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1 | AN ACT concerning State government.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Illinois Lottery Law is amended by changing | |||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Section 21.6 as follows: | |||||||||||||||||||||
6 | (20 ILCS 1605/21.6)
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7 | Sec. 21.6. Scratch-off for Illinois veterans. | |||||||||||||||||||||
8 | (a) The Department , or any successor in interest, shall | |||||||||||||||||||||
9 | offer a special instant scratch-off game for the benefit of | |||||||||||||||||||||
10 | Illinois veterans. The game shall commence on January 1, 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||
11 | or as soon thereafter, at the discretion of the Director, as is | |||||||||||||||||||||
12 | reasonably practical. The operation of the game shall be | |||||||||||||||||||||
13 | governed by this Act and any rules adopted by the Department. | |||||||||||||||||||||
14 | If any provision of this Section is inconsistent with any other | |||||||||||||||||||||
15 | provision of this Act, then this Section governs. The | |||||||||||||||||||||
16 | Department, or any successor in interest, shall operate the | |||||||||||||||||||||
17 | game so that tickets are fully available and distributed to | |||||||||||||||||||||
18 | agents year-round. Tickets shall be available in all instant | |||||||||||||||||||||
19 | ticket dispensing machines controlled by the Department or any | |||||||||||||||||||||
20 | successor in interest. | |||||||||||||||||||||
21 | The Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs shall approve | |||||||||||||||||||||
22 | the ticket design for the special instant scratch-off game. The | |||||||||||||||||||||
23 | ticket design shall emphasize patriotic themes and achieve |
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1 | design continuity and familiarity for ticket purchasers. The | ||||||
2 | Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs is authorized to | ||||||
3 | communicate directly with Lottery agents to promote the special | ||||||
4 | game, and that communication shall be facilitated by the | ||||||
5 | Department of Revenue. Any cost related to such communication | ||||||
6 | shall be included as an administrative expense in calculating | ||||||
7 | net revenue under subsection (b).
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8 | (b) The Illinois Veterans Assistance Fund is created as a | ||||||
9 | special fund in the State treasury. The net revenue from the | ||||||
10 | Illinois veterans scratch-off game shall be deposited into the | ||||||
11 | Fund for appropriation by the General Assembly solely to the | ||||||
12 | Department of Veterans Affairs for making grants, funding | ||||||
13 | additional services, or conducting additional research | ||||||
14 | projects relating to each of the following: | ||||||
15 | (i) veterans' post traumatic stress disorder; | ||||||
16 | (ii) veterans' homelessness; | ||||||
17 | (iii) the health insurance costs of veterans; | ||||||
18 | (iv) veterans' disability benefits, including but not | ||||||
19 | limited to, disability benefits provided by veterans | ||||||
20 | service organizations and veterans assistance commissions | ||||||
21 | or centers; and | ||||||
22 | (v) the long-term care of veterans; provided that, | ||||||
23 | beginning with moneys appropriated for fiscal year 2008, no | ||||||
24 | more than 20% of such moneys shall be used for health | ||||||
25 | insurance costs. | ||||||
26 | In order to expend moneys from this special fund, |
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1 | beginning with moneys appropriated for fiscal year 2008, | ||||||
2 | the Director of Veterans' Affairs shall appoint a 3-member | ||||||
3 | funding authorization committee. The Director shall | ||||||
4 | designate one of the members as chairperson. The committee | ||||||
5 | shall meet on a quarterly basis, at a minimum, and shall | ||||||
6 | authorize expenditure of moneys from the special fund by a | ||||||
7 | two-thirds vote. Decisions of the committee shall not take | ||||||
8 | effect unless and until approved by the Director of | ||||||
9 | Veterans' Affairs. Each member of the committee shall serve | ||||||
10 | until a replacement is named by the Director of Veterans' | ||||||
11 | Affairs. One member of the committee shall be a member of | ||||||
12 | the Veterans' Advisory Council. | ||||||
13 | Moneys collected from the special instant scratch-off game | ||||||
14 | shall be used only as a supplemental financial resource and | ||||||
15 | shall not supplant existing moneys that the Department of | ||||||
16 | Veterans Affairs may currently expend for the purposes set | ||||||
17 | forth in items (i) through (v).
