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| Public Act 098-0314 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning higher 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 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | ||||
amended by changing Section 45 as follows:
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(110 ILCS 947/45)
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Sec. 45. Illinois National Guard and Naval Militia grant | ||||
program.
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(a) As used in this Section:
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"State controlled university or community college" means | ||||
those
institutions under the administration of the Chicago | ||||
State University Board
of Trustees, the Eastern Illinois | ||||
University Board of Trustees, the Governors
State University | ||||
Board of Trustees, the Illinois State University Board of
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Trustees, the Northeastern Illinois University Board of | ||||
Trustees, the Northern
Illinois University Board of Trustees, | ||||
the Western Illinois University Board of
Trustees, Southern | ||||
Illinois University
Board of Trustees, University of Illinois | ||||
Board of Trustees, or the Illinois
Community College Board.
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"Tuition and fees" shall not include expenses for any | ||||
sectarian
or denominational instruction, the construction or | ||||
maintenance of sectarian
or denominational facilities, or any | ||||
other sectarian or denominational
purposes or activity.
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"Fees" means matriculation, graduation, activity, term, or | ||
incidental fees.
Exemption shall not be granted from any other | ||
fees, including book rental,
service, laboratory, supply, and | ||
union building fees, hospital and medical
insurance fees, and | ||
any fees established for the operation and maintenance of
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buildings, the income of which is pledged to the payment of | ||
interest and
principal on bonds issued by the governing board | ||
of any university or community
college.
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(b) Any person who has served at least one
year in the
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Illinois National Guard or the Illinois Naval Militia and who | ||
possesses all necessary
entrance requirements shall, upon | ||
application and proper proof, be
awarded a grant to the | ||
State-controlled university or community
college of his or her | ||
choice, consisting of exemption from tuition and
fees for not | ||
more than the equivalent of 4 years of full-time enrollment, | ||
including summer terms,
in relation to his or her course of | ||
study at that State controlled
university or community college | ||
while he or she is a member of the Illinois
National Guard or | ||
the Illinois Naval Militia. Beginning with the 2013-2014 | ||
academic year, any person who has served over 10 years in the | ||
Illinois National Guard shall be awarded an additional grant to | ||
the State-controlled university or community college of his or | ||
her choice, consisting of an exemption from tuition and fees | ||
for not more than the equivalent of an additional 2 years of | ||
full-time enrollment, including summer terms. Except as | ||
otherwise provided in this Section, if the recipient of any | ||
grant awarded under this Section
ceases to be a member of the | ||
Illinois National Guard or the Illinois Naval Militia while | ||
enrolled in a
course of study under that grant, the grant shall | ||
be terminated as of the date
membership in the Illinois | ||
National Guard or the Illinois Naval Militia ended, and the | ||
recipient shall be
permitted to complete the school term in | ||
which he or she is then enrolled only
upon payment of tuition | ||
and other fees allocable to the part of the term then
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remaining.
If the recipient of a grant awarded under this | ||
Section ceases to be a member of the Illinois National Guard or | ||
the Illinois Naval Militia while enrolled in a course of study | ||
under that grant but (i) has served in the Illinois National | ||
Guard or the Illinois Naval Militia for at least 5 years and | ||
(ii) has served a cumulative total of at least 6 months of | ||
active duty, then that recipient shall continue to be eligible | ||
for a grant for one year after membership in the Illinois | ||
National Guard or the Illinois Naval Militia ended, provided | ||
that the recipient has not already received the exemption from | ||
tuition and fees for the equivalent of 4 years of full-time | ||
enrollment, including summer terms, under this Section. If the | ||
recipient of the grant fails to complete his or her
military
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service obligations or requirements for satisfactory | ||
participation, the
Department of Military Affairs shall | ||
require the recipient to repay the amount
of the grant | ||
received, prorated according to the fraction of the service
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obligation not completed, and, if applicable, reasonable | ||
collection fees. The
Department of Military Affairs may adopt | ||
rules relating to its
collection activities for repayment of | ||
the grant under this Section.
Unsatisfactory participation | ||
shall be defined by rules adopted
by the Department of Military | ||
Affairs. Repayments shall be deposited
in the National Guard | ||
and Naval Militia Grant Fund. The National Guard and Naval | ||
Militia Grant Fund is created as
a special fund in the State | ||
treasury. All money in the National Guard and Naval Militia
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Grant
Fund shall be used, subject to appropriation, by the | ||
Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the purposes of this | ||
Section.
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A grant awarded under this Section shall be considered an | ||
entitlement
which the State-controlled university or community | ||
college in which the
holder is enrolled shall honor without any | ||
condition other than the
holder's maintenance of minimum grade | ||
levels and a satisfactory student
loan repayment record | ||
pursuant to subsection (c) of Section 20 of this
Act.
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(c) Subject to a separate appropriation for such purposes, | ||
the
Commission may reimburse the State-controlled university | ||
or community
college for grants authorized by this Section.
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(Source: P.A. 93-838, eff. 7-30-04; 93-856, eff. 8-3-04; | ||
94-583, eff. 8-15-05; 94-1020, eff. 7-11-06.)
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Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||
becoming law.
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