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91_SB0324eng SB324 Engrossed LRB9101870NTsb 1 AN ACT to amend the Higher Education Student Assistance 2 Act by changing Section 30. 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 changing Section 30 as follows: 7 (110 ILCS 947/30) 8 Sec. 30. Merit recognition scholarship program. 9 (a) As used in this Section: 10 "Eligible applicant" means a student from any 11 approved high school located in this State who is engaged 12 in a program that in due course will be completed by the 13 end of the academic year and whose7th semester14 cumulative high school grade point average is at or above 15 the 95th percentile of his or her high school class after 16 completion of 80% of a high school program of instruction 17 , or a student from any non-recognized high school whose 18 cumulative score on the ACT is at least 7 points above 19 the statewide average cumulative ACT score as determined 20 by the State Board of Education, and who by reason 21 thereof is entitled to apply for scholarships to be 22 awarded under this Section. 23 "Qualified student" means a person: (i) of good 24 moral character who is a resident of this State and a 25 citizen or permanent resident of the United States, (ii) 26 who, as an eligible applicant, has made a timely 27 application for a merit recognition scholarship under 28 this Section, (iii) who has successfully completed the 29 program of instruction at any high school located in this 30 State, and (iv) who enrolls or is enrolled in a qualified 31 Illinois institution of higher learning or a Service SB324 Engrossed -2- LRB9101870NTsb 1 Academy as an undergraduate student or cadet and has not 2 received a baccalaureate degree. 3 "Merit recognition scholarship" means a $1,000 4 academic scholarship awarded under this Section during an 5 academic year to a qualified student, without regard to 6 financial need, as a scholarship to any qualified 7 Illinois institution of higher learning or a Service 8 Academy in which that student is or will be enrolled as 9 an undergraduate student or cadet. 10 "Service Academy" means the U.S. Air Force Academy, 11 the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the U.S. Military Academy, 12 or the U.S. Naval Academy. 13 (b) In order to identify, encourage, promote, and reward 14 the distinguished academic achievement of students from every 15 high school located in this State, each qualified student 16 shall be awarded a merit recognition scholarship to any 17 qualified Illinois institution of higher learning or to any 18 Service Academy. 19 (c) No merit recognition scholarship provided for a 20 qualified student under this Section shall be considered in 21 evaluating the financial situation of that student, or be 22 deemed a financial resource of or a form of financial aid or 23 assistance to that student, for purposes of determining the 24 eligibility of the student for any scholarship, grant, or 25 monetary assistance awarded by the Commission, the State or 26 any agency thereof pursuant to the provisions of any other 27 Section of this Act or any other law of this State; nor shall 28 any merit recognition scholarship provided for a qualified 29 student under this Section reduce the amount of any 30 scholarship, grant, or monetary assistance which that student 31 is eligible to be awarded by the Commission, the State, or 32 any agency thereof in accordance with the provisions of any 33 other Section of this Act or any other law of this State. 34 (d) Each high school located in this State shall certify SB324 Engrossed -3- LRB9101870NTsb 1 to the Commission the names of its students who are eligible 2 applicants, specifying which of the students certified as 3 eligible applicants have completed the program of instruction 4 at that high school and the graduation date fixed for their 5 high school class, and specifying for each of the other 6 eligible applicants whose names appear on the certification 7 the semester of high school last completed by them. The 8 Commission shall promptly notify those eligible applicants so 9 certified who are reasonably assured of receiving a Merit 10 Recognition Scholarship in accordance with the annual funding 11 levels recommended in the Governor's Budget -- other than any 12 eligible applicant named on any such certification who, as an 13 eligible applicant, has previously made application to the 14 Commission for a merit recognition scholarship under this 15 Section -- of their eligibility to apply for a scholarship 16 under this Section. An otherwise eligible applicant who fails 17 to make a timely application (as determined by the 18 Commission) for a merit recognition scholarship under this 19 Section shall no longer be deemed an eligible applicant and 20 shall not qualify for the award of any merit recognition 21 scholarship. 