State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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[ Introduced ][ House Amendment 001 ]

91_HB3981eng

 
HB3981 Engrossed                              LRB9111267NTksA

 1        AN  ACT  to amend the Higher Education Student Assistance
 2    Act by adding Section 65.57.

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

 5        Section  5.   The Higher Education Student Assistance Act
 6    is amended by adding Section 65.57 as follows:

 7        (110 ILCS 947/65.57 new)
 8        Sec. 65.57.  The Higher Education for Real  Opportunities
 9    Pilot Program.
10        (a)  In this Section:
11        "Accredited"  means that an institution of post-secondary
12    education is authorized to  do  business  as  an  educational
13    institution  in  this  State by the Board of Higher Education
14    and is eligible to  dispense  federal  and  State  need-based
15    student aid under the laws governing such aid.
16        "Institution   of   post-secondary  education"  means  an
17    accredited  school  or  program  that  provides   educational
18    services  and  offers  courses  of  study  that require, as a
19    prerequisite, that students have a high school diploma or  an
20    equivalency   certificate.   This  term  includes  accredited
21    community colleges, colleges,  universities,  and  vocational
22    training programs and institutions.
23        "Low-income"  means  that  a  person  is  a  member  of a
24    household of one or more related  individuals  in  which  the
25    monthly  income  of all adult members is such that the family
26    is income-eligible for a State subsidy for child care in  the
27    child  care  program  operated  by  the  Department  of Human
28    Services.
29        "Post-secondary  education"   means   education   at   an
30    institution of post-secondary education.
31        "Supporting  minor  children"  means  that  a  student is

 
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 1    either (i) the custodial parent of a minor child, as  defined
 2    by  State  law,  or  (ii)  the noncustodial parent of a minor
 3    child whose parentage is established under State law and  who
 4    is  making  current  monthly  child  support  payments to the
 5    extent required by a child support order.
 6        (b)  The Higher Education for  Real  Opportunities  Pilot
 7    Program  is hereby created.  The purpose of the program is to
 8    improve the ability of low-income adults who  are  supporting
 9    minor  children to acquire, through post-secondary education,
10    the  skills  necessary  to  qualify  for  higher  paying  job
11    opportunities.  In addition, this program  seeks  to  improve
12    the  ability  of  this  State  to produce workers with skills
13    needed by employers in the current economy.
14        (c)  The program shall  provide  grants  to  support  the
15    pursuit  of post-secondary education by low-income adults who
16    are  supporting  minor  children.  The   program   shall   be
17    administered  by  the  Commission  through  the financial aid
18    offices  of  participating  institutions  of   post-secondary
19    education.   The  Commission  shall  operate the program in 3
20    locations, one of which shall be in a city with a  population
21    of  more  than  1,000,000.   In each location, the Commission
22    shall  select  for  participation  in  the  program  (i)  one
23    accredited college or university and (ii) one or  more  other
24    accredited  institutions  of  post-secondary  education.  The
25    program  shall operate for 3 school years, beginning with the
26    fall term of 2000 and extending through the end of the spring
27    term of 2003.
28        (d)  Students who meet all of the  following  eligibility
29    requirements,  as  calculated and determined at the beginning
30    of each term by the financial aid office of the participating
31    institution  of  post-secondary  education  and  periodically
32    thereafter as  specified  by  the  Commission  by  rule,  are
33    eligible for grants under the program.
34             (1)  The   student   must  be  a  low-income  adult.
 
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 1        Current receipt of a child care subsidy under  the  child
 2        care program operated by the Department of Human Services
 3        shall  be  prima  facie  proof  that  the  student  is  a
 4        low-income  adult.  In other cases, financial eligibility
 5        shall be  determined  by  the  same  rules  used  by  the
 6        Department  of Human Services for determining eligibility
 7        for a child care subsidy.  No federal  or  State  student
 8        assistance  shall  count as income under this subdivision
 9        (1), except to the extent that the assistance  is  not  a
10        loan  and  is  available to the student to pay for living
11        expenses at the student's discretion.   For  purposes  of
12        this  subdivision (1), lump sum amounts made available to
13        students for living expenses during a school  term  shall
14        be  prorated  to  monthly  amounts  for the months of the
15        school term covered by the student assistance.
16             (2)  The student must be  supporting  at  least  one
17        minor child.
18             (3)  The  student  must  meet  the  work requirement
19        established  under  this  subdivision  (3),  unless   the
20        student  is  a  custodial  parent  who  is  attending  an
21        institution  of  post-secondary  education on a full time
22        basis.   Unless   the   institution   of   post-secondary
23        education defines the term otherwise, "full time" means a
24        course   load   of  at  least  12  credit  hours  or  the
25        equivalent.  The work requirement shall consist  of  paid
26        employment  or  self-employment.   College  work-study or
27        other paid campus employment  is  employment  under  this
28        subdivision  (3).   There  is no work requirement for the
29        first 24 months of a post-secondary  vocational  training
30        program.   In any additional months, the work requirement
31        is 20 hours per week.  The work requirement for 2-year or
32        4-year degree programs is 10 hours per week.   This  work
33        requirement  may  also  be  met with 20 hours per week of
34        unpaid  campus  employment,  such  as  student  teaching,
 
