SB1331 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 07500 LNS 17544 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB1331

Introduced 1/28/2025, by Sen. Doris Turner

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Scholarship Accessibility Act. Establishes the Illinois Scholarship Database, to be developed, implemented, and administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, as a utility to improve Illinois students' access to higher education scholarships, as well as to improve their knowledge of scholarships. Provides that to inform students and their parents on what scholarships are and how they are attained and maintained: (1) beginning in the 7th grade, a public school shall inform students of the Database and shall require them to create an account with the Database; (2) the account shall be created jointly by the student and the parent; and (3) both the student and the parent shall have access to the account and the ability to manage activity on the account. Provides that the Database shall allow the student to have and the student is required to complete a profile that: (1) presents a portfolio of the student and who the student is and the student's current year of enrollment; and (2) lists any criminal charge that requires the student to be a part of a registry for a crime the student has committed, unless the student is legally protected under law or court order or another exigent circumstance. Requires the Database to include and display a comprehensive list of scholarships. Allows students 18 or older to be able to create an account with and have access to the Database.

STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT 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 Scholarship Accessibility Act.

Section 5. Illinois Scholarship Database.

(a) The Illinois Scholarship Database is established. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall develop, implement, and administer the Database.

(b) The Database shall be both a website and an application so that the Database is publicly accessible and easy to use.

(c) The purpose of the Database is to be a utility to improve Illinois students' access to higher education scholarships, as well as to improve their knowledge of scholarships.

(d) To inform students and their parents on what scholarships are and how they are attained and maintained, all of the following apply:

(1) Beginning in the 7th grade, a public school shall inform students of the Database and shall require them to create an account with the Database. The account may not be under any administrative body that has access to or the ability to terminate the email used to register for the account.

(2) To help consistently keep parents informed of the importance of scholarships and financial aid, the account shall be created jointly by the student and the parent, with a clear indication of which user is the student and which user is the parent.

(3) Both the student and the parent shall have access to the account and the ability to manage activity on the account.

(e) The Database shall allow the student to have and the student is required to complete a profile that does both of the following:

(1) Presents a portfolio of the student and who the student is and the student's current year of enrollment. This requirement shall be a part of the account-creation process and may not be different for students of different ages.

(2) Lists any criminal charge that requires the student to be a part of a registry for a crime the student has committed, unless the student is legally protected under law or court order or another exigent circumstance. This paragraph (2) does not apply to a student until the student has finished high school. This paragraph (2) does apply to a student who is considered to have failed high school.

Section 10. Database contents.

(a) The Database shall include and display a comprehensive list of scholarships as follows:

(1) Entities or persons that offer higher education scholarships shall be allowed to add their scholarships and the requirements for those scholarships to the Database if the requirements do not:

(A) offer a scholarship opportunity only at particular higher education institutions without being completely transparent as to which higher education institutions the scholarship opportunity is offered at;

(B) offer a scholarship opportunity without showing all of the requirements to obtain the scholarship opportunity; or

(C) have troublesome or absurd requirements that are not appropriate for higher education institutions.

(2) More widely known scholarships from anywhere in the country may be displayed if they are accessible to students in this State.

(b) The Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall be responsible for funding scholarship workshops that can be viewed by all students and other events decided upon by the Commission to help inform students and parents and make them aware of scholarships.

Section 15. Adult student access.

(a) Students 18 years of age or older shall also be able to create an account with and have access to the Database. These students shall be able to maintain an account without the requirement of having a parent have access to the account. A student who created an account prior to turning 18 may remove the student's parent from the account after reaching the age of 18.

(b) The requirements of subsection (e) of Section 5 shall apply to an account created by a student 18 years of age or older.

(c) The Database shall remain accessible to any student who uses it, regardless of age.