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90_HB2643sam001
LRB9008547SMdvam02
1 AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 2643
2 AMENDMENT NO. . Amend House Bill 2643 on page 1, by
3 replacing lines 1 and 2 with the following:
4 "AN ACT regarding veterans."; and
5 on page 1, by replacing line 5 with the following:
6 "Section 5. The State Commemorative Dates Act is amended
7 by adding Sections 100 and 105 as follows:
8 (5 ILCS 490/100 new)
9 Sec. 100. Korean War Armistice Day. The 27th day of July
10 of each year is designated Korean War Armistice Day to be
11 observed throughout the State as a day to honor and remember
12 the men and women of this State who served so valiantly in
13 the cause of freedom.
14 (5 ILCS 490/105 new)
15 Sec. 105. POW/MIA Recognition Day. The third Friday of
16 September in each year is designated as POW/MIA Recognition
17 Day to be observed throughout the State as a day in honor and
18 remembrance of the men and women of this State who were
19 recognized as POWs or MIAs while serving with the armed
20 forces of the United States in a time of war or during a
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1 period of hostilities.
2 Section 10. The Department of Veterans Affairs Act is
3 amended by changing Section 2.01a and adding Section 10 as
4 follows:
5 (20 ILCS 2805/2.01a) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 67.01a)
6 Sec. 2.01a. Members benefit fund; personal property. The
7 Department shall direct the expenditure of all money which
8 has been or may be received by any officer of an Illinois
9 Veterans Home including profit on sales from commissary
10 stores. The money shall be deposited into the members benefit
11 fund and expenditures from the fund shall be made under the
12 direction of the Department for the special comfort,
13 pleasure, and amusement of residents and employees, provided
14 that amounts expended for comfort, pleasure, and amusement of
15 employees shall not exceed the amount of profits derived from
16 sales made to employees by such commissaries, as determined
17 by the Department.
18 Money received as interest and income on funds deposited
19 for residents of an Illinois Veterans Home operated by the
20 Department of Veterans' Affairs shall be placed in the
21 members benefit fund and expenditures from the fund may not
22 be used to supplement a shortfall in the ordinary and
23 contingent operating expenses of the Home and shall be
24 expended only for the special comfort, pleasure, and
25 amusement of the residents. If home residents choose to hold
26 savings accounts or other investments outside the Home,
27 interest or income on the individual savings accounts or
28 investments of residents shall not be so expended, but shall
29 accrue to the individual accounts of the residents.
30 Any money belonging to residents separated by death,
31 discharge, or unauthorized absence from an Illinois Veterans
32 Home, in custody of officers thereof, may, if unclaimed by
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1 the resident or the legal representatives thereof for a
2 period of 2 years, be expended at the direction of the
3 Department for the purposes and in the manner specified
4 above. Articles of personal property, with the exception of
5 clothing left in the custody of officers, shall, if unclaimed
6 for the period of 2 years, be sold and the money disposed of
7 in the same manner.
8 Clothing left at a Home by residents at the time of
9 separation may be used as determined by the Home if unclaimed
10 by the resident or legal representatives thereof within 30
11 days after notification.
12 (Source: P.A. 89-324, eff. 8-13-95; 90-168, eff. 7-23-97.)
13 (20 ILCS 2805/10 new)
14 Sec. 10. Long term care bed space study. The Department
15 of Veterans Affairs shall study the feasibility of the State
16 of Illinois using existing United States Department of
17 Veterans Affairs long-term care bed space to meet the future
18 long-term care needs of the State's veterans. The Department
19 shall issue a final report to the Governor and General
20 Assembly by July 1, 1999.
21 Section 15. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act
22 is amended by changing Section 40 as follows:
23 (110 ILCS 947/40)
24 Sec. 40. Veteran grant. Any person who served in the
25 armed forces of the United States, not including members of
26 the Student Army Training Corps, who at the time of entering
27 service was an Illinois resident or was an Illinois resident
28 within 6 months of entering such service, and who returned to
29 Illinois within 6 months after leaving service or, if married
30 to a person in continued military service stationed outside
31 Illinois, within 6 months after his or her spouse has left
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1 service or has been stationed within Illinois, and who has
2 been honorably discharged from such service, and who
3 possesses all necessary entrance requirements shall, except
4 as otherwise provided in this Act, upon application and
5 proper proof, be awarded an Illinois Veteran Grant consisting
6 of the equivalent of 4 calendar years of full-time
7 enrollment, including summer terms, to the State-controlled
8 college or university or community college of his choice.
