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92_HB0154eng HB0154 Engrossed LRB9200699NTks 1 AN ACT concerning scholarships. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing 5 Section 30-14.2 as follows: 6 (105 ILCS 5/30-14.2) (from Ch. 122, par. 30-14.2) 7 Sec. 30-14.2. MIA/POW scholarships. 8 (a) Any spouse, natural child, legally adopted child, or 9 any step-child of an eligible veteran or serviceperson who 10 possesses all necessary entrance requirements shall, upon 11 application and proper proof, be awarded a State of Illinois 12 MIA/POW Scholarship consisting of the equivalent of 4 13 calendar years of full-time enrollment including summer 14 terms, to the state supported Illinois institution of higher 15 learning of his or her choice, subject to the restrictions 16 listed in this Sectionbelow. However, if the spouse or child 17 of an eligible veteran or serviceperson has received a 18 similar higher educational benefit from another state prior 19 to applying for a State of Illinois MIA/POW Scholarship, the 20 amount of time that the spouse or child received the higher 21 educational benefit from the other state shall be subtracted 22 from the 4 calendar years of full-time enrollment that the 23 State of Illinois MIA/POW Scholarship offers. 24 "Eligible veteran or serviceperson" means any veteran or 25 serviceperson who has been declared by the U. S. Department 26 of Defense or the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs to be 27 a prisoner of war, be missing in action, have died as the 28 result of a service-connected disability or be permanently 29 disabled from service-connected causes with 100% disability 30and who at the time of entering service was an Illinois31resident or was an Illinois resident within 6 months ofHB0154 Engrossed -2- LRB9200699NTks 1entering such service. 2 Full-time enrollment means 12 or more semester hours of 3 courses per semester, or 12 or more quarter hours of courses 4 per quarter, or the equivalent thereof per term. 5 Scholarships utilized by dependents enrolled in less than 6 full-time study shall be computed in the proportion which the 7 number of hours so carried bears to full-time enrollment. 8 Scholarships awarded under this Section may be used by a 9 spouse or child without regard to his or her age. To qualify 10 for a State of Illinois MIA/POW Scholarship, (i) the eligible 11 veteran or serviceperson must have been a resident of the 12 State of Illinois at the time of entering service, within 6 13 months of entering such service, or at the time of death or 14 (ii) the veteran or serviceperson or the spouse or child of 15 the veteran or serviceperson must be a resident of the State 16 of Illinois at the time of application. The holder of a 17 Scholarship awarded under this Section shall be subject to 18 all examinations and academic standards, including the 19 maintenance of minimum grade levels, that are applicable 20 generally to other enrolled students at the Illinois 21 institution of higher learning where the Scholarship is being 22 used. If athesurviving spouse remarries or if there is a 23 divorce between the veteran or serviceperson and his or her 24 spouse while the spousedependentis pursuing his or her 25 course of study, the spouse's Scholarship benefits will be 26 terminated at the end of the term for which he or she is 27 presently enrolled.SuchDependents shall also be entitled, 28 upon proper proof and application, to enroll in any extension 29 course offered by a State supported Illinois institution of 30 higher learning without payment of tuition and approved fees. 31 The holder of a State of Illinois MIA/POW Scholarship 32 authorized under this Section shall not be required to pay 33 any matriculation or application fees, tuition, activities 34 fees, graduation fees or other fees, except multipurpose HB0154 Engrossed -3- LRB9200699NTks 1 building fees or similar fees for supplies and materials. 2 Any dependent who has been or shall be awarded a State of 3 Illinois MIA/POW Scholarship shall be reimbursed by the 4 appropriate institution of higher learning for any fees which 5 he or she has paid and for which exemption is granted under 6 this Section if application for reimbursement is made within 7 2 months following the end of the school term for which the 8 fees were paid. 9 (b) In lieu of the benefit provided in subsection (a), 10 any spouse, natural child, legally adopted child, or 11 step-child of an eligible veteran or serviceperson, which 12 spouse or child has a physical, mental or developmental 13 disability, shall be entitled to receive, upon application 14 and proper proof, a benefit to be used for the purpose of 15 defraying the cost of the attendance or treatment of such 16 spouse or child at one or more appropriate therapeutic, 17 rehabilitative or educational facilities. The application 18 and proof may be made by the parent or legal guardian of the 19 spouse or child on his or her behalf. 20 The total benefit provided to any beneficiary under this 21 subsection shall not exceed the cost equivalent of 4 calendar 22 years of full-time enrollment, including summer terms, at the 23 University of Illinois. Whenever practicable in the opinion 24 of the Department of Veterans' Affairs, payment of benefits 25 under this subsection shall be made directly to the facility, 26 the cost of attendance or treatment at which is being 27 defrayed, as such costs accrue. 28 (c) The benefits of this Section shall be administered 29 by and paid for out of funds made available to the Illinois 30 Department of Veterans' Affairs. The amounts that become due 31 to any state supported Illinois institution of higher 32 learning shall be payable by the Comptroller to such 33 institution on vouchers approved by the Illinois Department 34 of Veterans' Affairs. The amounts that become due under HB0154 Engrossed -4- LRB9200699NTks 1 subsection (b) of this Section shall be payable by warrant 2 upon vouchers issued by the Illinois Department of Veterans' 3 Affairs and approved by the Comptroller. The Illinois 4 Department of Veterans' Affairs shall determine the 5 eligibility of the persons who make application for the 6 benefits provided for in this Section. 7 (Source: P.A. 89-267, eff. 1-1-96.)