103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB2422

 

Introduced 2/10/2023, by Sen. Mike Porfirio

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
110 ILCS 947/40

    Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. In provisions concerning the Illinois Veteran grant program, provides that, for a specified eligibility requirement, a person can be an Illinois resident within 18 months (instead of 6 months) of entering federal active duty service. Provides that a person is also eligible if the person returned to this State within 18 months (instead of 6 months) after leaving federal active duty; makes a related change. Provides that a person who was stationed in Illinois at the time the person was discharged or retired from federal active duty service also meets the requirements for the grant program.


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A BILL FOR

 

SB2422LRB103 30829 RJT 57328 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 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
12members of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and those
13whose only service has been attendance at a service academy,
14and who meets all of the qualifications of either paragraphs
15(1) through (4) or paragraphs (2), (3), and either paragraph
16(5) or (6):
17        (1) At the time of entering federal active duty
18    service the person was one of the following:
19            (A) An Illinois resident.
20            (B) An Illinois resident within 18 6 months of
21        entering such service.
22            (C) Enrolled at a State-controlled university or
23        public community college in this State.

 

 

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1        (2) The person meets one of the following
2    requirements:
3            (A) He or she served at least one year of federal
4        active duty.
5            (B) He or she served less than one year of federal
6        active duty and received an honorable discharge for
7        medical reasons directly connected with such service.
8            (C) He or she served less than one year of federal
9        active duty and was discharged prior to August 11,
10        1967.
11            (D) He or she served less than one year of federal
12        active duty in a foreign country during a time of
13        hostilities in that foreign country.
14        (3) The person received an honorable discharge after
15    leaving federal active duty service.
16        (4) The person returned to this State within 18 6
17    months after leaving federal active duty service, or, if
18    married to a person in continued military service
19    stationed outside this State, returned to this State
20    within 18 6 months after his or her spouse left service or
21    was stationed within this State.
22        (5) The person does not meet the requirements of
23    paragraph (1), but (i) is a resident of Illinois at the
24    time of application to the Commission and (ii) at some
25    point after leaving federal active duty service, was a
26    resident of Illinois for at least 15 consecutive years.

 

 

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1        (6) the person does not meet the requirements of
2    paragraph (1), but was stationed in Illinois at the time
3    the person was discharged or retired from federal active
4    duty service.
5    "Time of hostilities" means any action by the Armed Forces
6of the United States that is recognized by the issuance of a
7Presidential proclamation or a Presidential executive order
8and in which the Armed Forces expeditionary medal or other
9campaign service medals are awarded according to Presidential
10executive order.
11    (b) A person who otherwise qualifies under subsection (a)
12of this Section but has not left federal active duty service
13and has served at least one year of federal active duty or has
14served for less than one year of federal active duty in a
15foreign country during a time of hostilities in that foreign
16country and who can provide documentation demonstrating an
17honorable service record is eligible to receive assistance
18under this Section.
19    (c) A qualified applicant is not required to pay any
20tuition or mandatory fees while attending a State-controlled
21university or public community college in this State for a
22period that is equivalent to 4 years of full-time enrollment,
23including summer terms.
24    A qualified applicant who has previously received benefits
25under this Section for a non-mandatory fee shall continue to
26receive benefits covering such fees while he or she is

 

 

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1enrolled in a continuous program of study. The qualified
2applicant shall no longer receive a grant covering
3non-mandatory fees if he or she fails to enroll during an
4academic term, unless he or she is serving federal active duty
5service.
6    (d) A qualified applicant who has been or is to be awarded
7assistance under this Section shall receive that assistance if
8the qualified applicant notifies his or her postsecondary
9institution of that fact by the end of the school term for
10which assistance is requested.
11    (e) Assistance under this Section is considered an
12entitlement that the State-controlled college or public
13community college in which the qualified applicant is enrolled
14shall honor without any condition other than the qualified
15applicant's maintenance of minimum grade levels and a
16satisfactory student loan repayment record pursuant to
17subsection (c) of Section 20 of this Act.
18    (f) The Commission shall administer the grant program
19established by this Section and shall make all necessary and
20proper rules not inconsistent with this Section for its
21effective implementation.
22    (g) All applications for assistance under this Section
23must be made to the Commission on forms that the Commission
24shall provide. The Commission shall determine the form of
25application and the information required to be set forth in
26the application, and the Commission shall require qualified

 

 

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1applicants to submit with their applications any supporting
2documents that the Commission deems necessary. Upon request,
3the Department of Veterans' Affairs shall assist the
4Commission in determining the eligibility of applicants for
5assistance under this Section.
6    (h) Assistance under this Section is available as long as
7the federal government provides educational benefits to
8veterans. Assistance must not be paid under this Section after
96 months following the termination of educational benefits to
10veterans by the federal government, except for persons who
11already have begun their education with assistance under this
12Section. If the federal government terminates educational
13benefits to veterans and at a later time resumes those
14benefits, assistance under this Section shall resume.
15(Source: P.A. 101-334, eff. 8-9-19; 102-800, eff. 5-13-22.)