Public Act 0778 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB3133 Enrolled LRB103 36417 SPS 66519 b

Public Act 103-0778

AN ACT concerning State government.

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

Section 5. The State Treasurer Act is amended by changing Sections 16.5 and 16.8 as follows:

(15 ILCS 505/16.5)

Sec. 16.5. College Savings Pool.

(a) Definitions. As used in this Section:

"Account owner" means any person or entity who has opened an account or to whom ownership of an account has been transferred, as allowed by the Internal Revenue Code, and who has authority to withdraw funds, direct withdrawal of funds, change the designated beneficiary, or otherwise exercise control over an account in the College Savings Pool.

"Donor" means any person or entity who makes contributions to an account in the College Savings Pool.

"Designated beneficiary" means any individual designated as the beneficiary of an account in the College Savings Pool by an account owner. A designated beneficiary must have a valid social security number or taxpayer identification number. In the case of an account established as part of a scholarship program permitted under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, the designated beneficiary is any individual receiving benefits accumulated in the account as a scholarship.

"Eligible educational institution" means public and private colleges, junior colleges, graduate schools, and certain vocational institutions that are described in Section 1001 of the Higher Education Resource and Student Assistance Chapter of Title 20 of the United States Code (20 U.S.C. 1001) and that are eligible to participate in Department of Education student aid programs.

"Member of the family" has the same meaning ascribed to that term under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code.

"Nonqualified withdrawal" means a distribution from an account other than a distribution that (i) is used for the qualified expenses of the designated beneficiary; (ii) results from the beneficiary's death or disability; (iii) is a rollover to another account in the College Savings Pool; or (iv) is a rollover to an ABLE account, as defined in Section 16.6 of this Act, or any distribution that, within 60 days after such distribution, is transferred to an ABLE account of the designated beneficiary or a member of the family of the designated beneficiary to the extent that the distribution, when added to all other contributions made to the ABLE account for the taxable year, does not exceed the limitation under Section 529A(b) of the Internal Revenue Code; or (v) is a rollover to a Roth IRA account to the extent permitted by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code.

"Qualified expenses" means: (i) tuition, fees, and the costs of books, supplies, and equipment required for enrollment or attendance at an eligible educational institution; (ii) expenses for special needs services, in the case of a special needs beneficiary, which are incurred in connection with such enrollment or attendance; (iii) certain expenses, to the extent they qualify as qualified higher education expenses under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, for the purchase of computer or peripheral equipment or Internet access and related services, if such equipment, software, or services are to be used primarily by the beneficiary during any of the years the beneficiary is enrolled at an eligible educational institution, except that, such expenses shall not include expenses for computer software designed for sports, games, or hobbies, unless the software is predominantly educational in nature; (iv) room and board expenses incurred while attending an eligible educational institution at least half-time; (v) expenses for fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for the participation of a designated beneficiary in an apprenticeship program registered and certified with the Secretary of Labor under the National Apprenticeship Act (29 U.S.C. 50); and (vi) amounts paid as principal or interest on any qualified education loan of the designated beneficiary or a sibling of the designated beneficiary, as allowed under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code. A student shall be considered to be enrolled at least half-time if the student is enrolled for at least half the full-time academic workload for the course of study the student is pursuing as determined under the standards of the institution at which the student is enrolled.

(b) Establishment of the Pool. The State Treasurer may establish and administer the College Savings Pool as a qualified tuition program under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code. The Pool may consist of one or more college savings programs. The State Treasurer, in administering the College Savings Pool, may: (1) receive, hold, and invest moneys paid into the Pool; and (2) perform any other action he or she deems necessary to administer the Pool, including any other actions necessary to ensure that the Pool operates as a qualified tuition program in accordance with Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code.

(c) Administration of the College Savings Pool. The State Treasurer may delegate duties related to the College Savings Pool to one or more contractors. The contributions deposited in the Pool, and any earnings thereon, shall not constitute property of the State or be commingled with State funds and the State shall have no claim to or against, or interest in, such funds; provided that the fees collected by the State Treasurer in accordance with this Act, scholarship programs administered by the State Treasurer, and seed funds deposited by the State Treasurer under Section 16.8 of the Act are State funds.

(c-5) College Savings Pool Account Summaries. The State Treasurer shall provide a separate accounting for each designated beneficiary. The separate accounting shall be provided to the account owner of the account for the designated beneficiary at least annually and shall show the account balance, the investment in the account, the investment earnings, and the distributions from the account.

(d) Availability of the College Savings Pool. The State Treasurer may permit persons, including trustees of trusts and custodians under a Uniform Transfers to Minors Act or Uniform Gifts to Minors Act account, and certain legal entities to be account owners, including as part of a scholarship program, provided that: (1) an individual, trustee or custodian must have a valid social security number or taxpayer identification number, be at least 18 years of age, and have a valid United States street address; and (2) a legal entity must have a valid taxpayer identification number and a valid United States street address. In-state and out-of-state persons, trustees, custodians, and legal entities may be account owners and donors, and both in-state and out-of-state individuals may be designated beneficiaries in the College Savings Pool.

