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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION 1039
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2 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois honors Illinois veterans for | ||||||
3 | service in the United States Armed Services and Illinois | ||||||
4 | National Guard with grants and scholarships to attend Illinois | ||||||
5 | public universities and community colleges; and
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6 | WHEREAS, The Illinois Veteran Grant Program pays eligible | ||||||
7 | tuition and certain fees for undergraduate study at any | ||||||
8 | Illinois community college for Illinois residents who qualify; | ||||||
9 | a qualified applicant is any member of the Armed Forces of the | ||||||
10 | United States who has served at least one year of active duty | ||||||
11 | and whose separation from such service has been characterized | ||||||
12 | as honorable; and
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13 | WHEREAS, The Illinois National Guard Grant Program pays | ||||||
14 | tuition and eligible fees at all Illinois community colleges; a | ||||||
15 | qualified applicant must be on active status and have served | ||||||
16 | for at least one year in the Illinois National Guard; and
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17 | WHEREAS, The MIA-POW Scholarship Program for dependents of | ||||||
18 | Illinois residents declared to be missing in action or | ||||||
19 | prisoners of war pays all tuition and fees at any Illinois | ||||||
20 | community college; and
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21 | WHEREAS, The Illinois Veteran Grant Program, the Illinois | ||||||
22 | National Guard Grant Program, and the MIA-POW Scholarship | ||||||
23 | Program are all considered entitlement grants; thus, if the | ||||||
24 | General Assembly does not fully fund these programs to cover | ||||||
25 | all expenses, the community college must waive all tuition and | ||||||
26 | fees on behalf of that student; and | ||||||
27 | WHEREAS, Illinois community colleges must raise tuition | ||||||
28 | and fees in order to compensate for unfunded mandates placed | ||||||
29 | upon them by the Governor's budget; and |
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1 | WHEREAS, It is not fiscally responsible for the Governor to | ||||||
2 | increase government spending while other parts of the budget | ||||||
3 | continue to be underfunded; and | ||||||
4 | WHEREAS, The Governor's Fiscal Year 2007 proposed budget | ||||||
5 | provides level funding for the Illinois Veteran Grant Program, | ||||||
6 | the Illinois National Guard Grant Program, and the MIA-POW | ||||||
7 | Scholarship Program, despite increasing enrollment primarily | ||||||
8 | due to the Global War on Terrorism; therefore, be it
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9 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
10 | NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
11 | the community colleges of the State of Illinois are entitled to | ||||||
12 | reimbursement for the costs incurred in the administration of | ||||||
13 | the Illinois Veteran Grant Program, the Illinois National Guard | ||||||
14 | Grant Program, and the MIA-POW Scholarship Program in the past | ||||||
15 | fiscal years; and be it further
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16 | RESOLVED, That the Board of Higher Education and the | ||||||
17 | Illinois Community College Board conduct a joint study | ||||||
18 | detailing the amount of tuition and fees each community college | ||||||
19 | has waived over the current and last four fiscal years to | ||||||
20 | compensate for the lack of funding in the Governor's budgets | ||||||
21 | for the Illinois Veteran Grant Program, the Illinois National | ||||||
22 | Guard Grant Program, and the MIA-POW Scholarship Program, with | ||||||
23 | a report of the findings of the joint study submitted to the | ||||||
24 | General Assembly and to the Governor no later than January 1, | ||||||
25 | 2007; and be it further
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26 | RESOLVED, That the amount determined by the joint study of | ||||||
27 | the Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community | ||||||
28 | College Board be the recommended amount of reimbursement to the | ||||||
29 | community colleges of this State to be appropriated in Fiscal | ||||||
30 | Year 2008; and be it further | ||||||
31 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be |
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1 | delivered to the Governor, the Board of Higher Education, the | ||||||
2 | Illinois Community College Board, and the president of each | ||||||
3 | community college of the State.
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