---
type: "Bill"
title: "HIGHER ED-STATE SCHOLAR PROG"
description: "Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. With respect to the State scholar program, provides that an applicant is eligible to be designated a State Scholar if he or she is a resident of this State attending a Department of Defense school. Effective July 1, 2009."
jurisdiction: "us/states/il"
legislature: "Illinois General Assembly"
session: "96th"
identifier: "HB 4039"
citation: "Illinois HB 4039 (96th)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: []
version_count: 3
action_count: 29
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2009-02-26"
last_action: "2009-08-11"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/fa65ec21-d3fb-480c-9bb2-0c20a17749da"
source_url: "http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=4039&GAID=10&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=46887&SessionID=76&GA=96"
source_hash: "46dcc74463a51ad19f4476d95fdbfb1c5253e83be6adcee9e307ef73759222b7"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-il"]
---

# Illinois HB 4039 (96th) — HIGHER ED-STATE SCHOLAR PROG

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. With respect to the State scholar program, provides that an applicant is eligible to be designated a State Scholar if he or she is a resident of this State attending a Department of Defense school. Effective July 1, 2009.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09600HB4039&GA=96&SessionId=76&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=46887&DocNum=4039&GAID=10&Session=&print=true)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09600HB4039eng&GA=96&SessionId=76&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=46887&DocNum=4039&GAID=10&Session=&print=true)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09600HB4039enr&GA=96&SessionId=76&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=46887&DocNum=4039&GAID=10&Session=&print=true)

## Votes

- Third Reading — **113–0** (pass) · lower
- Third Reading — **57–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Ron Stephens — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2009-02-26** Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Ron Stephens `filing`
- **2009-02-27** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2009-02-27** Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2009-03-04** Assigned to Elementary & Secondary Education Committee `referral-committee`
- **2009-03-11** Do Pass / Short Debate Elementary & Secondary Education Committee; 020-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2009-03-12** Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate
- **2009-03-18** Second Reading - Short Debate `reading-2`
- **2009-03-18** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate
- **2009-03-24** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Jack D. Franks
- **2009-03-24** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia
- **2009-03-24** Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 113-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2009-03-25** Arrive in Senate `introduction`
- **2009-03-25** Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading March 26, 2009 `reading-1`
- **2009-03-27** Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. John J. Cullerton
- **2009-03-27** Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Don Harmon
- **2009-03-30** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2009-03-30** Referred to Assignments `referral-committee`
- **2009-04-22** Assigned to Higher Education `referral-committee`
- **2009-04-22** Alternate Chief Sponsor Changed to Sen. Kyle McCarter
- **2009-05-06** Do Pass Higher Education; 008-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2009-05-06** Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading May 7, 2009
- **2009-05-13** Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2009-05-13** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading May 14, 2009
- **2009-05-14** Third Reading - Passed; 057-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2009-05-14** Passed Both Houses
- **2009-06-12** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2009-08-11** Governor Approved `executive-signature`
- **2009-08-11** Effective Date August 11, 2009
- **2009-08-11** Public Act . . . . . . . . . 96-0315 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/fa65ec21-d3fb-480c-9bb2-0c20a17749da`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Illinois legislature records).