102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
SB3762

 

Introduced 1/21/2022, by Sen. Michael E. Hastings

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/30-14.2  from Ch. 122, par. 30-14.2
330 ILCS 105/0.01  from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 25.9
330 ILCS 105/1  from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 26
330 ILCS 105/2  from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 27

    Amends the School Code. Provides that any spouse, natural child, legally adopted child under the age of 18 at the time of adoption, minor child younger than 18 who is under a court-ordered guardianship for at least 2 continuous years prior to application, or step-child under the age of 18 at the time of marriage of an eligible veteran or serviceperson shall, upon application and proper proof, be awarded a MIA/POW Scholarship. Provides that the holder of a MIA/POW Scholarship shall not be required to pay any tuition or mandatory fees while attending a State-controlled university or public community college in this State for a period equivalent to 4 years of enrollment, including summer terms. Amends the Children of Deceased Veterans Act. Changes the name of the Act to the Deceased, Disabled, and MIA/POW Veterans' Dependents Educational Opportunity Grant Act. Requires the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs to provide, subject to appropriation, for matriculation and tuition fees, board, room rent, books and supplies for the use and benefit of any natural child, adopted child, minor child who is under a court-ordered guardianship for at least 2 continuous years prior to application, or step-child of an eligible veteran or serviceperson, if the child is not under 10 and not over 18 years of age. Requires the child to provide proof of compliance with Illinois compulsory attendance requirements as provided under the School Code. Defines "eligible veteran or service person". Requires the Department to adopt rules on how to render payments to eligible minor children of deceased veterans or servicepersons. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

SB3762LRB102 23220 KTG 32384 b

1    AN ACT concerning veterans.
 
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 adding 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. Deceased, Disabled, and MIA/POW Veterans'
8Dependents scholarship scholarships.
9    (a) Any spouse, natural child, legally adopted child under
10the age of 18 at the time of adoption, minor child younger than
1118 who is under a court-ordered guardianship for at least 2
12continuous years prior to application, or step-child under
13the age of 18 at the time of marriage of an eligible veteran or
14serviceperson who possesses all necessary entrance
15requirements shall, upon application and proper proof, be
16awarded a MIA/POW Scholarship consisting of the equivalent of
174 calendar years of full-time enrollment including summer
18terms, to the state supported Illinois institution of higher
19learning of his choice, subject to the restrictions listed
20below.
21    "Eligible veteran or serviceperson" means any veteran or
22serviceperson, including an Illinois National Guard member who
23is on active duty or is active on a training assignment, who

 

 

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1has been declared by the U.S. Department of Defense or the U.S.
2Department of Veterans Affairs to be a prisoner of war or , be
3missing in action, or has have died as the result of a
4service-connected disability or has have become a person with
5a permanent disability from service-connected causes with 100%
6disability and who (i) at the time of entering service was an
7Illinois resident, or (ii) was an Illinois resident within 6
8months after entering such service, or (iii) is a resident of
9Illinois at the time of application for the Scholarship and,
10at some point after entering leaving such service, was a
11resident of Illinois for at least 15 consecutive years.
12    Full-time enrollment means 12 or more semester hours of
13courses per semester, or 12 or more quarter hours of courses
14per quarter, or the equivalent thereof per term. Scholarships
15utilized by dependents enrolled in less than full-time study
16shall be computed in the proportion which the number of hours
17so carried bears to full-time enrollment.
18    Scholarships awarded under this Section may be used by a
19spouse or child without regard to his or her age. The holder of
20a Scholarship awarded under this Section shall be subject to
21all examinations and academic standards, including the
22maintenance of minimum grade levels, that are applicable
23generally to other enrolled students at the Illinois
24institution of higher learning where the Scholarship is being
25used. If the surviving spouse remarries or if there is a
26divorce between the veteran or serviceperson and his or her

 

 

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1spouse while the dependent is pursuing his or her course of
2study, Scholarship benefits will be terminated at the end of
3the term for which he or she is presently enrolled. Such
4dependents shall also be entitled, upon proper proof and
5application, to enroll in any extension course offered by a
6State supported Illinois institution of higher learning
7without payment of tuition and approved fees.
8    The holder of a MIA/POW Scholarship authorized under this
9Section shall not be required to pay any tuition or mandatory
10fees while attending a State-controlled university or public
11community college in this State for a period equivalent to 4
12years of enrollment, including summer terms any matriculation
13or application fees, tuition, activities fees, graduation fees
14or other fees, except multipurpose building fees or similar
15fees for supplies and materials.
16    Any dependent who has been or shall be awarded a MIA/POW
17Scholarship shall be reimbursed by the appropriate institution
18of higher learning for any fees which he or she has paid and
19for which exemption is granted under this Section if
20application for reimbursement is made within 2 months
21following the end of the school term for which the fees were
22paid.
23    (b) In lieu of the benefit provided in subsection (a), any
24spouse, natural child, legally adopted child, or step-child of
25an eligible veteran or serviceperson, which spouse or child
26has a physical, mental or developmental disability, shall be

 

 