(e) Fees. Any fees, costs, and expenses, including investment fees and expenses and payments to third parties, related to the College Savings Pool, shall be paid from the assets of the College Savings Pool. The State Treasurer shall establish fees to be imposed on accounts to cover such fees, costs, and expenses, to the extent not paid directly out of the investments of the College Savings Pool, and to maintain an adequate reserve fund in line with industry standards for government operated funds. The Treasurer must use his or her best efforts to keep these fees as low as possible and consistent with administration of high quality competitive college savings programs.

(f) Investments in the State. To enhance the safety and liquidity of the College Savings Pool, to ensure the diversification of the investment portfolio of the College Savings Pool, and in an effort to keep investment dollars in the State of Illinois, the State Treasurer may make a percentage of each account available for investment in participating financial institutions doing business in the State.

(g) Investment policy. The Treasurer shall develop, publish, and implement an investment policy covering the investment of the moneys in each of the programs in the College Savings Pool. The policy shall be published each year as part of the audit of the College Savings Pool by the Auditor General, which shall be distributed to all account owners in such program. The Treasurer shall notify all account owners in such program in writing, and the Treasurer shall publish in a newspaper of general circulation in both Chicago and Springfield, any changes to the previously published investment policy at least 30 calendar days before implementing the policy. Any investment policy adopted by the Treasurer shall be reviewed and updated if necessary within 90 days following the date that the State Treasurer takes office.

(h) Investment restrictions. An account owner may, directly or indirectly, direct the investment of his or her account only as provided in Section 529(b)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donors and designated beneficiaries, in those capacities, may not, directly or indirectly, direct the investment of an account.

(i) Distributions. Distributions from an account in the College Savings Pool may be used for the designated beneficiary's qualified expenses, and if not used in that manner, may be considered a nonqualified withdrawal. Funds contained in a College Savings Pool account may be rolled over into:

(1) an eligible ABLE account, as defined in Section 16.6 of this Act to the extent permitted by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code; , or

(2) another qualified tuition program, to the extent permitted by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code; or

(3) a Roth IRA account, to the extent permitted by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Distributions made from the College Savings Pool may be made directly to the eligible educational institution, directly to a vendor, in the form of a check payable to both the designated beneficiary and the institution or vendor, directly to the designated beneficiary or account owner, or in any other manner that is permissible under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code.

(j) Contributions. Contributions to the College Savings Pool shall be as follows:

(1) Contributions to an account in the College Savings Pool may be made only in cash.

(2) The Treasurer shall limit the contributions that may be made to the College Savings Pool on behalf of a designated beneficiary, as required under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, to prevent contributions for the benefit of a designated beneficiary in excess of those necessary to provide for the qualified expenses of the designated beneficiary. The Pool shall not permit any additional contributions to an account as soon as the sum of (i) the aggregate balance in all accounts in the Pool for the designated beneficiary and (ii) the aggregate contributions in the Illinois Prepaid Tuition Program for the designated beneficiary reaches the specified balance limit established from time to time by the Treasurer.

(k) Illinois Student Assistance Commission. The Treasurer and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall each cooperate in providing each other with account information, as necessary, to prevent contributions in excess of those necessary to provide for the qualified expenses of the designated beneficiary, as described in subsection (j).

The Treasurer shall work with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to coordinate the marketing of the College Savings Pool and the Illinois Prepaid Tuition Program when considered beneficial by the Treasurer and the Director of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.

(l) Prohibition; exemption. No interest in the program, or any portion thereof, may be used as security for a loan. Moneys held in an account invested in the College Savings Pool shall be exempt from all claims of the creditors of the account owner, donor, or designated beneficiary of that account, except for the non-exempt College Savings Pool transfers to or from the account as defined under subsection (j) of Section 12-1001 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(m) Taxation. The assets of the College Savings Pool and its income and operation shall be exempt from all taxation by the State of Illinois and any of its subdivisions. The accrued earnings on investments in the Pool once disbursed on behalf of a designated beneficiary shall be similarly exempt from all taxation by the State of Illinois and its subdivisions, so long as they are used for qualified expenses. Contributions to a College Savings Pool account during the taxable year may be deducted from adjusted gross income as provided in Section 203 of the Illinois Income Tax Act. The provisions of this paragraph are exempt from Section 250 of the Illinois Income Tax Act.

(n) Rules. The Treasurer shall adopt rules he or she considers necessary for the efficient administration of the College Savings Pool. The rules shall provide whatever additional parameters and restrictions are necessary to ensure that the College Savings Pool meets all the requirements for a qualified tuition program under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Notice of any proposed amendments to the rules and regulations shall be provided to all account owners prior to adoption.

