Full Text of SB1467 101st General Assembly
SB1467eng 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning education.
| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
| 4 | | Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section | 5 | | 30-14.2 as follows:
| 6 | | (105 ILCS 5/30-14.2) (from Ch. 122, par. 30-14.2)
| 7 | | Sec. 30-14.2. MIA/POW scholarships.
| 8 | | (a) Any spouse, natural child, legally adopted child, or
| 9 | | step-child of an eligible veteran or serviceperson who | 10 | | possesses all necessary
entrance requirements shall, upon | 11 | | application and proper proof, be awarded
a MIA/POW Scholarship | 12 | | consisting of the equivalent of 4 calendar years of
full-time | 13 | | enrollment including summer terms, to the state supported
| 14 | | Illinois institution of higher learning of his choice, subject | 15 | | to the
restrictions listed below.
| 16 | | "Eligible veteran or serviceperson" means any veteran or | 17 | | serviceperson, including an Illinois National Guard member who | 18 | | is on active duty or is active on a training assignment,
who | 19 | | has been declared by the U.S. Department of Defense or the
U.S. | 20 | | Department of Veterans Affairs to be a prisoner of war, be | 21 | | missing
in action, have died as the result of a | 22 | | service-connected disability or have become a person with a | 23 | | permanent disability from service-connected causes with 100% |
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| 1 | | disability and
who (i) at the time of entering service was an | 2 | | Illinois resident, (ii) was an
Illinois resident within 6 | 3 | | months after entering such service, or (iii) is a resident of | 4 | | Illinois at the time of application for the Scholarship and, at | 5 | | some point after leaving such service, was a resident of | 6 | | Illinois for at least 15 consecutive years until July 1, 2014, | 7 | | became an Illinois resident within 6 months after leaving the | 8 | | service and can establish at least 30 years of continuous | 9 | | residency in the State of Illinois .
| 10 | | Full-time enrollment means 12 or more semester hours of | 11 | | courses per semester,
or 12 or more quarter hours of courses | 12 | | per quarter, or the equivalent thereof
per term. Scholarships | 13 | | utilized by dependents enrolled in less than full-time
study | 14 | | shall be computed in the proportion which the number of hours | 15 | | so carried
bears to full-time enrollment.
| 16 | | Scholarships awarded under this Section may be used by a | 17 | | spouse or child
without regard to his or her age. The holder of | 18 | | a Scholarship
awarded under this Section shall be subject to | 19 | | all examinations and academic
standards, including the | 20 | | maintenance of minimum grade levels, that are
applicable | 21 | | generally to other enrolled students at the Illinois | 22 | | institution of
higher learning where the Scholarship is being | 23 | | used.
If the surviving spouse
remarries or if there is a | 24 | | divorce between the veteran or serviceperson and
his or her | 25 | | spouse while the dependent is pursuing his or her course of
| 26 | | study, Scholarship benefits will be terminated at the end of |
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| 1 | | the term for
which he or she is presently enrolled. Such | 2 | | dependents shall also be
entitled, upon proper proof and | 3 | | application, to enroll in any extension
course offered by a | 4 | | State supported Illinois institution of higher learning
| 5 | | without payment of tuition and approved fees.
| 6 | | The holder of a MIA/POW Scholarship authorized under this | 7 | | Section shall
not be required to pay any matriculation or | 8 | | application fees, tuition,
activities fees, graduation fees or | 9 | | other fees, except multipurpose
building fees or similar fees | 10 | | for supplies and materials.
| 11 | | Any dependent who has been or shall be awarded a MIA/POW | 12 | | Scholarship shall
be reimbursed by the appropriate institution | 13 | | of higher learning for any
fees which he or she has paid and | 14 | | for which exemption is granted under this
Section if | 15 | | application for reimbursement is made within 2 months following
| 16 | | the end of the school term for which the fees were paid.
| 17 | | (b) In lieu of the benefit provided in subsection (a), any | 18 | | spouse,
natural child, legally adopted child, or step-child of | 19 | | an eligible veteran
or serviceperson, which spouse or child has | 20 | | a physical, mental or
developmental disability, shall be | 21 | | entitled to receive, upon application and
proper proof, a | 22 | | benefit to be used for the purpose of defraying the cost of
the | 23 | | attendance or treatment of such spouse or child at one or more
| 24 | | appropriate therapeutic, rehabilitative or educational | 25 | | facilities. The
application and proof may be made by the parent | 26 | | or legal guardian of the
spouse or child on his or her behalf.
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| 1 | | The total benefit provided to any beneficiary under this | 2 | | subsection shall
not exceed the cost equivalent of 4 calendar | 3 | | years of full-time enrollment,
including summer terms, at the | 4 | | University of Illinois. Whenever
practicable in the opinion of | 5 | | the Department of Veterans' Affairs, payment
of benefits under | 6 | | this subsection shall be made directly to the facility,
the | 7 | | cost of attendance or treatment at which is being defrayed, as | 8 | | such
costs accrue.
| 9 | | (c) The benefits of this Section shall be administered by | 10 | | and paid for out
of funds made available to the Illinois | 11 | | Department of Veterans' Affairs.
