HB3476eng 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

  
  
  

 


 
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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 adding Section 48 as follows:
 
6    (110 ILCS 947/48 new)
7    Sec. 48. Tuition and fee exemption for children of wounded
8warriors.
9    (a) This Section applies to the following persons:
10        (1) A person:
11            (A) whose mother or father:
12                (i) served in the armed forces of the United
13            States;
14                (ii) received the Purple Heart decoration or
15            was wounded as a result of enemy action;
16                (iii) received a discharge or separation from
17            the armed forces, other than a dishonorable
18            discharge; and
19                (iv) either designated this State as home of
20            record at the time of enlistment in the armed
21            forces of the United States or resided in this
22            State at least 5 years before the person first
23            applies for benefits under this Section;

 

 

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1            (B) who is eligible to pay the resident tuition
2        rate at the State university the person will attend as
3        determined by the university;
4            (C) who possesses the requisite academic
5        qualifications;
6            (D) who, if the person was adopted by the person's
7        mother or father, was adopted before the person was 18
8        years of age; and
9            (E) who is not more than 32 years of age when the
10        person first applies and becomes eligible for benefits
11        under this Section.
12        (2) A person:
13            (A) whose mother or father:
14                (i) served in the armed forces of the United
15            States during a war or performed duty equally
16            hazardous that was recognized by the award of a
17            service or campaign medal of the United States;
18                (ii) suffered a service connected death or
19            disability as determined by the United States
20            Department of Veterans Affairs;
21                (iii) received a discharge or separation from
22            the armed forces, other than a dishonorable
23            discharge; and
24                (iv) either listed this State as home of record
25            at the time of enlistment in the armed forces of
26            the United States or resided in this State at least

 

 

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1            5 years before the person first applies for
2            benefits under this Section;
3            (B) who is eligible to pay the resident tuition
4        rate at the State university the person will attend, as
5        determined by the university;
6            (C) who possesses the requisite academic
7        qualifications;
8            (D) who, if the person was adopted by the person's
9        mother or father, was adopted before the person was 18
10        years of age; and
11            (E) who is not more than 32 years of age when the
12        person first applies and becomes eligible for benefits
13        under this Section.
14    (b) Subject to the other provisions of this subsection (b)
15and subsection (c) of this Section, an eligible applicant to
16which this Section applies is entitled to enter into, remain
17at, and receive instruction at a State university upon the same
18conditions, qualifications, and rules prescribed for other
19applicants for admission to or students at the State university
20without the payment of any tuition and fees for 124 semester
21credit hours at the State university. The maximum amount that
22an eligible applicant is exempt from paying for a semester hour
23is an amount equal to the cost of an undergraduate semester
24credit hour at the State university in which the eligible
25applicant enrolls.
26    This subsection (b) applies only to an individual who

 

 

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1qualifies for a benefit under this Section because of a father
2or mother who enlisted or otherwise initially served in the
3armed forces of the United States. Subject to the other
4provisions of this subsection (b), any benefits awarded under
5this Section may not be renewed if the eligible individual
6fails to maintain at least the following cumulative grade point
7average:
8        (1) For credit hours applicable to the equivalent of
9    the applicant's freshman academic year, a cumulative grade
10    point average that the State university determines is
11    satisfactory academic progress.
12        (2) For credit hours applicable to the equivalent of
13    the applicant's sophomore academic year, a cumulative
14    grade point average of 2.25 on a 4.0 grading scale or its
15    equivalent as established by the State university.
16        (3) For credit hours applicable to the equivalent of
17    the applicant's junior or senior academic year, a
18    cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 grading
19    scale or its equivalent as established by the State
20    university.
21    After the first semester or its equivalent at the State
22university that a person does not achieve the requisite
23cumulative grade point average specified in this subsection
24(b), the person is considered to be on probation and must
25achieve the requisite cumulative grade point average by the
26next semester or its equivalent at the State university in

 

 

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1order to continue to receive benefits under this Section.
2    (c) This subsection (c) applies to an individual who
3qualifies as an eligible applicant under subdivision (2) of
4subsection (a) of this Section because the individual's father
5or mother (i) enlisted or otherwise initially served in the
6armed forces of the United States after June 30, 2011 and (ii)
7suffered a disability as determined by the United States
8Department of Veterans Affairs. This subsection (c) does not
9apply to an individual who (i) is an eligible applicant under
10subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this Section and (ii)
11qualifies as an eligible applicant under subdivision (1) of
12subsection (a) of this Section.
13    Subject to the other provisions of this subsection (c) and
14subsection (b) of this Section, the eligible applicant is
15entitled to a reduction in the tuition and fees that would
16otherwise apply as follows:
17        (1) If the individual's father or mother suffered a
18    disability as determined by the United States Department of
19    Veterans Affairs with a rating of 80% or more, the
20    individual is entitled to a 100% reduction in education
21    costs.
22        (2) If the individual's father or mother suffered a
23    disability as determined by the United States Department of
24    Veterans Affairs with a rating of less than 80%, the
25    individual is entitled to a reduction in education costs
26    equal to the sum of 20%, plus the disability rating of the

 

 

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1    individual's father or mother.
2    The latest disability rating determined by the United
3States Department of Veterans Affairs for an individual's
4father or mother shall be used to compute the percentage by
5which education costs are reduced under this subsection (c). If
6the disability rating of the individual's father or mother
7changes after the beginning of an academic semester, quarter,
8or other period for which tuition and fees have been reduced
9under this subsection (c), the change in disability rating
10shall be applied beginning with the immediately following
11academic semester, quarter, or other period.
12    (d) The Commission may adopt any rules necessary to
13implement this Section.