9 Such veterans shall also be entitled, upon proper proof and
10 application, to enroll in any extension course offered by a
11 State-controlled college or university or community college
12 without the payment of tuition or fees.
13 Any veteran who so served, and who, at the time of
14 entering such service, was a student at a State-controlled
15 college or university or community college, and who was
16 honorably discharged from such service, shall, upon
17 application and proper proof be awarded a Veteran Grant
18 entitling him to complete his course of study at any
19 State-controlled college or university or community college
20 of his choice, but shall not be entitled to a grant
21 consisting of more than the equivalent of 4 calendar years of
22 full-time enrollment including summer sessions.
23 Any member of the armed forces of the United States who
24 either (i) has served in such armed forces at least one year,
25 or (ii) has served in whose service with the armed forces of
26 the United States is for less than one year in a time of
27 hostilities in a foreign country but includes active military
28 duty, including service in the Persian Gulf War or in
29 military operations to aid Somalia, with the armed forces of
30 the United States, and who would be qualified for a grant
31 under this Section if he had been discharged from such
32 service shall be eligible to receive a Veteran Grant under
33 this Section.
34 The holder of a Veteran Grant to the State-controlled
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1 college or university or community college of his choice as
2 authorized under this Section shall not be required to pay
3 any matriculation or application fees, tuition, activities
4 fees, graduation fees, or other fees except multipurpose
5 building fees or similar fees for supplies and materials.
6 Any veteran who has been or shall be awarded a Veteran
7 Grant shall be reimbursed by the appropriate college,
8 university, or community college for any fees which he has
9 paid and for which exemption is granted under this Section,
10 if application for reimbursement is made within 3 months
11 following the school term for which the fees were paid.
12 A Veteran Grant shall be considered an entitlement which
13 the State-controlled college or university or community
14 college in which the holder is enrolled shall honor without
15 any condition other than the holder's maintenance of minimum
16 grade levels and a satisfactory student loan repayment record
17 pursuant to subsection (c) of Section 20.
18 A grant authorized under this Section shall not be
19 awarded to veterans who received a discharge from the armed
20 forces of the United States under dishonorable conditions, or
21 to any veteran whose service with the armed forces was for
22 less than one year unless he received an honorable discharge
23 from such service for medical reasons directly connected with
24 such service, except for those veterans discharged prior to
25 August 11, 1967 whose service may be for less than one year,
26 and except for those veterans (i) who serve in whose service
27 with the armed forces of the United States is for less than
28 one year in a time of hostilities in a foreign country but
29 includes active military duty, including service in the
30 Persian Gulf War or in military operations to aid Somalia,
31 with the armed forces of the United States, and (ii) who
32 receive an honorable discharge.
33 The amounts that become due to any State-controlled
34 college or university or community college shall be payable
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1 by the Comptroller to that institution on vouchers approved
2 by the Commission. The Commission, or its designated
3 representative at that institution, shall determine the
4 eligibility of the persons who make application for the
5 benefits provided for in this Section. The Department of
6 Veterans' Affairs shall assist the Commission in determining
7 the eligibility of applicants. On July 29, 1986, the
8 Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs shall transfer and
9 deliver to the Commission all books, records, papers,
10 documents, applications and pending business in any way
11 pertaining to the duties, responsibilities and authority
12 theretofore exercised or performed by the Illinois Department
13 of Veterans' Affairs under and pursuant to Section 4.1 of the
14 Department of Veterans Affairs Act.
15 The benefits provided for in this Section shall be
16 available as long as the federal government provides
17 educational benefits to veterans. No benefits shall be paid
18 under this Section, except for veterans who already have
19 begun their education under this Section, after 6 months
20 following the termination of educational benefits to veterans
21 by the federal government. If the federal government
22 terminates educational benefits to veterans and at a later
23 time resumes those benefits, the benefits of this Section
24 shall resume.
25 As used in this Section, "time of hostilities in a
26 foreign country" means any action by the armed forces of the
27 United States that is recognized by the issuance of a
28 Presidential proclamation or a Presidential executive order
29 and in which the armed forces expeditionary medal or other
30 campaign service medals are awarded according to Presidential
31 executive order.
32 (Source: P.A. 87-895; 87-997; 88-179.)
33 Section 20. The Veterans Burial Places Act is amended
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1 by"; and
2 on page 1, line 13 and 17, by replacing "or monument company
3 official" each time it appears with "or monument company
4 official".