Public Act 094-0108
 		





SB0463 Enrolled
LRB094 09484 NHT 39735 b






    AN ACT regarding education. 

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

 
    Section  5. The School Code is amended by changing
Section 
3-15.12 as follows:


 
    (105 ILCS 5/3-15.12)  (from Ch. 122, par. 3-15.12)

    Sec. 3-15.12. High school equivalency testing program.   The 
regional
superintendent of schools shall make available for 
qualified individuals
residing within the region a High School 
Equivalency Testing Program.
For that purpose the regional 
superintendent alone or with other
regional superintendents 
may establish and supervise a testing center or
centers to 
administer the secure forms of the high school level Test of

General Educational Development to qualified persons.  Such 
centers
shall be under the supervision of the regional 
superintendent in whose
region such centers are located, 
subject to the approval
of the
President of the Illinois 
Community College Board
State Superintendent of Education.


    An individual is eligible to apply to the regional 
superintendent of schools
for the region in which he resides if 
he is: (a) a person who is 18 years
of age or older, has 
maintained residence in the State of Illinois and is
not a high 
school graduate, but whose high school class has graduated; (b)

a member of the armed forces of the United States on active 
duty who is 17
years of age or older and who is stationed in 
Illinois or is a legal resident
of Illinois; (c) a ward of the 
Department of Corrections who is 17 years of age
or older or an 
inmate confined in any branch of the Illinois State 
Penitentiary
or in a county correctional facility who is 17 
years of age or older; (d) a
female who is 17 years of age or 
older who is unable to attend school because
she is either 
pregnant or the mother of one or more children; (e) a male 17

years of age or older who is unable to attend school because he 
is a father of
one or more children; (f) a person who is 
successfully completing an
alternative education program under 
Section 2-3.81, Article 13A,
or Article 13B; (g) a
person who 
is
enrolled in a youth education program sponsored by the 
Illinois National
Guard; or (h) a person who is 17 years of age 
or older who has been a dropout
for a period of at least one 
year.
For purposes of this Section, residence is that abode 
which the applicant
considers his home. Applicants may provide 
as sufficient proof of such
residence a picture identification 
card and two pieces of correctly addressed
and postmarked mail. 
Such regional superintendent shall determine if the
applicant 
meets statutory and regulatory state standards.  If qualified 
the
applicant shall at the time of such application pay a fee 
established by the
Illinois Community College Board
State Board 
of Education, which fee shall be paid into a special
fund
under 
the control and supervision of the regional superintendent.  
Such moneys
received by the regional superintendent shall be 
used, first, for the
expenses incurred
in administering and 
scoring the examination, and next for other educational

programs that are developed and designed by the regional 
superintendent of
schools to assist those who successfully 
complete the high school level test of
General Education 
Development in furthering their academic development or
their 
ability to secure and retain gainful employment, including 
programs for
the competitive award based on test scores of 
college or adult education
scholarship grants or similar 
educational incentives.  Any excess moneys shall
be paid into 
the institute fund.


    Any applicant who has achieved the minimum passing 
standards as
established by the
Illinois Community College 
Board
State Board of Education shall be
notified in writing by 
the regional superintendent and shall be
issued a high school 
equivalency certificate on the forms provided by the
Illinois 
Community College Board
State Superintendent of Education.  The 
regional superintendent shall
then certify to the Illinois 
Community College Board
Office of the State Superintendent of 
Education
the score of the applicant and such other and 
additional information
that may be required by the Illinois 
Community College Board
State Superintendent of Education.  The

moneys received therefrom shall be used in the same manner as 
provided
for in this Section.


    Any applicant who has attained the age of 18 years and 
maintained
residence in the State of Illinois and is not a high 
school graduate but
whose high school class has graduated,
or

any ward of the Department of
Corrections who has attained the 
age of 17 years, any inmate confined in any
branch of the 
Illinois State Penitentiary or in a county correctional 
facility
who has attained the age of 17 years, or any member of 
the armed forces of the
United States on active duty who has 
attained the age of 17 years and who is
stationed in Illinois 
or is a legal resident of Illinois, or any female who has

attained the age of 17 years and is either pregnant or the 
mother of one or
more children, or any male who has attained 
the age of 17 years and is the
father of one or more children, 
or any person who has successfully completed
an
alternative 
education program under Section 2-3.81,
Article 13A, or Article 
13B and meets
the requirements prescribed by the
 State Board of 
Education, is eligible to apply for a high school equivalency

certificate (if he or she meets the requirements prescribed by 
the Illinois Community College Board) upon showing evidence 
that he or she has completed, successfully, the high
school 
level General Educational Development Tests, administered by 
the United
States Armed Forces Institute, official GED Centers 
established in other
states, or at Veterans' Administration 
Hospitals or the office of the State
Superintendent of 
Education administered for the Illinois State Penitentiary

System and the Department of Corrections.  Such applicant shall 
apply to the
regional superintendent of the region wherein he 
has maintained residence, and
upon payment of a fee established 
by the Illinois Community College Board
State Board of 
Education
the regional superintendent shall issue a high school

equivalency certificate, and immediately thereafter certify to 
the Illinois Community College Board
State
Superintendent of 
Education the score of the applicant and such other and

additional information as may be required by the Illinois 
Community College Board
State Superintendent of
Education.


    Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, any 
applicant who has
been out of school for at least one year may 
request the regional
superintendent of schools to administer 
the restricted GED test upon
written request of: The director 
of a program who certifies to the Chief
Examiner of an official 
GED center that the applicant has completed a
program of 
instruction provided by such agencies as the Job Corps, the

Postal Service Academy or apprenticeship training program; an 
employer
or program director for purposes of entry into 
apprenticeship programs;
another State Department of Education 
in order to meet regulations
established by that Department of 
Education, a post high school
educational institution for 
purposes of admission, the Department of
Professional 
Regulation for licensing purposes, or the Armed Forces
for 
induction purposes.  The regional superintendent shall 
administer
such test and the applicant shall be notified in 
writing that he is
eligible to receive the Illinois High School 
Equivalency Certificate
upon reaching age 18, provided he meets 
the standards established by the Illinois Community College 
Board
State Board of Education.


    Any test administered under this Section to an applicant 
who does not
speak and understand English may at the discretion 
of the administering
agency be given and answered in any 
language in which the test is
printed. The regional 
superintendent of schools may waive any fees required
by this 
Section in case of hardship.


    In counties of over 3,000,000 population a GED certificate

issued on or after July 1,
1994 shall contain the signatures of 
the President of the Illinois Community College Board
State

Superintendent of Education, the superintendent, president or 
other chief
executive officer of the institution where GED 
instruction occurred and any
other signatures authorized by the 
Illinois Community College Board
State Superintendent of 
Education.


    The regional superintendent of schools shall furnish the 
Illinois
Community College Board with any information that the 
Illinois
Community College Board requests with regard to 
testing and certificates under this
Section.

(Source: P.A. 92-42, eff. 1-1-02.)


 
    Section 10. The Public Community College Act is amended by

adding Sections 2-21 and 2-22 as follows:


 
    (110 ILCS 805/2-21 new)

    Sec. 2-21. High school equivalency testing. On the 
effective date
of this amendatory Act of the 94th General 
Assembly, all powers and
duties of the State Board of Education 
and State Superintendent of
Education with regard to high 
school equivalency testing under the
School Code shall be 
transferred to the Illinois Community College
Board. Within a 
reasonable period of time after that date, all assets, 
liabilities, contracts, property, records, pending business, 
and unexpended appropriations of the State Board of Education 
with regard to high school equivalency testing shall be 
transferred to the Illinois Community College Board.  The 
Illinois Community College Board may adopt any rules
necessary 
to carry out its responsibilities under the School Code with

regard to high school equivalency testing. All rules, 
standards, and
procedures adopted by the State Board of 
Education under the
School Code with regard to high school 
equivalency testing shall
continue in effect as the rules, 
standards, and procedures of the
Illinois Community College 
Board, until they are modified by the
Illinois Community 
College Board.

 
    (110 ILCS 805/2-22 new)

    Sec. 2-22. High school equivalency certificates. On the 
effective date
of this amendatory Act of the 94th General 
Assembly, all powers and
duties of the State Board of Education 
and State Superintendent of
Education with regard to high 
school equivalency certificates under the
School Code shall be 
transferred to the Illinois Community College
Board. Within a 
reasonable period of time after that date, all assets, 
liabilities, contracts, property, records, pending business, 
and unexpended appropriations of the State Board of Education 
with regard to high school equivalency certificates shall be 
transferred to the Illinois Community College Board. The 
Illinois Community College Board may adopt any rules
necessary 
to carry  out its responsibilities under the School Code with

regard to high school equivalency certificates and to carry 
into efficient and uniform effect the provisions for the 
issuance of high school equivalency certificates in this State. 
All rules, standards, and
procedures adopted by the State Board 
of Education under the
School Code with regard to high school 
equivalency certificates shall
continue in effect as the rules, 
standards, and procedures of the
Illinois Community College 
Board, until they are modified by the
Illinois Community 
College Board.
 

    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.34 rep.)  (from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.34)


    Section 15. The School Code is amended  by repealing Section 
2-3.34.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
becoming law.