Public Act 096-1415 Public Act 1415 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
Public Act 096-1415 | SB3630 Enrolled | LRB096 20415 MJR 36159 b |
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| AN ACT concerning education.
| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| represented in the General Assembly:
| Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section | 30-14.2 as follows:
| (105 ILCS 5/30-14.2) (from Ch. 122, par. 30-14.2)
| Sec. 30-14.2. MIA/POW scholarships.
| (a) Any spouse, natural child, legally adopted child, or | any
step-child of an eligible veteran or serviceperson who | possesses all necessary
entrance requirements shall, upon | application and proper proof, be awarded
a MIA/POW Scholarship | consisting of the equivalent of 4 calendar years of
full-time | enrollment including summer terms, to the state supported
| Illinois institution of higher learning of his choice, subject | to the
restrictions listed below.
| "Eligible veteran or serviceperson" means any veteran or | serviceperson, including an Illinois National Guard member who | is on active duty or is active on a training assignment,
who | has been declared by the U. S. Department of Defense or the
| U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs to be a prisoner of war, | be missing
in action, have died as the result of a | service-connected disability or be
permanently disabled from | service-connected causes with 100% disability and
who (i) at |
| the time of entering service was an Illinois resident , (ii) or | was an
Illinois resident within 6 months after of entering such | service , or (iii) until July 1, 2014, became an Illinois | resident within 6 months after leaving the service and can | establish at least 30 years of continuous residency in the | State of Illinois .
| Full-time enrollment means 12 or more semester hours of | courses per semester,
or 12 or more quarter hours of courses | per quarter, or the equivalent thereof
per term. Scholarships | utilized by dependents enrolled in less than full-time
study | shall be computed in the proportion which the number of hours | so carried
bears to full-time enrollment.
| Scholarships awarded under this Section may be used by a | spouse or child
without regard to his or her age. The holder of | a Scholarship
awarded under this Section shall be subject to | all examinations and academic
standards, including the | maintenance of minimum grade levels, that are
applicable | generally to other enrolled students at the Illinois | institution of
higher learning where the Scholarship is being | used.
If the surviving spouse
remarries or if there is a | divorce between the veteran or serviceperson and
his or her | spouse while the dependent is pursuing his or her course of
| study, Scholarship benefits will be terminated at the end of | the term for
which he or she is presently enrolled. Such | dependents shall also be
entitled, upon proper proof and | application, to enroll in any extension
course offered by a |
| State supported Illinois institution of higher learning
| without payment of tuition and approved fees.
| The holder of a MIA/POW Scholarship authorized under this | Section shall
not be required to pay any matriculation or | application fees, tuition,
activities fees, graduation fees or | other fees, except multipurpose
building fees or similar fees | for supplies and materials.
| Any dependent who has been or shall be awarded a MIA/POW | Scholarship shall
be reimbursed by the appropriate institution | of higher learning for any
fees which he or she has paid and | for which exemption is granted under this
Section if | application for reimbursement is made within 2 months following
| the end of the school term for which the fees were paid.
| (b) In lieu of the benefit provided in subsection (a), any | spouse,
natural child, legally adopted child, or step-child of | an eligible veteran
or serviceperson, which spouse or child has | a physical, mental or
developmental disability, shall be | entitled to receive, upon application and
proper proof, a | benefit to be used for the purpose of defraying the cost of
the | attendance or treatment of such spouse or child at one or more
| appropriate therapeutic, rehabilitative or educational | facilities. The
application and proof may be made by the parent | or legal guardian of the
spouse or child on his or her behalf.
| The total benefit provided to any beneficiary under this | subsection shall
not exceed the cost equivalent of 4 calendar | years of full-time enrollment,
including summer terms, at the |
| University of Illinois. Whenever
practicable in the opinion of | the Department of Veterans' Affairs, payment
of benefits under | this subsection shall be made directly to the facility,
the | cost of attendance or treatment at which is being defrayed, as | such
costs accrue.
| (c) The benefits of this Section shall be administered by | and paid for out
of funds made available to the Illinois | Department of Veterans' Affairs.
The amounts that become due to | any state supported Illinois institution of
higher learning | shall be payable by the Comptroller to such institution on
| vouchers approved by the Illinois Department of Veterans' | Affairs. The
amounts that become due under subsection (b) of | this Section shall be
payable by warrant upon vouchers issued | by the Illinois Department of
Veterans' Affairs and approved by | the Comptroller. The Illinois Department
of Veterans' Affairs | shall determine the eligibility of the persons
who make | application for the benefits provided for in this Section.
| (Source: P.A. 93-825, eff. 7-28-04.)
| Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, | 2010.
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Effective Date: 7/30/2010
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