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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.
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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:
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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
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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.