102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB5175

 

Introduced 1/27/2022, by Rep. Stephanie A. Kifowit

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
110 ILCS 947/40

    Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Changes definition of qualified applicant. Provides that a qualifying condition requires that the person applying must have received an honorable discharge after leaving federal active duty service (instead of received an honorable discharge after leaving each period of federal active duty service). Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

HB5175LRB102 25267 NLB 34540 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is
5amended by changing Section 40 as follows:
 
6    (110 ILCS 947/40)
7    Sec. 40. Illinois Veteran grant program.
8    (a) As used in this Section:
9    "Qualified applicant" means a person who served in the
10Armed Forces of the United States, a Reserve component of the
11Armed Forces, or the Illinois National Guard, excluding
12members of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and those
13whose only service has been attendance at a service academy,
14and who meets all of the qualifications of either paragraphs
15(1) through (4) or paragraphs (2), (3), and (5):
16        (1) At the time of entering federal active duty
17    service the person was one of the following:
18            (A) An Illinois resident.
19            (B) An Illinois resident within 6 months of
20        entering such service.
21            (C) Enrolled at a State-controlled university or
22        public community college in this State.
23        (2) The person meets one of the following

 

 

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1    requirements:
2            (A) He or she served at least one year of federal
3        active duty.
4            (B) He or she served less than one year of federal
5        active duty and received an honorable discharge for
6        medical reasons directly connected with such service.
7            (C) He or she served less than one year of federal
8        active duty and was discharged prior to August 11,
9        1967.
10            (D) He or she served less than one year of federal
11        active duty in a foreign country during a time of
12        hostilities in that foreign country.
13        (3) The person received an honorable discharge after
14    leaving each period of federal active duty service.
15        (4) The person returned to this State within 6 months
16    after leaving federal active duty service, or, if married
17    to a person in continued military service stationed
18    outside this State, returned to this State within 6 months
19    after his or her spouse left service or was stationed
20    within this State.
21        (5) The person does not meet the requirements of
22    paragraph (1), but (i) is a resident of Illinois at the
23    time of application to the Commission and (ii) at some
24    point after leaving federal active duty service, was a
25    resident of Illinois for at least 15 consecutive years.
26    "Time of hostilities" means any action by the Armed Forces

 

 

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1of the United States that is recognized by the issuance of a
2Presidential proclamation or a Presidential executive order
3and in which the Armed Forces expeditionary medal or other
4campaign service medals are awarded according to Presidential
5executive order.
6    (b) A person who otherwise qualifies under subsection (a)
7of this Section but has not left federal active duty service
8and has served at least one year of federal active duty or has
9served for less than one year of federal active duty in a
10foreign country during a time of hostilities in that foreign
11country and who can provide documentation demonstrating an
12honorable service record is eligible to receive assistance
13under this Section.
14    (c) A qualified applicant is not required to pay any
15tuition or mandatory fees while attending a State-controlled
16university or public community college in this State for a
17period that is equivalent to 4 years of full-time enrollment,
18including summer terms.
19    A qualified applicant who has previously received benefits
20under this Section for a non-mandatory fee shall continue to
21receive benefits covering such fees while he or she is
22enrolled in a continuous program of study. The qualified
23applicant shall no longer receive a grant covering
24non-mandatory fees if he or she fails to enroll during an
25academic term, unless he or she is serving federal active duty
26service.

 

 

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1    (d) A qualified applicant who has been or is to be awarded
2assistance under this Section shall receive that assistance if
3the qualified applicant notifies his or her postsecondary
4institution of that fact by the end of the school term for
5which assistance is requested.
6    (e) Assistance under this Section is considered an
7entitlement that the State-controlled college or public
8community college in which the qualified applicant is enrolled
9shall honor without any condition other than the qualified
10applicant's maintenance of minimum grade levels and a
11satisfactory student loan repayment record pursuant to
12subsection (c) of Section 20 of this Act.
13    (f) The Commission shall administer the grant program
14established by this Section and shall make all necessary and
15proper rules not inconsistent with this Section for its
16effective implementation.
17    (g) All applications for assistance under this Section
18must be made to the Commission on forms that the Commission
19shall provide. The Commission shall determine the form of
20application and the information required to be set forth in
21the application, and the Commission shall require qualified
22applicants to submit with their applications any supporting
23documents that the Commission deems necessary. Upon request,
24the Department of Veterans' Affairs shall assist the
25Commission in determining the eligibility of applicants for
26assistance under this Section.

 

 

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1    (h) Assistance under this Section is available as long as
2the federal government provides educational benefits to
3veterans. Assistance must not be paid under this Section after
46 months following the termination of educational benefits to
5veterans by the federal government, except for persons who
6already have begun their education with assistance under this
7Section. If the federal government terminates educational
8benefits to veterans and at a later time resumes those
9benefits, assistance under this Section shall resume.
10(Source: P.A. 101-334, eff. 8-9-19.)
 
11    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
12becoming law.