98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
HB2910

 

Introduced , by Rep. Jerry F. Costello, II

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
110 ILCS 947/40

    Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act with respect to the Illinois Veteran Grant Program. Provides that a person is a qualified applicant for a grant if, among other qualifications, the person returned to this State within one year (instead of 6 months) after leaving federal active duty service or, if married to a person in continued military service stationed outside this State, returned to this State within one year (instead of 6 months) after his or her spouse left service or was stationed within this State.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is
5amended by changing Section 40 as follows:
 
6    (110 ILCS 947/40)
7    Sec. 40. Illinois Veteran grant program.
8    (a) As used in this Section:
9    "Qualified applicant" means a person who served in the
10Armed Forces of the United States, a Reserve component of the
11Armed Forces, or the Illinois National Guard, excluding members
12of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and those whose only
13service has been attendance at a service academy, and who meets
14all of the following qualifications:
15        (1) At the time of entering federal active duty service
16    the person was one of the following:
17            (A) An Illinois resident.
18            (B) An Illinois resident within 6 months of
19        entering such service.
20            (C) Enrolled at a State-controlled university or
21        public community college in this State.
22        (2) The person meets one of the following requirements:
23            (A) He or she served at least one year of federal

 

 

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1        active duty.
2            (B) He or she served less than one year of federal
3        active duty and received an honorable discharge for
4        medical reasons directly connected with such service.
5            (C) He or she served less than one year of federal
6        active duty and was discharged prior to August 11,
7        1967.
8            (D) He or she served less than one year of federal
9        active duty in a foreign country during a time of
10        hostilities in that foreign country.
11        (3) The person received an honorable discharge after
12    leaving each period of federal active duty service.
13        (4) The person returned to this State within one year 6
14    months after leaving federal active duty service, or, if
15    married to a person in continued military service stationed
16    outside this State, returned to this State within one year
17    6 months after his or her spouse left service or was
18    stationed within this State.
19    "Time of hostilities" means any action by the Armed Forces
20of the United States that is recognized by the issuance of a
21Presidential proclamation or a Presidential executive order
22and in which the Armed Forces expeditionary medal or other
23campaign service medals are awarded according to Presidential
24executive order.
25    (b) A person who otherwise qualifies under subsection (a)
26of this Section but has not left federal active duty service

 

 

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1and has served at least one year of federal active duty or has
2served for less than one year of federal active duty in a
3foreign country during a time of hostilities in that foreign
4country and who can provide documentation demonstrating an
5honorable service record is eligible to receive assistance
6under this Section.
7    (c) A qualified applicant is not required to pay any
8tuition or mandatory fees while attending a State-controlled
9university or public community college in this State for a
10period that is equivalent to 4 years of full-time enrollment,
11including summer terms.
12    A qualified applicant who has previously received benefits
13under this Section for a non-mandatory fee shall continue to
14receive benefits covering such fees while he or she is enrolled
15in a continuous program of study. The qualified applicant shall
16no longer receive a grant covering non-mandatory fees if he or
17she fails to enroll during an academic term, unless he or she
18is serving federal active duty service.
19    (d) A qualified applicant who has been or is to be awarded
20assistance under this Section shall receive that assistance if
21the qualified applicant notifies his or her postsecondary
22institution of that fact by the end of the school term for
23which assistance is requested.
24    (e) Assistance under this Section is considered an
25entitlement that the State-controlled college or public
26community college in which the qualified applicant is enrolled

 

 

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1shall honor without any condition other than the qualified
2applicant's maintenance of minimum grade levels and a
3satisfactory student loan repayment record pursuant to
4subsection (c) of Section 20 of this Act.
5    (f) The Commission shall administer the grant program
6established by this Section and shall make all necessary and
7proper rules not inconsistent with this Section for its
8effective implementation.
9    (g) All applications for assistance under this Section must
10be made to the Commission on forms that the Commission shall
11provide. The Commission shall determine the form of application
12and the information required to be set forth in the
13application, and the Commission shall require qualified
14applicants to submit with their applications any supporting
15documents that the Commission deems necessary. Upon request,
16the Department of Veterans' Affairs shall assist the Commission
17in determining the eligibility of applicants for assistance
18under this Section.
19    (h) Assistance under this Section is available as long as
20the federal government provides educational benefits to
21veterans. Assistance must not be paid under this Section after
226 months following the termination of educational benefits to
23veterans by the federal government, except for persons who
24already have begun their education with assistance under this
25Section. If the federal government terminates educational
26benefits to veterans and at a later time resumes those

 

 

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1benefits, assistance under this Section shall resume.
2(Source: P.A. 94-583, eff. 8-15-05.)