Amends the Energy Community Reinvestment Act. In provisions concerning the Displaced Energy Worker Dependent Transition Scholarship, provides that a student may receive a scholarship under those provisions for a period that is equivalent to 4 years of full-time enrollment, including summer terms (currently, one calendar year of full-time enrollment, including summer terms). Provides that the displaced energy worker must have lost his or her employment while a resident of Illinois to be eligible for the scholarship program. Effective July 1, 2026.
Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act with respect to the monetary award program. Beginning with the 2027-2028 academic year through the 2031-2032 academic year, provides that an applicant who is otherwise eligible for grant assistance under the program may receive grant assistance for an additional academic year after receiving a baccalaureate degree or the equivalent of 135 semester credit hours if he or she (i) enrolls in a State-approved educator preparation program and (ii) within 5 years after receiving a Professional Educator License, teaches in this State for a minimum of 3 years. Requires repayment if at any time a person fails to meet the requirements. Effective immediately.
Expresses the belief that nursing, social work, professional counseling, marriage and family therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, audiology, physician assistant practice, public health, and education are professional disciplines that require advanced graduate education, professional licensure, and adherence to rigorous ethical and clinical standards. Lists the graduate degrees that should be considered professional degrees. States that any state agency, public university, or entity receiving state funds should take all necessary steps to avoid discrimination against individuals holding these graduate degrees in hiring, promotion, compensation, professional development funding, or other terms and conditions of employment based on any federal student loan classification. Urges the United States Department of Education to include all graduate degrees in nursing, social work, counseling, therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, audiology, physician assistant practice, public health, and education in its definition of "professional degrees" for federal student loan purposes. Urges the Illinois Congressional Delegation to advocate for legislation to ensure that graduate students in all health and human services professions have access to adequate federal student loan funding to complete their professional education. Commits to exploring state-level solutions to support graduate education in health and human services professions, including but not limited to scholarships, grants, loan repayment assistance programs, and other workforce development initiatives. Expresses support for the licensed health and human services professionals in Illinois who serve our most vulnerable populations with skill, compassion, and unwavering commitment to the public good.
Amends the Department of Transportation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Requires the Department of Transportation to provide higher education student loan repayment assistance in the form of an annual after-tax bonus in an amount to be determined by the Department, for not more than 5 years, to any engineer employed by the Department if (i) the engineer is a graduate of a community college, college, or university located in the State, (ii) the engineer provides documentation to the Department of the repayment of higher education student loans taken to attend a community college, college, or university located in the State, and (iii) the engineer remains in the employ of the Department for at least 5 years. Provides that if the engineer leaves the employ of the Department prior to serving 5 years, the engineer must return all bonuses made to the engineer by the Department pursuant to these provisions. Effective immediately.
Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Provides that beginning July 1, 2026, funds for the special education teacher scholarship program shall be continuously appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Provides that this requirement constitutes an irrevocable and continuing appropriation of all amounts necessary for the purpose specified by the requirement to the fullest extent such appropriation is required. Effective July 1, 2026.
Amends the Board of Higher Education Act, various Acts relating to the governance of public universities in Illinois, and the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Requires the Board of Higher Education to establish a pathway program in which any public high school student in this State who graduates in the top 10% of the student's graduating class or meets other standardized thresholds is guaranteed admission to at least one public university. Requires the Board to submit an annual report to the General Assembly (and make the report publicly available) that includes, with respect to public universities: (1) how many in-state residents were admitted in the prior academic year compared to the number of out-of-state residents that were admitted; (2) the tuition trends for students who are residents of this State; and (3) how many university graduates continue to reside within this State following graduation. With respect to each academic program of a public university that has a limited capacity to admit students due to a high demand for admission to the program, provides that at least 70% of the students admitted to the program must be residents of this State. Beginning with the 2027-2028 academic year, prohibits the governing board of each public university from increasing its in-state tuition rate for a given academic year by a percentage that exceeds the percentage increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers for all items published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor for the 12 months ending on the previous December 31. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to establish a workforce incentive program in which a student who enrolls in a high-need field at an institution of higher learning may receive a grant to reduce tuition costs or loan forgiveness if the student commits to working in this State for at least 3 after graduation. Provides that under the program, a student from an underserved region of this State may also receive additional admission and tuition support from the Commission.
Amends the Nursing Education Scholarship Law. Provides that beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year, subject to appropriation from the General Revenue Fund and in addition to any other funds available to the Department of Public Health for nursing education scholarships, the Department may award additional nursing education scholarships. Removes a provision regarding nursing education scholarships for the 2021-2022 academic year. Effective immediately.
Amends the University of Illinois Act. In provisions concerning scholarships for the children of veterans, provides that an honorary scholarship may also be given to the children of persons who served at any time during the invasion of Panama between December 20, 1989 and January 31, 1990.
Amends the Public Higher Education Act. Provides that if a scholarship or tuition waiver funded by the federal government has been awarded by a public institution of higher education to a student and the federal government shuts down due to a lapse in appropriations, then (i) the scholarship or waiver shall remain in effect for the duration of the shutdown and (ii) the student is not required to pay the amount that was covered by the scholarship or waiver during the award period if the institution of higher education has reasonable confidence that a disbursement from the federal government to cover the cost of the scholarship or waiver will be made upon the reopening of the federal government.
Amends various Acts relating to the governance of public universities in Illinois. Provides that each academic year the board of trustees of each public university shall offer a full-tuition waiver for undergraduate education at any campus under the board's governance or supervision to any Illinois resident who: (i) was serving in the Illinois National Guard, the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Navy, the United States Air Force, the United States Space Force, or a Reserve Officers' Training Corps program related to any of these armed service branches and was relying on full-tuition or partial-tuition assistance to complete the person's undergraduate education; (ii) has been discharged from service, either forcibly or by being given the choice of voluntary discharge or forced discharge, due to changes in federal policy leading to that person's discharge for reasons unrelated to performance; and (iii) has lost that tuition assistance prior to completion of the person's undergraduate education. Provides that to be eligible to receive a waiver, the individual must: (i) apply for the waiver; (ii) provide documentary proof of service, of prior tuition assistance, and of discharge; and (iii) qualify for admission to the university under the same admission requirements, standards, and policies that the university applies to applicants for admission generally to the university's respective undergraduate colleges and programs. Provides that an eligible applicant who has continued to maintain satisfactory academic progress toward graduation may have the individual's waiver renewed until the individual has expended 4 years of undergraduate full-tuition benefits. Requires the board to adopt rules as necessary for implementation and administration.
