Public Act 90-0142 of the 90th General Assembly
Public Act 90-0142
HB0028 Enrolled LRB9000702PTcw
AN ACT to amend the Department of Veterans Affairs Act by
changing Section 2.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Department of Veterans Affairs Act is
amended by changing Section 2 as follows:
(20 ILCS 2805/2) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 67)
Sec. 2. The Department shall have the following powers
and duties:
To perform such acts at the request of any veteran, or
his or her spouse, surviving spouse or dependents as shall be
reasonably necessary or reasonably incident to obtaining or
endeavoring to obtain for the requester any advantage,
benefit or emolument accruing or due to such person under any
law of the United States, the State of Illinois or any other
state or governmental agency by reason of the service of such
veteran, and in pursuance thereof shall:
1. Contact veterans, their survivors and dependents
and advise them of the benefits of state and federal laws
and assist them in obtaining such benefits;
2. Establish field offices and direct the
activities of the personnel assigned to such offices;
3. Create a volunteer field force of accredited
representatives, representing educational institutions,
labor organizations, veterans organizations, employers,
churches, and farm organizations;
4. Conduct informational and training services;
5. Conduct educational programs through newspapers,
periodicals and radio for the specific purpose of
disseminating information affecting veterans and their
dependents;
6. Coordinate the services and activities of all
state departments having services and resources affecting
veterans and their dependents;
7. Encourage and assist in the coordination of
agencies within counties giving service to veterans and
their dependents;
8. Cooperate with veterans organizations and other
governmental agencies;
9. Make, alter, amend and promulgate reasonable
rules and procedures for the administration of this Act;
and
10. Make and publish annual reports to the Governor
regarding the administration and general operation of the
Department.
11. Encourage the State to implement more programs
to address the wide range of issues faced by Persian Gulf
War Veterans, especially those who took part in combat,
by creating an official commission to further study
Persian Gulf War Diseases. The commission shall consist
of 9 members appointed as follows: the Speaker and
Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and the
President and Minority Leader of the Senate shall each
appoint one member from the General Assembly, the
Governor shall appoint 4 members to represent veterans'
organizations, and the Department shall appoint one
member. The commission members shall serve without
compensation.
The Department may accept and hold on behalf of the
State, if for the public interest, a grant, gift, devise or
bequest of money or property to the Department made for the
general benefit of Illinois veterans, including the conduct
of informational and training services by the Department and
other authorized purposes of the Department. The Department
shall cause each grant, gift, devise or bequest to be kept as
a distinct fund and shall invest such funds in the manner
provided by "An Act relating to certain investments of public
funds by public agencies", approved July 23, 1943, as now or
hereafter amended, and shall make such reports as may be
required by the Comptroller concerning what funds are so held
and the manner in which such funds are invested.
The Department has the power to make grants, from funds
appropriated from the Korean War Memorial Fund, to private
organizations, including the Korean Memorial Association of
Illinois, for the costs of erecting a Korean War Memorial in
Illinois.
(Source: P.A. 88-160; 88-666, eff. 9-16-94.)