HB0497 Engrossed LRB094 06786 DRJ 36888 b

1     AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Department of Veterans Affairs Act is
5 amended by adding Section 4.5 as follows:
 
6     (20 ILCS 2805/4.5 new)
7     Sec. 4.5. Grants to veterans service organizations.
8     (a) Subject to appropriations for that purpose, the
9 Department shall make grants to veterans service organizations
10 for the purpose of furthering those organizations' work of
11 providing assistance to veterans. The Department shall make
12 grants only to veterans service organizations that maintain an
13 office in the Veterans Affairs Regional Office (VARO) in
14 Chicago. The Department shall apportion the grants equally
15 between the qualifying veterans service organizations.
16     (b) To be eligible to receive a grant, a veterans service
17 organization must have maintained a state headquarters in this
18 State for at least 10 years before July 1, 2005. A veterans
19 service organization that is being funded with State or county
20 moneys under any other provision of law on the effective date
21 of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly may not
22 receive any moneys for any grant under this Section.
23     (c) Grants made under this Section may not be used to
24 replace or supplant services provided by employees of the
25 Department.