Public Act 101-0334
 
SB1467 EnrolledLRB101 08315 CPF 53384 b

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