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1entitled to receive, upon application and proper proof, a
2benefit to be used for the purpose of defraying the cost of the
3attendance or treatment of such spouse or child at one or more
4appropriate therapeutic, rehabilitative or educational
5facilities. The application and proof may be made by the
6parent or legal guardian of the spouse or child on his or her
7behalf.
8    The total benefit provided to any beneficiary under this
9subsection shall not exceed the cost equivalent of 4 calendar
10years of full-time enrollment, including summer terms, at the
11University of Illinois. Whenever practicable in the opinion of
12the Department of Veterans' Affairs, payment of benefits under
13this subsection shall be made directly to the facility, the
14cost of attendance or treatment at which is being defrayed, as
15such costs accrue.
16    (c) The benefits of this Section shall be administered by
17and paid for out of funds made available to the Illinois
18Department of Veterans' Affairs. The amounts that become due
19to any state supported Illinois institution of higher learning
20shall be payable by the Comptroller to such institution on
21vouchers approved by the Illinois Department of Veterans'
22Affairs. The amounts that become due under subsection (b) of
23this Section shall be payable by warrant upon vouchers issued
24by the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs and approved
25by the Comptroller. The Illinois Department of Veterans'
26Affairs shall determine the eligibility of the persons who

 

 

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1make application for the benefits provided for in this
2Section.
3(Source: P.A. 100-201, eff. 8-18-17; 101-334, eff. 8-9-19.)
 
4    Section 10. The Children of Deceased Veterans Act is
5amended by changing Sections 0.01, 1, and 2 as follows:
 
6    (330 ILCS 105/0.01)  (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 25.9)
7    Sec. 0.01. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
8Deceased, Disabled, and MIA/POW Veterans' Dependents
9Educational Opportunity Grant Act Children of Deceased
10Veterans Act.
11(Source: P.A. 86-1324.)
 
12    (330 ILCS 105/1)  (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 26)
13    Sec. 1. The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs shall
14provide, insofar as moneys are appropriated for those
15purposes, for matriculation and tuition fees, board, room
16rent, books and supplies for the use and benefit of any natural
17child, adopted child, minor child who is under a court-ordered
18guardianship for at least 2 continuous years prior to
19application, or step-child of an eligible veteran or
20serviceperson, if the child is children, not under 10 and not
21over 18 years of age, except extension of time may be granted
22for a child to complete high school but in no event beyond the
2319th birthday, who has who have for 12 months immediately

 

 

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1preceding his or her their application for these benefits had
2his or her their domicile in the State of Illinois. The child
3must provide proof of compliance with Illinois compulsory
4attendance requirements as provided in Section 26-1 of the
5School Code.
6    "Eligible veteran or serviceperson" means any veteran or
7serviceperson, including an Illinois National Guard member,
8who is on active duty or is active on a training assignment,
9who has been declared by the U.S. Department of Defense or the
10U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to be a prisoner of war or
11missing in action, or has died as the result of a
12service-connected disability, or has become a person with a
13permanent disability from service-connected causes with 100%
14disability and who (i) at the time of entering service was an
15Illinois resident, or (ii) was an Illinois resident within 6
16months after entering such service, or (iii) is a resident of
17Illinois at the time of application for the grant and, at some
18point after entering such service, was a resident of Illinois
19for at least 15 consecutive years. , of World War I veterans
20who were killed in action or who died between April 6, 1917,
21and July 2, 1921, and of World War II veterans who were killed
22in action or died after December 6, 1941, and on or before
23December 31, 1946, and of Korean conflict veterans who were
24killed in action or died between June 27, 1950 and January 31,
251955, and of Vietnam conflict veterans who were killed in
26action or died between January 1, 1961 and May 7, 1975, as a

 

 

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1result of service in the Armed Forces of the United States or
2from other causes of World War I, World War II, the Korean
3conflict or the Vietnam conflict, who died, whether before or
4after the cessation of hostilities, from service-connected
5disability, and of any veterans who died during the induction
6periods specified below or died of a service-connected
7disability incurred during such induction periods, such
8periods to be those beginning September 16, 1940, and ending
9December 6, 1941, and beginning January 1, 1947 and ending
10June 26, 1950 and the period beginning February 1, 1955, and
11ending on the day before the first day thereafter on which
12individuals (other than individuals liable for induction by
13reason of prior deferment) are no longer liable for induction
14for training and service into the Armed Forces under the
15Universal Military Training and Service Act, and beginning
16January 1, 1961 and ending May 7, 1975 and of any veterans who
17are persons with a total and permanent disability as a result
18of a service-connected disability (or who died while a
19disability so evaluated was in existence); which children are
20attending or may attend a state or private educational
21institution of elementary or high school grade or a business
22college, vocational training school, or other educational
23institution in this State where courses of instruction are
24provided in subjects which would tend to enable such children
25to engage in any useful trade, occupation or profession. As
26used in this Act "service-connected" means, with respect to

 

 

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1disability or death, that such disability was incurred or
2aggravated, or that the death resulted from a disability
3incurred or aggravated, in the performance of active duty or
4active duty for training in the military services. Such
5children shall be admitted to state educational institutions
6free of tuition. No more than $250.00 may be paid under this
7Act for any one child for any one school year.
8(Source: P.A. 99-143, eff. 7-27-15.)
 
9    (330 ILCS 105/2)  (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 27)
10    Sec. 2. The amounts that become due to any educational or
11training institution, or any child under this Act, not in
12excess of the amount specified in Section 1 of this Act, shall
13be payable to such institution or school or child or, if such
14child is a minor, to the eligible veteran or serviceperson his
15parent or guardian on vouchers approved by the Illinois
16Department of Veterans' Affairs. The Illinois Department of
17Veterans' Affairs shall adopt rules on how to render payments
18to eligible minor children of deceased veterans or
19servicepersons. The Such Department shall determine the
20eligibility of the children who make application for the
21benefits provided for in this Act; and satisfy itself of the
22attendance of such children at any such institution or school
23and of the accuracy and reasonableness of the charge or
24charges submitted, on account of the attendance thereat of any
25such children.

 

 

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1(Source: P.A. 85-1440.)
 
2    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
3becoming law.