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18 | Moneys received for the purposes of this Section, | ||||||
19 | including, without limitation, net revenue from the special | ||||||
20 | instant scratch-off game and from gifts, grants, and awards | ||||||
21 | from any public or private entity, must be deposited into the | ||||||
22 | Fund. Any interest earned on moneys in the Fund must be | ||||||
23 | deposited into the Fund.
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24 | For purposes of this subsection, "net revenue" means the | ||||||
25 | total amount for which tickets have been sold less the sum of | ||||||
26 | the amount paid out in the prizes and the actual administrative |
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1 | expenses of the Department solely related to the scratch-off | ||||||
2 | game under this Section.
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3 | (c) During the time that tickets are sold for the Illinois | ||||||
4 | veterans scratch-off game, the Department shall not | ||||||
5 | unreasonably diminish the efforts devoted to marketing and | ||||||
6 | distributing the any other instant scratch-off lottery game. | ||||||
7 | (d) The Department may adopt any rules necessary to | ||||||
8 | implement and administer the provisions of this Section.
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9 | (Source: P.A. 94-585, eff. 8-15-05; 95-331, eff. 8-20-07; | ||||||
10 | 95-649, eff. 10-11-07.) | ||||||
11 | Section 10. The Department of Veterans Affairs Act is | ||||||
12 | amended by changing Section 4 as follows:
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13 | (20 ILCS 2805/4) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 69)
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14 | Sec. 4. Veterans' service officers.
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15 | (a) A veterans' service officer shall be assigned to each | ||||||
16 | field office. He
must be an honorably discharged veteran from | ||||||
17 | service in the Armed Forces
of the United States. He must have | ||||||
18 | served during
a time of hostilities with a foreign country, and | ||||||
19 | must meet
one or more of the following conditions:
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20 | (i) The veteran served a total of at least 6 months.
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21 | (ii) The veteran served for the duration of hostilities | ||||||
22 | regardless of the
length of engagement.
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23 | (iii) The veteran was discharged on the basis of | ||||||
24 | hardship.
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1 | (iv) The veteran was released from active duty because | ||||||
2 | of a service
connected disability and was discharged under | ||||||
3 | honorable conditions.
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4 | As used in this Section, "time of hostilities with a | ||||||
5 | foreign country" means
any period of time in the past, present, | ||||||
6 | or future during which a declaration
of war by the United | ||||||
7 | States Congress has been or is in effect or during which
an | ||||||
8 | emergency condition has been or is in effect that is recognized | ||||||
9 | by the
issuance of a Presidential proclamation or a | ||||||
10 | Presidential executive order and
in which the armed forces | ||||||
11 | expeditionary medal or other campaign service medals
are | ||||||
12 | awarded according to Presidential executive order.
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13 | (b) The duties of veterans' service officers shall include:
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14 | (1) assisting veterans and their families in working
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15 | with federal, State, and local agencies that administer
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16 | programs for veterans;
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17 | (2) assisting veterans in maximizing State and federal
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18 | benefits that may be available to them;
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19 | (3) streamlining the benefit application and awareness
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20 | process;
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21 | (4) coordinating community outreach to promote
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22 | veterans assistance programs;
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23 | (5) promoting the use of veterans advocates in the | ||||||
24 | State and serving as a link between veterans, veterans | ||||||
25 | advocates, and the Department; and
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26 | (6) recommending improvements in outreach methods, |
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1 | programs, and training.
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2 | Subject to appropriation, the Director of Veterans Affairs | ||||||
3 | shall appoint a Chief Veterans' Service Officer who shall serve | ||||||
4 | at the pleasure of the Director and who shall coordinate the | ||||||
5 | duties and activities of all veterans' service officers | ||||||
6 | assigned to field offices. The Chief Veterans' Service Officer | ||||||
7 | shall also advise senior Department staff regarding the duties | ||||||
8 | and activities of veterans' service officers.
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9 | (Source: P.A. 88-275.)
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