22 (e) All applications for merit recognition scholarships 23 to be awarded under this Section shall be made to the 24 Commission on forms which the Commission shall provide for 25 eligible applicants. The form of applications and the 26 information required to be set forth therein shall be 27 determined by the Commission, and the Commission shall 28 require eligible applicants to submit with their applications 29 such supporting documents or recommendations as the 30 Commission deems necessary. 31 (f) Whenever an eligible applicant who has completed the 32 program of instruction at any high school located in this 33 State thereafter makes timely application to the Commission 34 for a merit recognition scholarship under this Section, the SB324 Engrossed -4- LRB9101870NTsb 1 Commission shall promptly determine whether that eligible 2 applicant is a qualified student as defined in subsection (a) 3 of this Section. Each such eligible applicant so determined 4 by the Commission to be a qualified student shall be 5 designated as such by the Commission and shall be awarded a 6 merit recognition scholarship in the amount of $1,000, 7 effective during the academic year following the qualified 8 student's high school graduation or, should the General 9 Assembly specifically so provide in an appropriation under 10 this Section, effective for a subsequent academic year. 11 (g) Subject to a separate appropriation for purposes of 12 this Section, payment of any merit recognition scholarship 13 awarded under this Section shall be determined by the 14 Commission. All scholarship funds distributed in accordance 15 with this subsection shall be paid to the qualified Illinois 16 institution of higher learning or Service Academy and used 17 only for payment of the educational expenses incurred by the 18 student in connection with his or her attendance as an 19 undergraduate student or cadet at that institution or Service 20 Academy, including but not limited to tuition and fees, room 21 and board, books and supplies, required Service Academy 22 uniforms, and travel and personal expenses related to the 23 student's attendance at that institution or Service Academy. 24 Any merit recognition scholarship awarded under this Section 25 shall be applicable to 2 semesters or 3 quarters of 26 enrollment. Should a qualified student withdraw from 27 enrollment prior to completion of the first semester or 28 quarter for which the merit recognition scholarship is 29 applicable, the student shall refund to the Commission the 30 full amount of the merit recognition scholarship. 31 (h) The Commission shall administer the merit 32 recognition scholarship aid program established by this 33 Section and shall make all necessary and proper rules, not 34 inconsistent with this Section, for its effective SB324 Engrossed -5- LRB9101870NTsb 1 implementation. 2 (i) When an appropriation to the Commission for purposes 3 of this Section is insufficient to provide scholarships to 4 all qualified students, the Commission shall allocate the 5 appropriation in accordance with this subsection. If funds 6 are insufficient to provide all qualified students with a 7 scholarship as authorized by subsection (f), the Commission 8 shall allocate the scholarships to qualified students in 9 order of decreasing percentile as determined by the eligible 10 applicant's cumulative grade point average, except that the 11 percentile placement of qualified students from 12 non-recognized high schools shall be determined as follows: 13 those with a cumulative ACT score of 34 or above shall be in 14 the 99th percentile, those with a cumulative ACT score that 15 is at least 33 but less than 34 shall be in the 98th 16 percentile, those with a cumulative ACT score that is at 17 least 32 but less than 33 shall be in the 97th percentile, 18 those with a cumulative ACT score that is at least 31 but 19 less than 32 shall be in the 96th percentile, and those with 20 a cumulative ACT score that is at least 7 points above the 21 statewide average cumulative ACT score but less than 31 shall 22 be in the 95th percentile. All merit recognition 23 scholarships shall be in the amount of $1,000. 24 (j) The Commission, in determining the number of 25 scholarships to be offered pursuant to subsection (i), shall 26 take into consideration past experience with the rate of 27 scholarship funds unclaimed by qualified students. To the 28 extent necessary to avoid an overcommitment of funds, the 29 Commission may allocate scholarship funds on the basis of the 30 date the Commission receives a complete application form. 31 (k) (Blank). 32 (Source: P.A. 90-372, eff. 7-1-98; 90-728, eff. 1-1-99.) 33 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July SB324 Engrossed -6- LRB9101870NTsb 1 1, 1999.