Bill Text: IL SB1467 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Engrossed
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Amends the Scholarships Article of the School Code. With regard to the MIA/POW Scholarship, provides that the definition of "eligible veteran or serviceperson" includes, among other requirements, a veteran or serviceperson who is a resident of Illinois at the time of application for the Scholarship and, at some point after leaving service, was a resident of Illinois for at least 15 consecutive years. Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. With regard to the Illinois Veteran grant program, provides that a person is a qualified applicant if, despite not meeting other requirements, he or she is a resident of Illinois at the time of application to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission and, at some point after leaving federal active duty service, was a resident of Illinois for at least 15 consecutive years. Effective July 1, 2019.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-08-09 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 101-0334 [SB1467 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2019-SB1467-Engrossed.html
Bill Title: Amends the Scholarships Article of the School Code. With regard to the MIA/POW Scholarship, provides that the definition of "eligible veteran or serviceperson" includes, among other requirements, a veteran or serviceperson who is a resident of Illinois at the time of application for the Scholarship and, at some point after leaving service, was a resident of Illinois for at least 15 consecutive years. Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. With regard to the Illinois Veteran grant program, provides that a person is a qualified applicant if, despite not meeting other requirements, he or she is a resident of Illinois at the time of application to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission and, at some point after leaving federal active duty service, was a resident of Illinois for at least 15 consecutive years. Effective July 1, 2019.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-08-09 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 101-0334 [SB1467 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2019-SB1467-Engrossed.html
| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
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% |
| |||||||
| |||||||
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 |
| |||||||
| |||||||
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.
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
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:
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
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. |
| |||||||
| |||||||
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 |
| |||||||
| |||||||
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 |
| |||||||
| |||||||
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.)
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, | ||||||
2 | 2019.
|