State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

   [ Search ]   [ PDF text ]   [ Legislation ]   
[ Home ]   [ Back ]   [ Bottom ]


[ Engrossed ][ Senate Amendment 001 ]


92_HB5514

 
                                               LRB9211518ACcd

 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
 5    is amended by changing Section 40 as follows:

 6        (110 ILCS 947/40)
 7        Sec.  40.  Veteran  grant;  availability of benefits. Any
 8    person who served in the armed forces of the  United  States,
 9    not including members of the Student Army Training Corps, who
10    at  the  time of entering service was an Illinois resident or
11    was an Illinois resident within 6  months  of  entering  such
12    service,  and  who returned to Illinois within 6 months after
13    leaving service or, if  married  to  a  person  in  continued
14    military  service stationed outside Illinois, within 6 months
15    after his  or  her  spouse  has  left  service  or  has  been
16    stationed   within  Illinois,  and  who  has  been  honorably
17    discharged from such service, and who possesses all necessary
18    entrance requirements shall, except as otherwise provided  in
19    this  Act,  upon  application and proper proof, be awarded an
20    Illinois Veteran Grant consisting  of  the  equivalent  of  4
21    calendar  years  of  full-time  enrollment,  including summer
22    terms, to  the  State-controlled  college  or  university  or
23    community  college of his choice. Such veterans shall also be
24    entitled, upon proper proof and application, to enroll in any
25    extension course offered by  a  State-controlled  college  or
26    university  or  community  college  without  the  payment  of
27    tuition or fees.
28        Any  veteran  who  so  served,  and  who,  at the time of
29    entering such service, was a student  at  a  State-controlled
30    college  or  university  or  community  college,  and who was
31    honorably  discharged  from   such   service,   shall,   upon
 
                            -2-                LRB9211518ACcd
 1    application  and  proper  proof  be  awarded  a Veteran Grant
 2    entitling  him  to  complete  his  course  of  study  at  any
 3    State-controlled college or university or  community  college
 4    of  his  choice,  but  shall  not  be  entitled  to  a  grant
 5    consisting of more than the equivalent of 4 calendar years of
 6    full-time enrollment including summer sessions.
 7        Any  member  of the armed forces of the United States who
 8    either (i) has served in such armed forces at least one year,
 9    or (ii) has served in the armed forces of the  United  States
10    for  less than one year in a time of hostilities in a foreign
11    country, and who would be qualified for a  grant  under  this
12    Section  if he had been discharged from such service shall be
13    eligible to receive a Veteran Grant under this Section.
14        The holder of a Veteran  Grant  to  the  State-controlled
15    college  or  university or community college of his choice as
16    authorized under this Section shall not be  required  to  pay
17    any  matriculation  or  application fees, tuition, activities
18    fees, graduation fees,  or  other  fees  except  multipurpose
19    building fees or similar fees for supplies and materials.
20        Any  veteran  who  has been or shall be awarded a Veteran
21    Grant  shall  be  reimbursed  by  the  appropriate   college,
22    university,  or  community  college for any fees which he has
23    paid and for which exemption is granted under  this  Section,
24    if  application  for  reimbursement  is  made within 2 months
25    following the school term for which the fees were paid.
26        A Veteran Grant shall be considered an entitlement  which
27    the  State-controlled  college  or  university  or  community
28    college  in  which the holder is enrolled shall honor without
29    any condition other than the holder's maintenance of  minimum
30    grade levels and a satisfactory student loan repayment record
31    pursuant to subsection (c) of Section 20.
32        A  grant  authorized  under  this  Section  shall  not be
33    awarded to veterans who received a discharge from  the  armed
34    forces of the United States under dishonorable conditions, or
 
                            -3-                LRB9211518ACcd
 1    to  any  veteran  whose service with the armed forces was for
 2    less than one year unless he received an honorable  discharge
 3    from such service for medical reasons directly connected with
 4    such  service,  except for those veterans discharged prior to
 5    August 11, 1967 whose service may be for less than one  year,
 6    and  except  for  those  veterans  (i) who serve in the armed
 7    forces of the United States for less than one year in a  time
 8    of  hostilities  in a foreign country and (ii) who receive an
 9    honorable discharge.
10        The amounts  that  become  due  to  any  State-controlled
11    college  or  university or community college shall be payable
12    by the Comptroller to that institution on  vouchers  approved
13    by   the  Commission.   The  Commission,  or  its  designated
14    representative  at  that  institution,  shall  determine  the
15    eligibility of the  persons  who  make  application  for  the
16    benefits  provided  for  in  this Section.  The Department of
17    Veterans' Affairs shall assist the Commission in  determining
18    the  eligibility  of  applicants.   On  July  29,  1986,  the
19    Illinois  Department  of Veterans' Affairs shall transfer and
20    deliver  to  the  Commission  all  books,  records,   papers,
21    documents,  applications  and  pending  business  in  any way
22    pertaining to  the  duties,  responsibilities  and  authority
23    theretofore exercised or performed by the Illinois Department
24    of Veterans' Affairs under and pursuant to Section 4.1 of the
25    Department of Veterans Affairs Act.
26        The  benefits  provided  for  in  this  Section  shall be
27    available  as  long  as  the  federal   government   provides
28    educational  benefits to veterans.  No benefits shall be paid
29    under this Section, except  for  veterans  who  already  have
30    begun  their  education  under  this  Section, after 6 months
31    following the termination of educational benefits to veterans
32    by  the  federal  government.   If  the  federal   government
33    terminates  educational  benefits  to veterans and at a later
34    time resumes those benefits, the  benefits  of  this  Section
 
                            -4-                LRB9211518ACcd
 1    shall resume.
 2        As  used  in  this  Section,  "time  of  hostilities in a
 3    foreign country" means any action by the armed forces of  the
 4    United  States  that  is  recognized  by  the  issuance  of a
 5    Presidential proclamation or a Presidential  executive  order
 6    and  in  which  the armed forces expeditionary medal or other
 7    campaign service medals are awarded according to Presidential
 8    executive order.
 9    (Source: P.A. 90-752, eff. 8-14-98; 91-496, eff. 8-13-99.)

[ Top ]