
13        education student financial assistance  as  the  Illinois
14        Student  Assistance  Commission  may  by rule require for
15        persons applying for scholarships under this Act;
16             (4)  be accepted  for  admission  into  the  regular
17        undergraduate  program  of a public institution of higher
18        education;
19             (5)  enroll   as   a    full-time    or    part-time
20        undergraduate  student  at a public institution of higher
21        education within one  year  of  graduating  from  a  high
22        school  located  in  this  State  or,  failing  to do so,
23        provide evidence satisfactory  to  the  Illinois  Student
24        Assistance Commission of extenuating circumstances; and
25             (6)  while  enrolled  as  a  full-time  or part-time
26        undergraduate student at a public institution  of  higher
27        education, meet the criteria established by Section 25.

28        Section  25.   Scholarship terms.  A recipient of a CLIMB
29    Scholarship may hold the award for 2 academic  years  (for  a
30    recipient  using  the  award  at  a  public community college
31    located in this State) or 4 academic years (for  a  recipient
32    using  the  award at a public institution of higher education
33    other than a public community college) if the recipient:
 
                            -3-                LRB9103045NTsb
 1             (1)  continues to be a resident of this State;
 2             (2)  continues  to  be  a  full-time  or   part-time
 3        student  at  a public institution of higher education, as
 4        such full-time or part-time status  is  determined  under
 5        rules  that  the  Illinois  Student Assistance Commission
 6        promulgates for purposes of this Act;
 7             (3)  upon completion  of  the  recipient's  freshman
 8        year, has achieved a cumulative grade point average of at
 9        least  3.0  on  a  4.0  scale  and maintains this minimum
10        cumulative grade point average throughout  the  remainder
11        of the award; and
12             (4)  in  the  judgment  of the public institution of
13        higher education in which the recipient is  enrolled,  is
14        taking  courses  that  constitute requirements for and is
15        making satisfactory progress toward an associate's degree
16        (in the case of a recipient who is enrolled in  a  public
17        community  college located in this State) or a bachelor's
18        degree (in the case of a recipient who is enrolled  at  a
19        public  institution  of  higher  education  other  than a
20        public community college).
21        Notwithstanding the forgoing provisions of this  Section,
22    the  recipient  of a CLIMB Scholarship whose cumulative grade
23    point average is less than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale at the  end  of
24    his  or  her  freshman  year  or at the end of any subsequent
25    semester or quarter  shall  no  longer  qualify  to  continue
26    receiving  the  award  for  the  ensuing  or  any  subsequent
27    semester  or  quarter;  except that he or she may reapply for
28    the unused portion of his or her original  CLIMB  Scholarship
29    following the completion of the next semester or quarter when
30    his  or  her  cumulative  grade  point average has risen to a
31    level of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

32        Section 30.  Scholarship amount.  If the recipient  of  a
33    CLIMB  Scholarship  does  not qualify to receive any State or
 
                            -4-                LRB9103045NTsb
 1    federal financial assistance for which he or she is  required
 2    to  apply  as  provided  in  paragraph (3) of Section 20, the
 3    amount of the recipient's award for the academic  year  shall
 4    be  equal  to  the  cost  of tuition and mandatory fees for a
 5    full-time undergraduate student (or shall not exceed one-half
 6    that cost for  a  part-time  undergraduate  student)  at  the
 7    public   institution   of   higher  education  at  which  the
 8    scholarship recipient enrolls for that academic year.  If the
 9    recipient  qualifies  to  receive  other  State  or   federal
10    financial  assistance  for  that academic year, the amount of
11    the recipient's CLIMB Scholarship  award  for  that  academic
12    year  shall  be  reduced  by an amount equal to the amount of
13    such other State and  federal  financial  assistance  as  the
14    recipient is to receive for that academic year.

15        Section  35.   Payment  of  scholarships.   Subject  to a
16    separate  appropriation  made  for  purposes  of  this   Act,
17    scholarship  awards  shall  be  paid  and  distributed by the
18    Illinois Student  Assistance  Commission  through  electronic
19    transfer   directly  to  the  public  institution  of  higher
20    education  at  which  the  scholarship  is  to  be  used,  in
21    accordance with such rules as the Commission shall promulgate
22    to  administer  the  provisions  of  the  CLIMB   Scholarship
23    Program.

24        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect July
25    1, 2000.

[ Top ]