(o) Bond. The State Treasurer shall give bond with at least one surety, payable to and for the benefit of the account owners in the College Savings Pool, in the penal sum of $10,000,000, conditioned upon the faithful discharge of his or her duties in relation to the College Savings Pool.

(p) The changes made to subsections (c) and (e) of this Section by Public Act 101-26 are intended to be a restatement and clarification of existing law.

(Source: P.A. 101-26, eff. 6-21-19; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 102-186, eff. 7-30-21.)

(15 ILCS 505/16.8)

Sec. 16.8. Illinois Higher Education Savings Program.

(a) Definitions. As used in this Section:

"Beneficiary" means an eligible child named as a recipient of seed funds.

"Eligible child" means a child born or adopted after December 31, 2022, to a parent who is a resident of Illinois at the time of the birth or adoption, as evidenced by documentation received by the Treasurer from the Department of Revenue, the Department of Public Health, or another State or local government agency, or a parent or legal guardian of the child.

"Eligible educational institution" means institutions that are described in Section 1001 of the federal Higher Education Act of 1965 that are eligible to participate in Department of Education student aid programs.

"Fund" means the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program Fund.

"Omnibus account" means the pooled collection of seed funds owned and managed by the State Treasurer in the College Savings Pool under this Act.

"Program" means the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program.

"Qualified higher education expense" means the following: (i) tuition, fees, and the costs of books, supplies, and equipment required for enrollment or attendance at an eligible educational institution; (ii) expenses for special needs services, in the case of a special needs beneficiary, which are incurred in connection with such enrollment or attendance; (iii) certain expenses for the purchase of computer or peripheral equipment, computer software, or Internet access and related services as defined under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code; (iv) room and board expenses incurred while attending an eligible educational institution at least half-time; (v) expenses for fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for the participation of a designated beneficiary in an apprenticeship program registered and certified with the Secretary of Labor under the National Apprenticeship Act (29 U.S.C. 50); and (vi) amounts paid as principal or interest on any qualified education loan of the designated beneficiary or a sibling of the designated beneficiary, as allowed under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code.

"Seed funds" means the deposit made by the State Treasurer into the Omnibus Accounts for Program beneficiaries.

(b) Program established. The State Treasurer shall establish the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program as a part of the College Savings Pool under Section 16.5 of this Act, subject to appropriation by the General Assembly. The State Treasurer shall administer the Program for the purposes of expanding access to higher education through savings.

(c) Program enrollment. The State Treasurer shall enroll all eligible children in the Program beginning in 2023, after receiving records of recent births, adoptions, or dependents from the Department of Revenue, the Department of Public Health, or another State or local government agency designated by the Treasurer, or documentation as may be required by the Treasurer from a parent or legal guardian of the eligible child. Notwithstanding any court order which would otherwise prevent the release of information, the Department of Public Health is authorized to release the information specified under this subsection (c) to the State Treasurer for the purposes of the Program established under this Section.

(1) Beginning in 2021, the Department of Public Health shall provide the State Treasurer with information on recent Illinois births and adoptions including, but not limited to: the full name, residential address, birth date, and birth record number of the child and the full name and residential address of the child's parent or legal guardian for the purpose of enrolling eligible children in the Program. This data shall be provided to the State Treasurer by the Department of Public Health on a quarterly basis, no later than 30 days after the end of each quarter, or some other date and frequency as mutually agreed to by the State Treasurer and the Department of Public Health.

(1.5) Beginning in 2021, the Department of Revenue shall provide the State Treasurer with information on tax filers claiming dependents or the adoption tax credit including, but not limited to: the full name, residential address, email address, phone number, birth date, and social security number or taxpayer identification number of the dependent child and of the child's parent or legal guardian for the purpose of enrolling eligible children in the Program. This data shall be provided to the State Treasurer by the Department of Revenue on at least an annual basis, by July 1 of each year or another date jointly determined by the State Treasurer and the Department of Revenue. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained within this paragraph (2), the Department of Revenue shall not be required to share any information that would be contrary to federal law, regulation, or Internal Revenue Service Publication 1075.

(2) The State Treasurer shall ensure the security and confidentiality of the information provided by the Department of Revenue, the Department of Public Health, or another State or local government agency, and it shall not be subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act.

(3) Information provided under this Section shall only be used by the State Treasurer for the Program and shall not be used for any other purpose.

(4) The State Treasurer and any vendors working on the Program shall maintain strict confidentiality of any information provided under this Section, and shall promptly provide written or electronic notice to the providing agency of any security breach. The providing State or local government agency shall remain the sole and exclusive owner of information provided under this Section.

