Full Text of HB2527 101st General Assembly
HB2527 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020 HB2527 Introduced 2/13/2019, by Rep. Tom Demmer SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: |
| 110 ILCS 947/40 | | 110 ILCS 947/45 | |
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Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. With regard to the Illinois Veteran grant program, defines "mandatory fees" as the charges assessed by an institution to each and every full-time student for each term, including, but not limited to, charges assessed for any course leading to an undergraduate degree. Makes a similar change to the definition of "tuition and fees" under the Illinois National Guard and Naval Militia grant program. Effective immediately.
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| | | FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY | |
| | A BILL FOR |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning education.
| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
| 4 | | Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | 5 | | amended by changing Sections 40 and 45 as follows:
| 6 | | (110 ILCS 947/40)
| 7 | | Sec. 40. Illinois Veteran grant program. | 8 | | (a) As used in this Section: | 9 | | "Mandatory fees" means the charges assessed by an | 10 | | institution to each and every full-time student for each term, | 11 | | including, but not limited to, charges assessed for any course | 12 | | leading to an undergraduate degree. "Mandatory fees" does not | 13 | | include application, graduation, laboratory, breakage, or | 14 | | add/drop fees, program administrative fees for out-of-state or | 15 | | foreign study, or tuition. | 16 | | "Qualified applicant" means a person who served in the | 17 | | Armed Forces of the United States, a Reserve component of the | 18 | | Armed Forces, or the Illinois National Guard, excluding members | 19 | | of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and those whose only | 20 | | service has been attendance at a service academy, and who meets | 21 | | all of the following qualifications: | 22 | | (1) At the time of entering federal active duty service | 23 | | the person was one of the following: |
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| 1 | | (A) An Illinois resident. | 2 | | (B) An Illinois resident within 6 months of | 3 | | entering such service. | 4 | | (C) Enrolled at a State-controlled university or | 5 | | public community college in this State. | 6 | | (2) The person meets one of the following requirements: | 7 | | (A) He or she served at least one year of federal | 8 | | active duty. | 9 | | (B) He or she served less than one year of federal | 10 | | active duty and received an honorable discharge for | 11 | | medical reasons directly connected with such service. | 12 | | (C) He or she served less than one year of federal | 13 | | active duty and was discharged prior to August 11, | 14 | | 1967. | 15 | | (D) He or she served less than one year of federal | 16 | | active duty in a foreign country during a time of | 17 | | hostilities in that foreign country. | 18 | | (3) The person received an honorable discharge after | 19 | | leaving each period of federal active duty service. | 20 | | (4) The person returned to this State within 6 months | 21 | | after leaving federal active duty service, or, if married | 22 | | to a person in continued military service stationed outside | 23 | | this State, returned to this State within 6 months after | 24 | | his or her spouse left service or was stationed within this | 25 | | State. | 26 | | "Time of hostilities" means any action by the Armed Forces |
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| 1 | | of the United States that is recognized by the issuance of a | 2 | | Presidential proclamation or a Presidential executive order | 3 | | and in which the Armed Forces expeditionary medal or other | 4 | | campaign service medals are awarded according to Presidential | 5 | | executive order. | 6 | | (b) A person who otherwise qualifies under subsection (a) | 7 | | of this Section but has not left federal active duty service | 8 | | and has served at least one year of federal active duty or has | 9 | | served for less than one year of federal active duty in a | 10 | | foreign country during a time of hostilities in that foreign | 11 | | country and who can provide documentation demonstrating an | 12 | | honorable service record is eligible to receive assistance | 13 | | under this Section. | 14 | | (c) A qualified applicant is not required to pay any | 15 | | tuition or mandatory fees while attending a State-controlled | 16 | | university or public community college in this State for a | 17 | | period that is equivalent to 4 years of full-time enrollment, | 18 | | including summer terms. | 19 | | A qualified applicant who has previously received benefits | 20 | | under this Section for a non-mandatory fee shall continue to | 21 | | receive benefits covering such fees while he or she is enrolled | 22 | | in a continuous program of study. The qualified applicant shall | 23 | | no longer receive a grant covering non-mandatory fees if he or | 24 | | she fails to enroll during an academic term, unless he or she | 25 | | is serving federal active duty service.
