101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB4727

 

Introduced 2/18/2020, by Rep. Mike Murphy

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/30-14.2  from Ch. 122, par. 30-14.2

    Amends the Scholarships Article of the School Code. With respect to MIA/POW scholarships, expands the definition of "eligible veteran or serviceperson" to include any veteran or serviceperson who has been awarded the Purple Heart Medal.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB4727LRB101 16480 CMG 65860 b

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 School Code is amended by changing Section
530-14.2 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/30-14.2)  (from Ch. 122, par. 30-14.2)
7    Sec. 30-14.2. MIA/POW and Purple Heart scholarships.
8    (a) Any spouse, natural child, legally adopted child, or
9step-child of an eligible veteran or serviceperson who
10possesses all necessary entrance requirements shall, upon
11application and proper proof, be awarded a MIA/POW and Purple
12Heart Scholarship consisting of the equivalent of 4 calendar
13years of full-time enrollment including summer terms, to the
14state supported Illinois institution of higher learning of his
15choice, subject to the restrictions listed below.
16    "Eligible veteran or serviceperson" means any veteran or
17serviceperson, including an Illinois National Guard member who
18is on active duty or is active on a training assignment, who
19has been awarded the Purple Heart Medal or has been declared by
20the U.S. Department of Defense or the U.S. Department of
21Veterans Affairs to be a prisoner of war, be missing in action,
22have died as the result of a service-connected disability, or
23have become a person with a permanent disability from

 

 

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1service-connected causes with 100% disability and who (i) at
2the time of entering service was an Illinois resident, (ii) was
3an Illinois resident within 6 months after entering such
4service, or (iii) is a resident of Illinois at the time of
5application for the Scholarship and, at some point after
6leaving such service, was a resident of Illinois for at least
715 consecutive years.
8    Full-time enrollment means 12 or more semester hours of
9courses per semester, or 12 or more quarter hours of courses
10per quarter, or the equivalent thereof per term. Scholarships
11utilized by dependents enrolled in less than full-time study
12shall be computed in the proportion which the number of hours
13so carried bears to full-time enrollment.
14    Scholarships awarded under this Section may be used by a
15spouse or child without regard to his or her age. The holder of
16a Scholarship awarded under this Section shall be subject to
17all examinations and academic standards, including the
18maintenance of minimum grade levels, that are applicable
19generally to other enrolled students at the Illinois
20institution of higher learning where the Scholarship is being
21used. If the surviving spouse remarries or if there is a
22divorce between the veteran or serviceperson and his or her
23spouse while the dependent is pursuing his or her course of
24study, Scholarship benefits will be terminated at the end of
25the term for which he or she is presently enrolled. Such
26dependents shall also be entitled, upon proper proof and

 

 

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1application, to enroll in any extension course offered by a
2State supported Illinois institution of higher learning
3without payment of tuition and approved fees.
4    The holder of a MIA/POW Scholarship authorized under this
5Section shall not be required to pay any matriculation or
6application fees, tuition, activities fees, graduation fees or
7other fees, except multipurpose building fees or similar fees
8for supplies and materials.
9    Any dependent who has been or shall be awarded a MIA/POW
10Scholarship shall be reimbursed by the appropriate institution
11of higher learning for any fees which he or she has paid and
12for which exemption is granted under this Section if
13application for reimbursement is made within 2 months following
14the end of the school term for which the fees were paid.
15    (b) In lieu of the benefit provided in subsection (a), any
16spouse, natural child, legally adopted child, or step-child of
17an eligible veteran or serviceperson, which spouse or child has
18a physical, mental or developmental disability, shall be
19entitled to receive, upon application and proper proof, a
20benefit to be used for the purpose of defraying the cost of the
21attendance or treatment of such spouse or child at one or more
22appropriate therapeutic, rehabilitative or educational
23facilities. The application and proof may be made by the parent
24or legal guardian of the spouse or child on his or her behalf.
25    The total benefit provided to any beneficiary under this
26subsection shall not exceed the cost equivalent of 4 calendar

 

 

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1years of full-time enrollment, including summer terms, at the
2University of Illinois. Whenever practicable in the opinion of
3the Department of Veterans' Affairs, payment of benefits under
4this subsection shall be made directly to the facility, the
5cost of attendance or treatment at which is being defrayed, as
6such costs accrue.
7    (c) The benefits of this Section shall be administered by
8and paid for out of funds made available to the Illinois
9Department of Veterans' Affairs. The amounts that become due to
10any state supported Illinois institution of higher learning
11shall be payable by the Comptroller to such institution on
12vouchers approved by the Illinois Department of Veterans'
13Affairs. The amounts that become due under subsection (b) of
14this Section shall be payable by warrant upon vouchers issued
15by the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs and approved by
16the Comptroller. The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs
17shall determine the eligibility of the persons who make
18application for the benefits provided for in this Section.
19(Source: P.A. 100-201, eff. 8-18-17; 101-334, eff. 8-9-19.)