Full Text of HB2580 102nd General Assembly
HB2580 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022 HB2580 Introduced 2/19/2021, by Rep. Mike Murphy SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: |
| 105 ILCS 5/30-14.2 | from Ch. 122, par. 30-14.2 |
|
Amends the Scholarships Article of the School Code. With respect to MIA/POW scholarships, expands the definition of "eligible veteran or serviceperson" to include any veteran or serviceperson who has been awarded the Purple Heart Medal.
|
| |
| | | FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY | |
| | A BILL FOR |
|
| | | HB2580 | | LRB102 11411 CMG 16744 b |
|
| 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 School Code is amended by changing Section | 5 | | 30-14.2 as follows:
| 6 | | (105 ILCS 5/30-14.2) (from Ch. 122, par. 30-14.2)
| 7 | | Sec. 30-14.2. MIA/POW and Purple Heart scholarships.
| 8 | | (a) Any spouse, natural child, legally adopted child, or
| 9 | | step-child of an eligible veteran or serviceperson who | 10 | | possesses all necessary
entrance requirements shall, upon | 11 | | application and proper proof, be awarded
a MIA/POW and Purple | 12 | | Heart Scholarship consisting of the equivalent of 4 calendar | 13 | | years of
full-time enrollment including summer terms, to the | 14 | | state supported
Illinois institution of higher learning of his | 15 | | choice, subject to the
restrictions listed below.
| 16 | | "Eligible veteran or serviceperson" means any veteran or | 17 | | serviceperson, including an Illinois National Guard member who | 18 | | is on active duty or is active on a training assignment,
who | 19 | | has been awarded the Purple Heart Medal or has been declared by | 20 | | the U.S. Department of Defense or the
U.S. Department of | 21 | | Veterans Affairs to be a prisoner of war, be missing
in action, | 22 | | have died as the result of a service-connected disability , or | 23 | | have become a person with a permanent disability from |
| | | HB2580 | - 2 - | LRB102 11411 CMG 16744 b |
|
| 1 | | service-connected causes with 100% disability and
who (i) at | 2 | | the time of entering service was an Illinois resident, (ii) | 3 | | was an
Illinois resident within 6 months after entering such | 4 | | service, or (iii) is a resident of Illinois at the time of | 5 | | application for the Scholarship and, at some point after | 6 | | leaving such service, was a resident of Illinois for at least | 7 | | 15 consecutive years.
| 8 | | Full-time enrollment means 12 or more semester hours of | 9 | | courses per semester,
or 12 or more quarter hours of courses | 10 | | per quarter, or the equivalent thereof
per term. Scholarships | 11 | | utilized by dependents enrolled in less than full-time
study | 12 | | shall be computed in the proportion which the number of hours | 13 | | so carried
bears to full-time enrollment.
| 14 | | Scholarships awarded under this Section may be used by a | 15 | | spouse or child
without regard to his or her age. The holder of | 16 | | a Scholarship
awarded under this Section shall be subject to | 17 | | all examinations and academic
standards, including the | 18 | | maintenance of minimum grade levels, that are
applicable | 19 | | generally to other enrolled students at the Illinois | 20 | | institution of
higher learning where the Scholarship is being | 21 | | used.
If the surviving spouse
remarries or if there is a | 22 | | divorce between the veteran or serviceperson and
his or her | 23 | | spouse while the dependent is pursuing his or her course of
| 24 | | study, Scholarship benefits will be terminated at the end of | 25 | | the term for
which he or she is presently enrolled. Such | 26 | | dependents shall also be
entitled, upon proper proof and |
| | | HB2580 | - 3 - | LRB102 11411 CMG 16744 b |
|
| 1 | | application, to enroll in any extension
course offered by a | 2 | | State supported Illinois institution of higher learning
| 3 | | without payment of tuition and approved fees.
| 4 | | The holder of a MIA/POW Scholarship authorized under this | 5 | | Section shall
not be required to pay any matriculation or | 6 | | application fees, tuition,
activities fees, graduation fees or | 7 | | other fees, except multipurpose
building fees or similar fees | 8 | | for supplies and materials.
| 9 | | Any dependent who has been or shall be awarded a MIA/POW | 10 | | Scholarship shall
be reimbursed by the appropriate institution | 11 | | of higher learning for any
fees which he or she has paid and | 12 | | for which exemption is granted under this
Section if | 13 | | application for reimbursement is made within 2 months | 14 | | following
the end of the school term for which the fees were | 15 | | paid.
| 16 | | (b) In lieu of the benefit provided in subsection (a), any | 17 | | spouse,
natural child, legally adopted child, or step-child of | 18 | | an eligible veteran
or serviceperson, which spouse or child | 19 | | has a physical, mental or
developmental disability, shall be | 20 | | entitled to receive, upon application and
proper proof, a | 21 | | benefit to be used for the purpose of defraying the cost of
the | 22 | | attendance or treatment of such spouse or child at one or more
| 23 | | appropriate therapeutic, rehabilitative or educational | 24 | | facilities. The
application and proof may be made by the | 25 | | parent or legal guardian of the
spouse or child on his or her | 26 | | behalf.
|
| | | HB2580 | - 4 - | LRB102 11411 CMG 16744 b |
|
| 1 | | The total benefit provided to any beneficiary under this | 2 | | subsection shall
not exceed the cost equivalent of 4 calendar | 3 | | years of full-time enrollment,
including summer terms, at the | 4 | | University of Illinois. Whenever
practicable in the opinion of | 5 | | the Department of Veterans' Affairs, payment
of benefits under | 6 | | this subsection shall be made directly to the facility,
the | 7 | | cost of attendance or treatment at which is being defrayed, as | 8 | | such
costs accrue.
| 9 | | (c) The benefits of this Section shall be administered by | 10 | | and paid for out
of funds made available to the Illinois | 11 | | Department of Veterans' Affairs.
The amounts that become due | 12 | | to any state supported Illinois institution of
higher learning | 13 | | shall be payable by the Comptroller to such institution on
| 14 | | vouchers approved by the Illinois Department of Veterans' | 15 | | Affairs. The
amounts that become due under subsection (b) of | 16 | | this Section shall be
payable by warrant upon vouchers issued | 17 | | by the Illinois Department of
Veterans' Affairs and approved | 18 | | by the Comptroller. The Illinois Department
of Veterans' | 19 | | Affairs shall determine the eligibility of the persons
who | 20 | | make application for the benefits provided for in this | 21 | | Section.
| 22 | | (Source: P.A. 100-201, eff. 8-18-17; 101-334, eff. 8-9-19.)
|
|