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 1        internships, or practicums, or any  combination  of  paid
 2        and unpaid work totaling 20 hours per week.
 3             (4)  The  student  must not be receiving cash public
 4        assistance  under  any  need-based  program   under   the
 5        Illinois Public Aid Code.
 6             (5)  The  student must have a high school diploma or
 7        an equivalency  certificate,  and  the  student  may  not
 8        already have a bachelor's degree.
 9             (6)  The  student must not have earned more than the
10        maximum amount allowed for eligibility for a State  child
11        care  subsidy,  under  the child care program operated by
12        the Department of Human Services, in either of the 2  tax
13        years  for which returns were to have been filed prior to
14        the commencement of the  school  term,  as  evidenced  by
15        State   tax  returns  or  other  comparable  evidence  as
16        specified by rule.
17             (7)  To be eligible in his or her  first  term,  the
18        student must be accepted by the participating institution
19        of  post-secondary  education under its normal acceptance
20        criteria.  To be eligible thereafter,  the  student  must
21        maintain  at  least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average,
22        on a 4.0 point scale, calculated at the conclusion of the
23        most  recently  completed  term.   The  Commission  shall
24        provide, by rule,  a  method  by  which  institutions  of
25        post-secondary  education that do not have a 4.0 scale or
26        that do not grade on  a  traditional  grade  point  scale
27        shall  determine  an  equivalent  measure  by  which  the
28        student can meet this requirement.
29             (8)  The student must be enrolled at a participating
30        institution  of  post-secondary  education  at least half
31        time, as defined by  the  institution  of  post-secondary
32        education.
33        (e)  The  following  grants  shall  be  paid  to eligible
34    students under the program:
 
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 1             (1)  An amount each term to cover the actual cost of
 2        required books and supplies or $400, whichever  is  less.
 3        The  institution of post-secondary education may pay this
 4        amount in cash, vouchers, credit  arrangements  with  the
 5        institutional  bookstore,  or any other means approved by
 6        the Commission.  This grant is available for  all  school
 7        terms  during the program's existence.  If the program is
 8        extended or made into a  permanent  program,  this  grant
 9        shall be available for a maximum of 8 regular school year
10        semesters  and  3  summer  terms  or  the  equivalent for
11        institutions  of  post-secondary   education   that   use
12        different  schedules,  as determined by the Commission by
13        rule.
14             (2)  A monthly  cash  stipend  according  to  family
15        size.   The  amount  shall  be  equal to one-third of the
16        monthly federal poverty  level  for  the  various  family
17        sizes.   An  updated  schedule  of these amounts shall be
18        published each year by the Commission.  This grant  shall
19        be  available  in  months  in which students are eligible
20        throughout the program's existence.  If  the  program  is
21        extended  or  made  into  a permanent program, this grant
22        shall be available for a maximum of 40 months, which need
23        not be consecutive.
24        (f)  Notwithstanding any other provision of State law, as
25    to any month in which the student qualifies for a grant under
26    the program, the  student  shall  be  eligible  for  a  State
27    subsidy  for  child  care,  subject  to  all  other rules and
28    procedures for that child care program.   Grants  under  this
29    Section  shall  be  treated  the  same as other State student
30    assistance for purposes of eligibility for medical assistance
31    under the  Illinois  Public  Aid  Code.   Grants  under  this
32    Section  may  not  be counted to reduce the amount of student
33    assistance  the  student  would  receive  under  other  State
34    student aid programs in the absence of  the  program  created
 
HB3981 Engrossed            -6-               LRB9111267NTksA
 1    under  this  Section.   State  and federal student assistance
 2    available in cash  for  the  basic  living  expenses  of  the
 3    student   may   be   counted  in  determining  the  student's
 4    eligibility  for  grants  under  the  program,  but  not   in
 5    determining  the  amount  of assistance for eligible students
 6    under the program.
 7        (g)  The Commission shall submit an interim report to the
 8    Governor and  the  General  Assembly  by  December  1,  2002,
 9    covering  the first 2 years of the program and any portion of
10    the  third  year  that  is  feasible  to  be  included.   The
11    Commission shall submit a final report to  the  Governor  and
12    the  General Assembly by September 1, 2003.  The report shall
13    include information on the number  of  students  served  each
14    term, the methods of administration, the impact of the grants
15    on   completion   of  schooling,  the  performance  of  grant
16    recipients  in  obtaining  employment  after  completion   of
17    studies,  and  any other information relevant to the decision
18    on whether to renew, expand, or terminate  the  program  upon
19    expiration of the program.
20        (h)  The  Commission shall adopt rules and procedures for
21    the administration of the program by financial aid offices of
22    participating institutions of post-secondary education, enter
23    into   such   inter-agency   agreements   as   may   aid   in
24    administration, and administer the program consistently  with
25    other State student assistance programs.

26        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
27    becoming law.

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