Full Text of HB2187 101st General Assembly
HB2187 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020 HB2187 Introduced , by Rep. Natalie A. Manley SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: |
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Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Expands the applicability of the Illinois Veteran grant program to a qualified applicant who is enrolled in a private business and vocational school in this State (rather than only to a qualified applicant who is enrolled in a State-controlled university or public community college in this State). Provides that if a qualified applicant is enrolled in a private business and vocational school in this State, he or she must, subject to the conditions of the grant program, receive a grant in an amount sufficient to pay the tuition and fees of that school for a period that is equivalent to 4 years of full-time enrollment, including summer terms. Effective immediately.
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| | | FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY | |
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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 | | "Private business and vocational school" has the meaning | 10 | | given to that term under Section 15 of the Private Business and | 11 | | Vocational Schools Act of 2012. | 12 | | "Qualified applicant" means a person who served in the | 13 | | Armed Forces of the United States, a Reserve component of the | 14 | | Armed Forces, or the Illinois National Guard, excluding members | 15 | | of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and those whose only | 16 | | service has been attendance at a service academy, and who meets | 17 | | all of the following qualifications: | 18 | | (1) At the time of entering federal active duty service | 19 | | the person was one of the following: | 20 | | (A) An Illinois resident. | 21 | | (B) An Illinois resident within 6 months of | 22 | | entering such service. | 23 | | (C) Enrolled at a State-controlled university , or |
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| 1 | | public community college in this State , or private | 2 | | business and vocational school in this State . | 3 | | (2) The person meets one of the following requirements: | 4 | | (A) He or she served at least one year of federal | 5 | | active duty. | 6 | | (B) He or she served less than one year of federal | 7 | | active duty and received an honorable discharge for | 8 | | medical reasons directly connected with such service. | 9 | | (C) He or she served less than one year of federal | 10 | | active duty and was discharged prior to August 11, | 11 | | 1967. | 12 | | (D) He or she served less than one year of federal | 13 | | active duty in a foreign country during a time of | 14 | | hostilities in that foreign country. | 15 | | (3) The person received an honorable discharge after | 16 | | leaving each period of federal active duty service. | 17 | | (4) The person returned to this State within 6 months | 18 | | after leaving federal active duty service, or, if married | 19 | | to a person in continued military service stationed outside | 20 | | this State, returned to this State within 6 months after | 21 | | his or her spouse left service or was stationed within this | 22 | | State. | 23 | | "Time of hostilities" means any action by the Armed Forces | 24 | | of the United States that is recognized by the issuance of a | 25 | | Presidential proclamation or a Presidential executive order | 26 | | and in which the Armed Forces expeditionary medal or other |
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| 1 | | campaign service medals are awarded according to Presidential | 2 | | executive order. | 3 | | (b) A person who otherwise qualifies under subsection (a) | 4 | | of this Section but has not left federal active duty service | 5 | | and has served at least one year of federal active duty or has | 6 | | served for less than one year of federal active duty in a | 7 | | foreign country during a time of hostilities in that foreign | 8 | | country and who can provide documentation demonstrating an | 9 | | honorable service record is eligible to receive assistance | 10 | | under this Section. | 11 | | (c) A qualified applicant is not required to pay any | 12 | | tuition or mandatory fees while attending a State-controlled | 13 | | university or public community college in this State for a | 14 | | period that is equivalent to 4 years of full-time enrollment, | 15 | | including summer terms. If a qualified applicant is enrolled in | 16 | | a private business and vocational school in this State, he or | 17 | | she must, subject to the conditions under subsection (e), | 18 | | receive a grant under this Section in an amount sufficient to | 19 | | pay the tuition and mandatory fees of that school for a period | 20 | | that is equivalent to 4 years of full-time enrollment, | 21 | | including summer terms, but in no event may that grant amount | 22 | | exceed the average tuition and mandatory fees for students at | 23 | | State-controlled universities for that period, as calculated | 24 | | by the Commission. | 25 | | A qualified applicant who has previously received benefits | 26 | | under this Section for a non-mandatory fee shall continue to |
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| 1 | | receive benefits covering such fees while he or she is enrolled | 2 | | in a continuous program of study. The qualified applicant shall | 3 | | no longer receive a grant covering non-mandatory fees if he or | 4 | | she fails to enroll during an academic term, unless he or she | 5 | | is serving federal active duty service.
| 6 | | (d) A qualified applicant who has been or is to be awarded | 7 | | assistance under this Section shall receive that assistance if | 8 | | the qualified applicant notifies his or her postsecondary | 9 | | institution of that fact by the end of the school term for | 10 | | which assistance is requested. | 11 | | (e) Assistance under this Section is considered an | 12 | | entitlement that the State-controlled college or public | 13 | | community college in which the qualified applicant is enrolled | 14 | | shall honor without any condition other than the qualified | 15 | | applicant's maintenance of minimum grade levels and a | 16 | | satisfactory student loan repayment record pursuant to | 17 | | subsection (c) of Section 20 of this Act. | 18 | | (f) The Commission shall administer the grant program | 19 | | established by this Section and shall make all necessary and | 20 | | proper rules not inconsistent with this Section for its | 21 | | effective implementation. | 22 | | (g) All applications for assistance under this Section must | 23 | | be made to the Commission on forms that the Commission shall | 24 | | provide. The Commission shall determine the form of application | 25 | | and the information required to be set forth in the | 26 | | application, and the Commission shall require qualified |
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| 1 | | applicants to submit with their applications any supporting | 2 | | documents that the Commission deems necessary. Upon request, | 3 | | the Department of Veterans' Affairs shall assist the Commission | 4 | | in determining the eligibility of applicants for assistance | 5 | | under this Section. | 6 | | (h) Assistance under this Section is available as long as | 7 | | the federal government provides educational benefits to | 8 | | veterans. Assistance must not be paid under this Section after | 9 | | 6 months following the termination of educational benefits to | 10 | | veterans by the federal government, except for persons who | 11 | | already have begun their education with assistance under this | 12 | | Section. If the federal government terminates educational | 13 | | benefits to veterans and at a later time resumes those | 14 | | benefits, assistance under this Section shall resume.
| 15 | | (Source: P.A. 94-583, eff. 8-15-05.)
| 16 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 17 | | becoming law.
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