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| Public Act 103-0519 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning education.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 1. This Act may be referred to as the Illinois | ||||
Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Law. | ||||
Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding | ||||
Section 5.990 as follows: | ||||
(30 ILCS 105/5.990 new) | ||||
Sec. 5.990. The Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce | ||||
(iGROW) Tech Scholarship Fund. | ||||
Section 10. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | ||||
amended by adding Section 65.120 as follows: | ||||
(110 ILCS 947/65.120 new) | ||||
Sec. 65.120. IGROW Tech Scholarship Program. | ||||
(a) As used in this Section: | ||||
"Eligible applicant" means a student who has graduated | ||||
from high school or has received a State of Illinois High | ||||
School Diploma, who has maintained a cumulative grade point | ||||
average of no less than 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, who is pursuing or | ||||
intends to pursue a qualifying degree in a qualified | ||||
institution, and who is entitled to apply for assistance under | ||
this Section. | ||
"Full-time" means the number of credit hours the | ||
Commission determines is full-time enrollment for a student | ||
for purposes of the program created under this Section. | ||
"Minority student" has the same meaning as the term is | ||
defined under Section 50 of the Higher Education Student | ||
Assistance Act (110 ILCS 947). | ||
"Program" means the iGROW Tech Scholarship Program created | ||
under this Section. | ||
"Qualifying degree" means an associate or a bachelor's | ||
degree granted by a qualified institution in the field of | ||
computer information sciences; information technology; | ||
information science; computer science; computer systems | ||
networking and telecommunications; computer and information | ||
systems security or information assurance, including | ||
cybersecurity; or management information systems. | ||
"Qualifying job" means a job with an employer in this | ||
State performing work that is directly related to the field of | ||
study that qualified the candidate for assistance under this | ||
Section. | ||
"Qualified student" means a person (i) who is a resident | ||
of this State; (ii) who, as an eligible applicant, has made a | ||
timely application for an iGROW tech scholarship under this | ||
Section; (iii) who is enrolled on at least a half-time basis at | ||
a qualified institution; (iv) who is enrolled in a course of | ||
study in the field of computer and information sciences; | ||
information technology; information science; computer science; | ||
computer systems networking and telecommunications; computer | ||
and information systems security or information assurance, | ||
including cybersecurity; or management information systems; | ||
(v) who maintains a grade point average of no less than a 2.5 | ||
on a 4.0 scale; and (vi) who continues to advance | ||
satisfactorily toward the attainment of a degree. | ||
"Recipient" means an Illinois resident enrolled in a | ||
qualified institution who receives an award under this | ||
Section. | ||
(b) Subject to appropriation, and no sooner than the | ||
2024-2025 academic year, there is established the Illinois | ||
Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Scholarship | ||
Program to recruit and train individuals to work in technology | ||
jobs that have a high demand for new employees and offer high | ||
wages by awarding scholarships. | ||
(c) Each iGROW tech scholarship awarded under this Section | ||
shall be determined by the Commission in an amount up to and | ||
including the full costs of tuition and fees and room and board | ||
of the qualified institution at which the recipient is | ||
enrolled if the institution is public, or an equivalent rate | ||
established by the Commission for private institutions. The | ||
total amount of iGROW tech scholarship assistance awarded by | ||
the Commission under this Section to an eligible applicant in | ||
any given fiscal year, when added to other financial | ||
assistance awarded to that individual for that year, shall not | ||
exceed the cost of attendance at the institution at which the | ||
student is enrolled. If the amount of financial assistance to | ||
be awarded to a qualified student exceeds the cost of | ||
attendance at the institution at which the student is | ||
enrolled, the iGROW tech scholarship shall be reduced by an | ||
amount equal to the amount by which the combined financial | ||
assistance available to the student exceeds the cost of | ||
attendance. | ||
(d) The maximum number of academic terms for which a | ||
qualified student can receive iGROW tech scholarship | ||
assistance shall be 8 semesters or 12 quarters. | ||
(e) All applications for scholarships awarded under this | ||
Section shall be made to the Commission on forms which the | ||
Commission shall provide for eligible applicants. The form of | ||
applications and the information required to be set forth | ||
therein shall be determined by the Commission, and the | ||
Commission shall require eligible applicants to submit with | ||
their applications such supporting documents or | ||
recommendations as the Commission deems necessary. | ||
(f) Subject to appropriation for such purposes, payment of | ||
any iGROW tech scholarship awarded under this Section shall be | ||
determined by the Commission. All scholarship funds | ||
distributed in accordance with this subsection shall be paid | ||
to the qualified institution and used only for payment of the | ||
tuition and fees assessed by the institution and the standard | ||
