State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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91_HB0415eng

 
HB0415 Engrossed                               LRB9100607MWgc

 1        AN ACT concerning veterans' camping fees.

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

 4        Section  5.  The Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is
 5    amended by changing Section 63a23 as follows:

 6        (20 ILCS 805/63a23) (from Ch. 127, par. 63a23)
 7        Sec. 63a23. Campsites and housing facilities.  To provide
 8    facilities for overnight tent and trailer camp sites  and  to
 9    provide  suitable housing facilities for student and juvenile
10    overnight  camping  groups.   The   Department   of   Natural
11    Resources  may regulate, by administrative order, the fees to
12    be charged for tent and trailer camping units  at  individual
13    park areas based upon the facilities available.  However, for
14    campsites with access to showers or electricity, any Illinois
15    resident  who  is age 62 or older or has a Class 2 disability
16    as defined in Section 4A of the Illinois Identification  Card
17    Act shall be charged only one-half of the camping fee charged
18    to  the  general  public  during  the  period  Monday through
19    Thursday of any week and shall be charged  the  same  camping
20    fee  as  the general public on all other days.  For campsites
21    without access to showers  or  electricity,  no  camping  fee
22    authorized  by  this Section shall be charged to any resident
23    of Illinois who has  a  Class  2  disability  as  defined  in
24    Section  4A  of  the  Illinois  Identification Card Act.  For
25    campsites  without  access  to  showers  or  electricity,  no
26    camping fee authorized by this Section shall  be  charged  to
27    any  resident  of Illinois who is age 62 or older for the use
28    of a camp site unit during the period Monday through Thursday
29    of any week.  The No camping fee authorized by  this  Section
30    shall  be  waived or discounted for a charged to any resident
31    of Illinois who is a disabled veteran or a former prisoner of
 
HB0415 Engrossed            -2-                LRB9100607MWgc
 1    war, as set forth defined in Section 5 of the  Department  of
 2    Veterans'  Affairs  Act.    Nonresidents shall be charged the
 3    same fees as are authorized for the general public regardless
 4    of age.  The  Department  shall  provide  by  regulation  for
 5    suitable  proof of age, or either a valid driver's license or
 6    a "Golden Age Passport"  issued  by  the  federal  government
 7    shall  be  acceptable  as proof of age.  The Department shall
 8    further provide by regulation that  notice  of  such  reduced
 9    admission fees be posted in a conspicuous place and manner.
10        Reduced  fees  authorized in this Section shall not apply
11    to any charge for utility service.
12    (Source: P.A. 88-91; 89-445, eff. 2-7-96.)

13        Section 10.  The Department of Veterans' Affairs  Act  is
14    amended by changing Section 5 as follows:

15        (20 ILCS 2805/5) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 70)
16        Sec. 5.  Camping and park fees.
17        (a)  Every  veteran  who  is  a  resident of Illinois and
18    disabled may be eligible for an exemption from or a  discount
19    for  shall  be  exempt from all camping and admission fees in
20    parks  under  the  control  of  the  Department  of   Natural
21    Resources.   For  the  purpose  of  this  subsection  (a),  A
22    resident disabled veteran is one who is permanently  disabled
23    from service connected causes with 100% disability or one who
24    has permanently lost the use of a leg or both legs or an  arm
25    or  both arms or any combination thereof or any person who is
26    so severely disabled as to be unable to move without the  aid
27    of  crutches or a wheelchair shall be exempt from the camping
28    and admission fees.  Other resident  disabled  veterans  with
29    30% or more disability from service connected causes shall be
30    charged  (i)  for the Class A and B campsites (campsites with
31    access to  showers  or  electricity)  only  one-half  of  the
32    camping  fee  charged to the general public during the period
 
HB0415 Engrossed            -3-                LRB9100607MWgc
 1    Monday through Thursday of any week and shall be charged  the
 2    same  camping fee as the general public on all other days and
 3    (ii) for the Class  C  and  D  campsites  (campsites  without
 4    access  to showers or electricity) no camping fee for any day
 5    of the week. The Department shall issue free use  permits  to
 6    those  eligible  veterans.   To  establish  eligibility,  the
 7    veteran   shall   present  an  award  letter  or  some  other
 8    identifying  disability  document,   together   with   proper
 9    identification,  to any office of the Department.  Subject to
10    the approval of the  Department  of  Natural  Resources,  the
11    Department  of  Veterans' Affairs shall establish the form or
12    permit identifier to be issued.
13        (b)  Every veteran who is a resident of  Illinois  and  a
14    former  prisoner  of war shall be exempt from all camping and
15    admission fees in parks under the control of  the  Department
16    of  Natural  Resources.   For the purposes of this subsection
17    (b), a former prisoner of war is a veteran who was taken  and
18    held  prisoner by a hostile foreign force while participating
19    in an armed conflict as a member of the United  States  armed
20    forces.    Any   identification   card   or   other  form  of
21    identification issued  by  the  Veterans'  Administration  or
22    other  governmental  agency which indicates the card-holder's
23    former prisoner of war status shall be sufficient  to  accord
24    such   card-holder   the   fee-exempt  admission  or  camping
25    privileges under this subsection.
26    (Source: P.A. 89-445, eff. 2-7-96.)

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