Public Act 094-0167
 		





SB0040 Enrolled
LRB094 04310 RSP 34337 b






    AN ACT concerning State government.

 
    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. Powers and duties. 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)
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)
2. Establish field offices and direct the 
    activities of the personnel
assigned to such offices;


        (3)
3. Create a volunteer field force of accredited 
    representatives,
representing educational institutions, 
    labor organizations, veterans
organizations, employers, 
    churches, and farm organizations;


        (4)
4. Conduct informational and training services;


        (5)
5. Conduct educational programs through 
    newspapers, periodicals and radio
for the specific purpose 
    of disseminating information affecting veterans
and their 
    dependents;


        (6)
6. Coordinate the services and activities of all 
    state departments having
services and resources affecting 
    veterans and their dependents;


        (7)
7. Encourage and assist in the coordination of 
    agencies within counties
giving service to veterans and 
    their dependents;


        (8)
8. Cooperate with veterans organizations and other 
    governmental agencies;


        (9)
9. Make, alter, amend and promulgate reasonable 
    rules and procedures for
the administration of this Act;


        (10)
10. Make and publish annual reports to the 
    Governor regarding the
administration and general 
    operation of the Department; and


        (11)
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; and
.
        (12) Conduct an annual review of the benefits received
    
    by Illinois veterans that compares benefits received by 
    Illinois
    veterans with the benefits received by veterans in 
    all other
  states and U.S. territories.  The required annual 
    review shall include,
  but not be limited to, (1) the 
    average benefit paid to individual
  veterans from Illinois, 
    in direct comparison to the average benefit
  paid to 
    individual veterans of each of the other states and U.S.
  
    territories; (2) the number of veterans receiving benefits 
    in Illinois
  for the first time during the year compared to 
    the number of claims
  filed by Illinois veterans during the 
    year; (3) the aggregate number
  of Illinois veterans 
    receiving benefits compared to the number
  of veterans from 
    each of the other states and U.S. territories
  receiving 
    benefits; and (4) a categorical analysis of the types
  of 
    injuries and disabilities for which benefits are being paid
    
    in Illinois and each of the other states and U.S. 
    territories.
    The benefits review shall be reported to the 
    Governor, the
    General Assembly, and the Illinois 
    Congressional delegation upon
  the completion of the report 
    each year.

    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 the Public Funds Investment Act, 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 
may make grants from these funds for the general benefit of

Illinois veterans.  Grants from these funds, except for the 
funds established
under Sections 2.01a and 2.03, shall be 
subject to appropriation.

    The Department has the power to make grants, from funds 
appropriated from
the
Korean War Veterans National Museum and 
Library Fund, to private organizations
for the benefit of the 
Korean War Veterans National Museum and Library.

    The Department has the power to make grants, from funds 
appropriated from the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund, for 
benefits authorized under the Survivors Compensation Act.

(Source: P.A. 92-198, eff. 8-1-01; 92-651, eff. 7-11-02; 
93-839, eff. 7-30-04.)

 

    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January 
1, 2006.