housing and food allowance used for all undergraduate students | ||
by the qualified student in connection with his or her | ||
attendance at a qualified institution. | ||
Any iGROW tech scholarship awarded under this Section | ||
shall be applicable to 2 semesters or 3 quarters of enrollment | ||
annually. The qualified institution can only request payment | ||
for tuition and fees up to the amount of actual tuition and fee | ||
expenses incurred. | ||
If a student withdraws after the expiration of the tuition | ||
refund or withdrawal adjustment period, the student may | ||
receive payment for tuition and fees incurred up to the term | ||
award. The housing and food allowance shall be prorated based | ||
on the qualified institution's return of funds policy. | ||
(g) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any | ||
academic year, each recipient of an iGROW tech scholarship | ||
awarded under this Section shall be required by the Commission | ||
to sign an agreement under which the recipient pledges that | ||
the recipient (i) shall work in the State in a qualified job | ||
for a period of not less than one year for each year of | ||
scholarship assistance he or she was awarded under this | ||
Section; however, in no event shall he or she agree to work in | ||
the State in a qualified job for a period of less than 2 years; | ||
and (ii) shall, upon request by the Commission, provide the | ||
Commission with evidence that he or she is fulfilling or has | ||
fulfilled the terms of the agreement provided for in this | ||
subsection. | ||
If a recipient of an iGROW tech scholarship awarded under | ||
this Section fails to fulfill the obligations set forth in | ||
this subsection, the Commission shall require the recipient to | ||
repay the amount of the scholarships received, prorated | ||
according to the fraction of the employment obligation not | ||
completed, at a rate of interest equal to 5%, and, if | ||
applicable, reasonable collection fees. The Commission is | ||
authorized to establish rules relating to its collection | ||
activities for repayment of scholarships under this Section. | ||
All repayments collected under this Section shall be forwarded | ||
to the State Comptroller for deposit into the State's General | ||
Revenue Fund. | ||
A recipient of an iGROW tech scholarship shall not be | ||
considered in violation of the agreement entered into pursuant | ||
to this subsection if the recipient (I) enrolls on a full-time | ||
basis as a graduate student in a course of study related to the | ||
technology degree for which he or she qualified for the iGROW | ||
tech scholarship at a qualified institution; (II) is serving, | ||
not in excess of 3 years, as a member of the armed services of | ||
the United States; (III) is a person with a temporary total | ||
disability for a period of time not to exceed 3 years as | ||
established by sworn affidavit of a qualified physician; (IV) | ||
is seeking and unable to find full-time employment with a | ||
State employer that satisfies the criteria set forth in this | ||
subsection and is able to provide evidence of that fact; (V) | ||
becomes a person with a permanent total disability as | ||
established by sworn affidavit of a qualified physician; or | ||
(VI) meets any other criteria that the Commission may deem | ||
necessary. | ||
(h) Scholarship recipients under this Section who withdraw | ||
from a program of computer science or other related major area | ||
of study provided under this Section but remain enrolled in | ||
school to continue their postsecondary studies in another | ||
academic discipline shall not be required to commence | ||
repayment of their iGROW tech scholarship so long as they | ||
remain enrolled in school on a full-time basis or if they can | ||
document for the Commission special circumstances that warrant | ||
extension of repayment. | ||
(i) If the Program does not expend at least 90% of the | ||
amount appropriated for the Program in a given fiscal year for | ||
3 consecutive fiscal years on or before January 1 in each of | ||
those fiscal years, then up to 3% of amount appropriated for | ||
the Program for each of next 3 fiscal years shall be allocated | ||
to increasing awareness of the program. | ||
(j) The Commission shall administer the Program and shall | ||
make all necessary and proper rules not inconsistent with this | ||
Section for its effective implementation. | ||
(k) The Commission shall establish a methodology for | ||
prioritizing applications from applicants who demonstrate a | ||
financial need or hardship, applications from minority | ||
students, and applications from applicants demonstrating | ||
academic excellence. After the first academic year that the | ||
Program operates, the Commission shall prioritize the | ||
applications of those applicants who received a scholarship | ||
under this Section during the prior academic year and who | ||
remain eligible for a scholarship under this Section. | ||
(l) Each fiscal year, the Commission may use up to 5% of | ||
money appropriated for the Program for administration. | ||
(m) Scholarships may be made under this Section through | ||
the 2029-30 academic year. | ||
(n) The Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) | ||
Tech Scholarship Fund is created as a special fund in the State | ||
treasury. Moneys in the fund may come from both public | ||
entities and institutional, organizational, or other private | ||
entities. All money in the Fund shall be used, subject to | ||
appropriation, by the Commission to implement and administer | ||
the Program pursuant to this Section.
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Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January | ||
1, 2024. | ||