| 26 | | (d) A qualified applicant who has been or is to be awarded |
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| 1 | | assistance under this Section shall receive that assistance if | 2 | | the qualified applicant notifies his or her postsecondary | 3 | | institution of that fact by the end of the school term for | 4 | | which assistance is requested. | 5 | | (e) Assistance under this Section is considered an | 6 | | entitlement that the State-controlled college or public | 7 | | community college in which the qualified applicant is enrolled | 8 | | shall honor without any condition other than the qualified | 9 | | applicant's maintenance of minimum grade levels and a | 10 | | satisfactory student loan repayment record pursuant to | 11 | | subsection (c) of Section 20 of this Act. | 12 | | (f) The Commission shall administer the grant program | 13 | | established by this Section and shall make all necessary and | 14 | | proper rules not inconsistent with this Section for its | 15 | | effective implementation. | 16 | | (g) All applications for assistance under this Section must | 17 | | be made to the Commission on forms that the Commission shall | 18 | | provide. The Commission shall determine the form of application | 19 | | and the information required to be set forth in the | 20 | | application, and the Commission shall require qualified | 21 | | applicants to submit with their applications any supporting | 22 | | documents that the Commission deems necessary. Upon request, | 23 | | the Department of Veterans' Affairs shall assist the Commission | 24 | | in determining the eligibility of applicants for assistance | 25 | | under this Section. | 26 | | (h) Assistance under this Section is available as long as |
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| 1 | | the federal government provides educational benefits to | 2 | | veterans. Assistance must not be paid under this Section after | 3 | | 6 months following the termination of educational benefits to | 4 | | veterans by the federal government, except for persons who | 5 | | already have begun their education with assistance under this | 6 | | Section. If the federal government terminates educational | 7 | | benefits to veterans and at a later time resumes those | 8 | | benefits, assistance under this Section shall resume.
| 9 | | (Source: P.A. 94-583, eff. 8-15-05.)
| 10 | | (110 ILCS 947/45)
| 11 | | Sec. 45. Illinois National Guard and Naval Militia grant | 12 | | program.
| 13 | | (a) As used in this Section:
| 14 | | "State controlled university or community college" means | 15 | | those
institutions under the administration of the Chicago | 16 | | State University Board
of Trustees, the Eastern Illinois | 17 | | University Board of Trustees, the Governors
State University | 18 | | Board of Trustees, the Illinois State University Board of
| 19 | | Trustees, the Northeastern Illinois University Board of | 20 | | Trustees, the Northern
Illinois University Board of Trustees, | 21 | | the Western Illinois University Board of
Trustees, Southern | 22 | | Illinois University
Board of Trustees, University of Illinois | 23 | | Board of Trustees, or the Illinois
Community College Board.
| 24 | | "Tuition and fees" means the charges assessed by a | 25 | | State-controlled university or community college to each and |
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| 1 | | every full-time student for each term, including, but not | 2 | | limited to, charges assessed for any course leading to an | 3 | | undergraduate degree. "Tuition and fees" shall not include | 4 | | expenses for any sectarian
or denominational instruction, the | 5 | | construction or maintenance of sectarian
or denominational | 6 | | facilities, or any other sectarian or denominational
purposes | 7 | | or activity.
| 8 | | "Fees" means matriculation, graduation, activity, term, or | 9 | | incidental fees.