(d) Seed funds. After receiving information on recent births, adoptions, or dependents from the Department of Revenue, the Department of Public Health, or another State or local government agency, or documentation as may be required by the State Treasurer from a parent or legal guardian of the eligible child, the State Treasurer shall make deposits into an omnibus account on behalf of eligible children. The State Treasurer shall be the owner of the omnibus accounts.

(1) Deposit amount. The seed fund deposit for each eligible child shall be in the amount of $50. This amount may be increased by the State Treasurer by rule. The State Treasurer may use or deposit funds appropriated by the General Assembly together with moneys received as gifts, grants, or contributions into the Fund. If insufficient funds are available in the Fund, the State Treasurer may reduce the deposit amount or forego deposits.

(2) Use of seed funds. Seed funds, including any interest, dividends, and other earnings accrued, will be eligible for use by a beneficiary for qualified higher education expenses if:

(A) the parent or guardian of the eligible child claimed the seed funds for the beneficiary by the beneficiary's 10th birthday;

(B) the beneficiary has completed secondary education or has reached the age of 18; and

(C) the beneficiary is currently a resident of the State of Illinois. Non-residents are not eligible to claim or use seed funds.

(3) Notice of seed fund availability. The State Treasurer shall make a good faith effort to notify beneficiaries and their parents or legal guardians of the seed funds' availability and the deadline to claim such funds.

(4) Unclaimed seed funds. Seed funds and any interest earnings that are unclaimed by the beneficiary's 10th birthday or unused by the beneficiary's 26th birthday will be considered forfeited. Unclaimed and unused seed funds and any interest earnings will remain in the omnibus account for future beneficiaries.

(e) Financial education. The State Treasurer may develop educational materials that support the financial literacy of beneficiaries and their legal guardians, and may do so in collaboration with State and federal agencies, including, but not limited to, the Illinois State Board of Education and existing nonprofit agencies with expertise in financial literacy and education.

(f) Supplementary deposits and partnerships. The State Treasurer may make supplementary deposits to children in financially insecure households if sufficient funds are available. Furthermore, the State Treasurer may develop partnerships with private, nonprofit, or governmental organizations to provide additional savings incentives, including conditional cash transfers or matching contributions that provide a savings incentive based on specific actions taken or other criteria.

(g) Illinois Higher Education Savings Program Fund. The Illinois Higher Education Savings Program Fund is hereby established as a special fund in the State treasury. The Fund shall be the official repository of all contributions, appropriated funds, interest, and dividend payments, gifts, or other financial assets received by the State Treasurer in connection with the operation of the Program or related partnerships. All such moneys shall be deposited into the Fund and held by the State Treasurer as custodian thereof. The State Treasurer may accept gifts, grants, awards, matching contributions, interest income, and appropriated funds from individuals, businesses, governments, and other third-party sources to implement the Program on terms that the Treasurer deems advisable. All interest or other earnings accruing or received on amounts in the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program Fund shall be credited to and retained by the Fund and used for the benefit of the Program. Assets of the Fund must at all times be preserved, invested, and expended only for the purposes of the Program and must be held for the benefit of the beneficiaries. Assets may not be transferred or used by the State or the State Treasurer for any purposes other than the purposes of the Program. In addition, no moneys, interest, or other earnings paid into the Fund shall be used, temporarily or otherwise, for inter-fund borrowing or be otherwise used or appropriated except as expressly authorized by this Act. Notwithstanding the requirements of this subsection (g), amounts in the Fund may be used by the State Treasurer to pay the administrative costs of the Program.

(g-5) Fund deposits and payments. On July 15 of each year, beginning July 15, 2023, or as soon thereafter as practical, the State Comptroller shall direct and the State Treasurer shall transfer the sum of $2,500,000, or the amount that is appropriated annually by the General Assembly, whichever is greater, from the General Revenue Fund to the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program Fund to be used for the administration and operation of the Program.

(h) Audits and reports. The State Treasurer shall include the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program as part of the audit of the College Savings Pool described in Section 16.5. The State Treasurer shall annually prepare a report that includes a summary of the Program operations for the preceding fiscal year, including the number of children enrolled in the Program, the total amount of seed fund deposits, the rate of seed deposits claimed, and, to the extent data is reported and available, the racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic data of beneficiaries and of children in financially insecure households who may receive automatic bonus deposits. Such other information that is relevant to make a full disclosure of the operations of the Program and Fund may also be reported. The report shall be made available on the Treasurer's website by January 31 each year, starting in January of 2024. The State Treasurer may include the Program in other reports as warranted.

(i) Rules. The State Treasurer may adopt rules necessary to implement this Section.

(Source: P.A. 102-129, eff. 7-23-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-1047, eff. 1-1-23; 103-8, eff. 6-7-23.)

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

Effective Date: 8/2/2024