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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
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 public
5 universities and community colleges in this State; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The Veteran Grant Program pays eligible tuition
7 and certain fees for either undergraduate or graduate study at
8 any public university or community college in this State for
9 Illinois residents who qualify; a qualified applicant must be a
10 member of the Armed Forces of the United States who has served
11 at least one year of active duty and whose separation from such
12 service has been characterized as honorable; and
 
13     WHEREAS, The Illinois National Guard Grant Program pays
14 tuition and eligible fees at all public universities and
15 community colleges in this State; the applicant must be on
16 active status and have served for at least one year in the
17 Illinois National Guard; and
 
18     WHEREAS, The MIA-POW Scholarship Program for dependents of
19 Illinois residents declared to be missing in action or
20 prisoners of war pays all tuition and fees at any public
21 university or community college in this State; and
 
22     WHEREAS, In fiscal year 2005, 11,511 students received
23 Veteran Grants, 1,698 students received Illinois National
24 Guard Grants, and 801 students received MIA-POW Scholarships;
25 and
 
26     WHEREAS, The Veteran Grant Program, the Illinois National
27 Guard Grant Program, and the MIA-POW Scholarship Program are
28 all considered entitlement grants; thus, if the General
29 Assembly does not fully fund these programs to cover all
30 expenses, the public university or community college must waive

 

 

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1 all tuition and fees on behalf of that student; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Public universities and community colleges in
3 this State must raise tuition and fees in order to compensate
4 for unfunded mandates placed upon them by the Governor's
5 budget; and
 
6     WHEREAS, It is not fiscally responsible for the Governor to
7 increase government spending while other parts of the budget
8 continue to be underfunded; and
 
9     WHEREAS, The Governor's proposed budget for fiscal year
10 2007 provides level funding for the Veteran Grant Program, the
11 Illinois National Guard Grant Program, and the MIA-POW
12 Scholarship Program despite increasing enrollment primarily
13 due to the Global War on Terrorism; and
 
14     WHEREAS, This level funding will require public
15 universities and community colleges to waive an estimated $12.7
16 million in tuition and fees; therefore, be it
 
17     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
18 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
19 the public universities and community colleges of this State
20 are entitled to reimbursement for the costs incurred in the
21 administration of the Veteran Grant Program, the Illinois
22 National Guard Grant Program, and the MIA-POW Scholarship
23 Program in the past fiscal years; and be it further
 
24     RESOLVED, That the Veteran Grant Program, the Illinois
25 National Guard Grant Program, and the MIA-POW Scholarship
26 Program receive full funding in fiscal year 2007 and future
27 fiscal years based on the funding recommendations from the
28 Illinois Student Assistance Commission and Department of
29 Veterans' Affairs; and be it further
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, That the Board of Higher Education conduct a
2 study detailing over the last four fiscal years the amount of
3 tuition and fees each public university and community college
4 has waived in order to compensate for the lack of funding in
5 the Governor's budgets for the Veteran Grant Program, Illinois
6 National Guard Grant Program, and MIA-POW Scholarship Program,
7 to be submitted to the General Assembly and Governor no later
8 than January 1, 2007; and be it further
 
9     RESOLVED, That the Board of Higher Education conduct an
10 annual study detailing the amounts each public university and
11 community college had to waive in tuition and fees the previous
12 academic year in order to compensate for the underfunding in
13 the Governor's budget for the Veteran Grant Program, Illinois
14 National Guard Grant Program, and MIA-POW Scholarship Program,
15 to accompany the Board of Higher Education's annual budget
16 recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly; and be it
17 further
 
18     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
19 delivered to the Governor, the Board of Higher Education, and
20 the president of each public university and community college
21 in this State.