Exemption shall not be granted from any other | 10 | | fees, including book rental,
service, laboratory, supply, and | 11 | | union building fees, hospital and medical
insurance fees, and | 12 | | any fees established for the operation and maintenance of
| 13 | | buildings, the income of which is pledged to the payment of | 14 | | interest and
principal on bonds issued by the governing board | 15 | | of any university or community
college.
| 16 | | (b) Any person who has served at least one
year in the
| 17 | | Illinois National Guard or the Illinois Naval Militia and who | 18 | | possesses all necessary
entrance requirements shall, upon | 19 | | application and proper proof, be
awarded a grant to the | 20 | | State-controlled university or community
college of his or her | 21 | | choice, consisting of exemption from tuition and
fees for not | 22 | | more than the equivalent of 4 years of full-time enrollment, | 23 | | including summer terms,
in relation to his or her course of | 24 | | study at that State controlled
university or community college | 25 | | while he or she is a member of the Illinois
National Guard or | 26 | | the Illinois Naval Militia. Beginning with the 2013-2014 |
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| 1 | | academic year, any person who has served over 10 years in the | 2 | | Illinois National Guard shall be awarded an additional grant to | 3 | | the State-controlled university or community college of his or | 4 | | her choice, consisting of an exemption from tuition and fees | 5 | | for not more than the equivalent of an additional 2 years of | 6 | | full-time enrollment, including summer terms. Except as | 7 | | otherwise provided in this Section, if the recipient of any | 8 | | grant awarded under this Section
ceases to be a member of the | 9 | | Illinois National Guard or the Illinois Naval Militia while | 10 | | enrolled in a
course of study under that grant, the grant shall | 11 | | be terminated as of the date
membership in the Illinois | 12 | | National Guard or the Illinois Naval Militia ended, and the | 13 | | recipient shall be
permitted to complete the school term in | 14 | | which he or she is then enrolled only
upon payment of tuition | 15 | | and other fees allocable to the part of the term then
| 16 | | remaining.
If the recipient of a grant awarded under this | 17 | | Section ceases to be a member of the Illinois National Guard or | 18 | | the Illinois Naval Militia while enrolled in a course of study | 19 | | under that grant but (i) has served in the Illinois National | 20 | | Guard or the Illinois Naval Militia for at least 5 years and | 21 | | (ii) has served a cumulative total of at least 6 months of | 22 | | active duty, then that recipient shall continue to be eligible | 23 | | for a grant for one year after membership in the Illinois | 24 | | National Guard or the Illinois Naval Militia ended, provided | 25 | | that the recipient has not already received the exemption from | 26 | | tuition and fees for the equivalent of 4 years of full-time |
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| 1 | | enrollment, including summer terms, under this Section. If the | 2 | | recipient of the grant fails to complete his or her
military
| 3 | | service obligations or requirements for satisfactory | 4 | | participation, the
Department of Military Affairs shall | 5 | | require the recipient to repay the amount
of the grant | 6 | | received, prorated according to the fraction of the service
| 7 | | obligation not completed, and, if applicable, reasonable | 8 | | collection fees. The
Department of Military Affairs may adopt | 9 | | rules relating to its
collection activities for repayment of | 10 | | the grant under this Section.
Unsatisfactory participation | 11 | | shall be defined by rules adopted
by the Department of Military | 12 | | Affairs. Repayments shall be deposited
in the National Guard | 13 | | and Naval Militia Grant Fund. The National Guard and Naval | 14 | | Militia Grant Fund is created as
a special fund in the State | 15 | | treasury. All money in the National Guard and Naval Militia
| 16 | | Grant
Fund shall be used, subject to appropriation, by the | 17 | | Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the purposes of this | 18 | | Section.
| 19 | | A grant awarded under this Section shall be considered an | 20 | | entitlement
which the State-controlled university or community | 21 | | college in which the
holder is enrolled shall honor without any | 22 | | condition other than the
holder's maintenance of minimum grade | 23 | | levels and a satisfactory student
loan repayment record | 24 | | pursuant to subsection (c) of Section 20 of this
Act.
| 25 | | (c) Subject to a separate appropriation for such purposes, | 26 | | the
Commission may reimburse the State-controlled university |
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| 1 | | or community
college for grants authorized by this Section.
| 2 | | (Source: P.A. 98-314, eff. 8-12-13.)
| 3 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 4 | | becoming law.
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