Full Text of HB4337 103rd General Assembly
HB4337 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024 HB4337 Introduced 1/16/2024, by Rep. Kevin Schmidt SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: | | | Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. In provisions concerning the Illinois Veteran Grant Program, provides that a person is a qualified applicant if, among other qualifications, the person returned to this State within one year (instead of 6 months) after leaving federal active duty service or, if married to a person in continued military service stationed outside this State, returned to this State within one year (instead of 6 months) after his or her spouse left service or was stationed within this State. |
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| | A BILL FOR |
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| 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 is | 5 | | amended by changing Section 40 as follows: | 6 | | (110 ILCS 947/40) | 7 | | Sec. 40. Illinois Veteran grant program. | 8 | | (a) As used in this Section: | 9 | | "Qualified applicant" means a person who served in the | 10 | | Armed Forces of the United States, a Reserve component of the | 11 | | Armed Forces, or the Illinois National Guard, excluding | 12 | | members of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and those | 13 | | whose only service has been attendance at a service academy, | 14 | | and who meets all of the qualifications of either paragraphs | 15 | | (1) through (4) or paragraphs (2), (3), and (5): | 16 | | (1) At the time of entering federal active duty | 17 | | service the person was one of the following: | 18 | | (A) An Illinois resident. | 19 | | (B) An Illinois resident within 6 months of | 20 | | entering such service. | 21 | | (C) Enrolled at a State-controlled university or | 22 | | public community college in this State. | 23 | | (2) The person meets one of the following |
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| 1 | | requirements: | 2 | | (A) He or she served at least one year of federal | 3 | | active duty. | 4 | | (B) He or she served less than one year of federal | 5 | | active duty and received an honorable discharge for | 6 | | medical reasons directly connected with such service. | 7 | | (C) He or she served less than one year of federal | 8 | | active duty and was discharged prior to August 11, | 9 | | 1967. | 10 | | (D) He or she served less than one year of federal | 11 | | active duty in a foreign country during a time of | 12 | | hostilities in that foreign country. | 13 | | (3) The person received an honorable discharge after | 14 | | leaving federal active duty service. | 15 | | (4) The person returned to this State within one year | 16 | | 6 months after leaving federal active duty service , or, if | 17 | | married to a person in continued military service | 18 | | stationed outside this State, returned to this State | 19 | | within one year 6 months after his or her spouse left | 20 | | service or was stationed within this State. | 21 | | (5) The person does not meet the requirements of | 22 | | paragraph (1), but (i) is a resident of Illinois at the | 23 | | time of application to the Commission and (ii) at some | 24 | | point after leaving federal active duty service, was a | 25 | | resident of Illinois for at least 15 consecutive years. | 26 | | "Time of hostilities" means any action by the Armed Forces |
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| 1 | | of the United States that is recognized by the issuance of a | 2 | | Presidential proclamation or a Presidential executive order | 3 | | and in which the Armed Forces expeditionary medal or other | 4 | | campaign service medals are awarded according to Presidential | 5 | | executive order. | 6 | | (b) A person who otherwise qualifies under subsection (a) | 7 | | of this Section but has not left federal active duty service | 8 | | and has served at least one year of federal active duty or has | 9 | | served for less than one year of federal active duty in a | 10 | | foreign country during a time of hostilities in that foreign | 11 | | country and who can provide documentation demonstrating an | 12 | | honorable service record is eligible to receive assistance | 13 | | under this Section. | 14 | | (c) A qualified applicant is not required to pay any | 15 | | tuition or mandatory fees while attending a State-controlled | 16 | | university or public community college in this State for a | 17 | | period that is equivalent to 4 years of full-time enrollment, | 18 | | including summer terms. | 19 | | A qualified applicant who has previously received benefits | 20 | | under this Section for a non-mandatory fee shall continue to | 21 | | receive benefits covering such fees while he or she is | 22 | | enrolled in a continuous program of study. The qualified | 23 | | applicant shall no longer receive a grant covering | 24 | | non-mandatory fees if he or she fails to enroll during an | 25 | | academic term, unless he or she is serving federal active duty | 26 | | service. |
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| 1 | | (d) A qualified applicant who has been or is to be awarded | 2 | | assistance under this Section shall receive that assistance if | 3 | | the qualified applicant notifies his or her postsecondary | 4 | | institution of that fact by the end of the school term for | 5 | | which assistance is requested. | 6 | | (e) Assistance under this Section is considered an | 7 | | entitlement that the State-controlled college or public | 8 | | community college in which the qualified applicant is enrolled | 9 | | shall honor without any condition other than the qualified | 10 | | applicant's maintenance of minimum grade levels and a | 11 | | satisfactory student loan repayment record pursuant to | 12 | | subsection (c) of Section 20 of this Act. | 13 | | (f) The Commission shall administer the grant program | 14 | | established by this Section and shall make all necessary and | 15 | | proper rules not inconsistent with this Section for its | 16 | | effective implementation. | 17 | | (g) All applications for assistance under this Section | 18 | | must be made to the Commission on forms that the Commission | 19 | | shall provide. The Commission shall determine the form of | 20 | | application and the information required to be set forth in | 21 | | the application, and the Commission shall require qualified | 22 | | applicants to submit with their applications any supporting | 23 | | documents that the Commission deems necessary. Upon request, | 24 | | the Department of Veterans' Affairs shall assist the | 25 | | Commission in determining the eligibility of applicants for | 26 | | assistance under this Section. |
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| 1 | | (h) Assistance under this Section is available as long as | 2 | | the federal government provides educational benefits to | 3 | | veterans. Assistance must not be paid under this Section after | 4 | | 6 months following the termination of educational benefits to | 5 | | veterans by the federal government, except for persons who | 6 | | already have begun their education with assistance under this | 7 | | Section. If the federal government terminates educational | 8 | | benefits to veterans and at a later time resumes those | 9 | | benefits, assistance under this Section shall resume. | 10 | | (Source: P.A. 101-334, eff. 8-9-19; 102-800, eff. 5-13-22.) |
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