The amounts that become due to | 12 | | any state supported Illinois institution of
higher learning | 13 | | shall be payable by the Comptroller to such institution on
| 14 | | vouchers approved by the Illinois Department of Veterans' | 15 | | Affairs. The
amounts that become due under subsection (b) of | 16 | | this Section shall be
payable by warrant upon vouchers issued | 17 | | by the Illinois Department of
Veterans' Affairs and approved by | 18 | | the Comptroller. The Illinois Department
of Veterans' Affairs | 19 | | shall determine the eligibility of the persons
who make | 20 | | application for the benefits provided for in this Section.
| 21 | | (Source: P.A. 99-78, eff. 7-20-15; 99-143, eff. 7-27-15; | 22 | | 100-201, eff. 8-18-17.)
| 23 | | Section 10. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | 24 | | amended by changing Section 40 as follows:
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| 1 | | (110 ILCS 947/40)
| 2 | | Sec. 40. Illinois Veteran grant program. | 3 | | (a) As used in this Section: | 4 | | "Qualified applicant" means a person who served in the | 5 | | Armed Forces of the United States, a Reserve component of the | 6 | | Armed Forces, or the Illinois National Guard, excluding members | 7 | | of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and those whose only | 8 | | service has been attendance at a service academy, and who meets | 9 | | all of the following qualifications of either paragraphs (1) | 10 | | through (4) or paragraphs (2), (3), and (5) : | 11 | | (1) At the time of entering federal active duty service | 12 | | the person was one of the following: | 13 | | (A) An Illinois resident. | 14 | | (B) An Illinois resident within 6 months of | 15 | | entering such service. | 16 | | (C) Enrolled at a State-controlled university or | 17 | | public community college in this State. | 18 | | (2) The person meets one of the following requirements: | 19 | | (A) He or she served at least one year of federal | 20 | | active duty. | 21 | | (B) He or she served less than one year of federal | 22 | | active duty and received an honorable discharge for | 23 | | medical reasons directly connected with such service. | 24 | | (C) He or she served less than one year of federal | 25 | | active duty and was discharged prior to August 11, | 26 | | 1967. |
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| 1 | | (D) He or she served less than one year of federal | 2 | | active duty in a foreign country during a time of | 3 | | hostilities in that foreign country. | 4 | | (3) The person received an honorable discharge after | 5 | | leaving each period of federal active duty service. | 6 | | (4) The person returned to this State within 6 months | 7 | | after leaving federal active duty service, or, if married | 8 | | to a person in continued military service stationed outside | 9 | | this State, returned to this State within 6 months after | 10 | | his or her spouse left service or was stationed within this | 11 | | State. | 12 | | (5) The person does not meet the requirements of | 13 | | paragraph (1), but (i) is a resident of Illinois at the | 14 | | time of application to the Commission and (ii) at some | 15 | | point after leaving federal active duty service, was a | 16 | | resident of Illinois for at least 15 consecutive years. | 17 | | "Time of hostilities" means any action by the Armed Forces | 18 | | of the United States that is recognized by the issuance of a | 19 | | Presidential proclamation or a Presidential executive order | 20 | | and in which the Armed Forces expeditionary medal or other | 21 | | campaign service medals are awarded according to Presidential | 22 | | executive order. | 23 | | (b) A person who otherwise qualifies under subsection (a) | 24 | | of this Section but has not left federal active duty service | 25 | | and has served at least one year of federal active duty or has | 26 | | served for less than one year of federal active duty in a |
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| 1 | | foreign country during a time of hostilities in that foreign | 2 | | country and who can provide documentation demonstrating an | 3 | | honorable service record is eligible to receive assistance | 4 | | under this Section. | 5 | | (c) A qualified applicant is not required to pay any | 6 | | tuition or mandatory fees while attending a State-controlled | 7 | | university or public community college in this State for a | 8 | | period that is equivalent to 4 years of full-time enrollment, | 9 | | including summer terms. | 10 | | A qualified applicant who has previously received benefits | 11 | | under this Section for a non-mandatory fee shall continue to | 12 | | receive benefits covering such fees while he or she is enrolled | 13 | | in a continuous program of study. The qualified applicant shall | 14 | | no longer receive a grant covering non-mandatory fees if he or | 15 | | she fails to enroll during an academic term, unless he or she | 16 | | is serving federal active duty service.
| 17 | | (d) A qualified applicant who has been or is to be awarded | 18 | | assistance under this Section shall receive that assistance if | 19 | | the qualified applicant notifies his or her postsecondary | 20 | | institution of that fact by the end of the school term for | 21 | | which assistance is requested. | 22 | | (e) Assistance under this Section is considered an | 23 | | entitlement that the State-controlled college or public | 24 | | community college in which the qualified applicant is enrolled | 25 | | shall honor without any condition other than the qualified | 26 | | applicant's maintenance of minimum grade levels and a |
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| 1 | | satisfactory student loan repayment record pursuant to | 2 | | subsection (c) of Section 20 of this Act. | 3 | | (f) The Commission shall administer the grant program | 4 | | established by this Section and shall make all necessary and | 5 | | proper rules not inconsistent with this Section for its | 6 | | effective implementation. | 7 | | (g) All applications for assistance under this Section must | 8 | | be made to the Commission on forms that the Commission shall | 9 | | provide. The Commission shall determine the form of application | 10 | | and the information required to be set forth in the | 11 | | application, and the Commission shall require qualified | 12 | | applicants to submit with their applications any supporting | 13 | | documents that the Commission deems necessary. Upon request, | 14 | | the Department of Veterans' Affairs shall assist the Commission | 15 | | in determining the eligibility of applicants for assistance | 16 | | under this Section. | 17 | | (h) Assistance under this Section is available as long as | 18 | | the federal government provides educational benefits to | 19 | | veterans. Assistance must not be paid under this Section after | 20 | | 6 months following the termination of educational benefits to | 21 | | veterans by the federal government, except for persons who | 22 | | already have begun their education with assistance under this | 23 | | Section. If the federal government terminates educational | 24 | | benefits to veterans and at a later time resumes those | 25 | | benefits, assistance under this Section shall resume.
| 26 | | (Source: P.A. 94-583, eff. 8-15-05.)
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| 1 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, | 2 | | 2019.
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