Full Text of SB0040 94th General Assembly
SB0040sam001 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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Sen. Miguel del Valle
Filed: 2/24/2005
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LRB094 04310 RSP 42127 a |
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| AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 40
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| AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 40 by replacing | 3 |
| everything after the enacting clause with the following:
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| "Section 5. The Department of Veterans Affairs Act is | 5 |
| amended by changing Section 2 as follows:
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| (20 ILCS 2805/2) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 67)
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| Sec. 2. Powers and duties. The Department shall have the | 8 |
| following
powers and duties:
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| To perform such acts at the request of any veteran, or his | 10 |
| or her spouse,
surviving spouse or dependents as shall be | 11 |
| reasonably necessary
or reasonably incident to obtaining or | 12 |
| endeavoring to obtain for the requester
any advantage, benefit | 13 |
| or emolument accruing or due to such person under
any law of | 14 |
| the United States, the State of Illinois or any other state or
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| governmental agency by reason of the service of such veteran, | 16 |
| and in pursuance
thereof shall:
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| (1)
1. Contact veterans, their survivors and | 18 |
| dependents and advise them of
the benefits of state and | 19 |
| federal laws and assist them in obtaining such
benefits;
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| (2)
2. Establish field offices and direct the | 21 |
| activities of the personnel
assigned to such offices;
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| (3)
3. Create a volunteer field force of accredited | 23 |
| representatives,
representing educational institutions, | 24 |
| labor organizations, veterans
organizations, employers, |
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| churches, and farm organizations;
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| (4)
4. Conduct informational and training services;
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| (5)
5. Conduct educational programs through | 4 |
| newspapers, periodicals and radio
for the specific purpose | 5 |
| of disseminating information affecting veterans
and their | 6 |
| dependents;
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| (6)
6. Coordinate the services and activities of all | 8 |
| state departments having
services and resources affecting | 9 |
| veterans and their dependents;
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| (7)
7. Encourage and assist in the coordination of | 11 |
| agencies within counties
giving service to veterans and | 12 |
| their dependents;
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| (8)
8. Cooperate with veterans organizations and other | 14 |
| governmental agencies;
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| (9)
9. Make, alter, amend and promulgate reasonable | 16 |
| rules and procedures for
the administration of this Act;
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| (10)
10. Make and publish annual reports to the | 18 |
| Governor regarding the
administration and general | 19 |
| operation of the Department; and
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| (11)
11. Encourage the State to implement more programs | 21 |
| to address the wide
range of issues faced by Persian Gulf | 22 |
| War Veterans, especially those who took
part in combat, by | 23 |
| creating an official commission to further study Persian
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| Gulf War Diseases.
The commission shall consist of 9 | 25 |
| members appointed as follows: the Speaker
and Minority | 26 |
| Leader of the House of Representatives and the President | 27 |
| and
Minority Leader of the Senate shall each appoint one | 28 |
| member from the General
Assembly, the
Governor shall | 29 |
| appoint 4 members to represent veterans' organizations, | 30 |
| and the
Department shall appoint one member. The commission | 31 |
| members shall serve
without compensation ; and
. | 32 |
| (12) Conduct an annual review of the benefits received
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| by Illinois veterans that compares benefits received by | 34 |
| Illinois
veterans with the benefits received by veterans in |
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| all other
states and U.S. territories. The required annual | 2 |
| review shall include,
but not be limited to, (1) the | 3 |
| average benefit paid to individual
veterans from Illinois, | 4 |
| in direct comparison to the average benefit
paid to | 5 |
| individual veterans of each of the other states and U.S.
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| territories; (2) the number of veterans receiving benefits | 7 |
| in Illinois
for the first time during the year compared to | 8 |
| the number of claims
filed by Illinois veterans during the | 9 |
| year; (3) the aggregate number
of Illinois veterans | 10 |
| receiving benefits compared to the number
of veterans from | 11 |
| each of the other states and U.S. territories
receiving | 12 |
| benefits; and (4) a categorical analysis of the types
of | 13 |
| injuries and disabilities for which benefits are being paid
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| in Illinois and each of the other states and U.S. | 15 |
| territories.
The benefits review shall be reported to the | 16 |
| Governor, the
General Assembly, and the Illinois | 17 |
| Congressional delegation upon
the completion of the report | 18 |
| each year.
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| The Department may accept and hold on behalf of the State, | 20 |
| if for the
public interest, a grant, gift, devise or bequest of | 21 |
| money or property to
the Department made for the general | 22 |
| benefit of Illinois veterans,
including the conduct of | 23 |
| informational and training services by the Department
and other | 24 |
| authorized purposes of the Department. The Department shall | 25 |
| cause
each grant, gift, devise or bequest to be kept as a | 26 |
| distinct fund and shall
invest such funds in the manner | 27 |
| provided by the Public Funds Investment Act, as
now or | 28 |
| hereafter amended, and shall make such reports as may
be | 29 |
| required by the Comptroller concerning what funds are so held | 30 |
| and
the manner in which such funds are invested.
The Department | 31 |
| may make grants from these funds for the general benefit of
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| Illinois veterans. Grants from these funds, except for the | 33 |
| funds established
under Sections 2.01a and 2.03, shall be | 34 |
| subject to appropriation.
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| The Department has the power to make grants, from funds | 2 |
| appropriated from
the
Korean War Veterans National Museum and | 3 |
| Library Fund, to private organizations
for the benefit of the | 4 |
| Korean War Veterans National Museum and Library.
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| The Department has the power to make grants, from funds | 6 |
| appropriated from the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund, for | 7 |
| benefits authorized under the Survivors Compensation Act.
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| (Source: P.A. 92-198, eff. 8-1-01; 92-651, eff. 7-11-02; | 9 |
| 93-839, eff. 7-30-04.)
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| Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January | 11 |
| 1, 2006.".
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