|
charged to any resident of Illinois who
has a Class 2 |
disability as defined in Section 4A of the Illinois
|
Identification Card Act. For campsites without access to |
showers or
electricity, no camping fee authorized by this |
Section shall be charged to any
resident of Illinois who is age |
62 or older for
the use of a campsite unit during the period |
Monday through Thursday of any
week. No camping fee authorized |
by this Section shall be charged to any
resident of Illinois |
who is a veteran with a disability or a former prisoner of
war, |
as defined in Section 5 of the Department of Veterans' Veterans |
Affairs Act.
No camping fee authorized by this Section shall be |
charged to any
resident of Illinois after returning from |
service abroad or mobilization by the President of the United |
States as an active duty member of the United States Armed |
Forces, the Illinois National Guard, or the Reserves of the |
United States Armed Forces for the amount of time that the |
active duty member spent in service abroad or mobilized if the |
person (i) applies for a pass at the Department office in |
Springfield within 2 years after returning and provides |
acceptable verification of service or mobilization to the |
Department or (ii) applies for a pass at a Regional Office of |
the Department within 2 years after returning and provides |
acceptable verification of service or mobilization to the |
Department; any portion of a year that the active duty member |
spent in service abroad or mobilized shall count as a full |
year. Nonresidents shall be charged the same fees as are |
|
authorized for the general
public regardless of age. The |
Department shall provide by regulation for
suitable proof of |
age, or either a valid driver's license or a "Golden Age
|
Passport" issued by the federal government shall be acceptable |
as proof of
age. The Department shall further provide by |
regulation that notice of
these
reduced admission fees be |
posted in a conspicuous place and manner.
|
Reduced fees authorized in this Section shall not apply to |
any charge for
utility service.
|
For the purposes of this Section, "acceptable verification |
of service or mobilization" means official documentation from |
the Department of Defense or the appropriate Major Command |
showing mobilization dates or service abroad dates, including: |
(i) a DD-214, (ii) a letter from the Illinois Department of |
Military Affairs for members of the Illinois National Guard, |
(iii) a letter from the Regional Reserve Command for members of |
the Armed Forces Reserve, (iv) a letter from the Major Command |
covering Illinois for active duty members, (v) personnel |
records for mobilized State employees, and (vi) any other |
documentation that the Department, by administrative rule, |
deems acceptable to establish dates of mobilization or service |
abroad. |
For the purposes of this Section, the term "service abroad" |
means active duty service outside of the 50 United States and |
the District of Columbia, and includes all active duty service |
in territories and possessions of the United States. |
|
(Source: P.A. 99-143, eff. 7-27-15; 99-642, eff. 7-28-16.)
|
Section 10. The Illinois Lottery Law is amended by changing |
Section 21.6 as follows:
|
(20 ILCS 1605/21.6)
|
Sec. 21.6. Scratch-off for Illinois veterans. |
(a) The Department shall offer a special instant |
scratch-off game for the benefit of Illinois veterans. The game |
shall commence on January 1, 2006 or as soon thereafter, at the |
discretion of the Director, as is reasonably practical. The |
operation of the game shall be governed by this Act and any |
rules adopted by the Department. If any provision of this |
Section is inconsistent with any other provision of this Act, |
then this Section governs. |
(b) The Illinois Veterans Assistance Fund is created as a |
special fund in the State treasury. The net revenue from the |
Illinois veterans scratch-off game shall be deposited into the |
Fund for appropriation by the General Assembly solely to the |
Department of Veterans' Veterans Affairs for making grants, |
funding additional services, or conducting additional research |
projects relating to each of the following: |
(i) veterans' post traumatic stress disorder; |
(ii) veterans' homelessness; |
(iii) the health insurance costs of veterans; |
(iv) veterans' disability benefits, including but not |
|
limited to, disability benefits provided by veterans |
service organizations and veterans assistance commissions |
or centers; |
(v) the long-term care of veterans; provided that, |
beginning with moneys appropriated for fiscal year 2008, no |
more than 20% of such moneys shall be used for health |
insurance costs; and |
(vi) veteran employment and employment training. |
In order to expend moneys from this special fund, beginning |
with moneys appropriated for fiscal year 2008, the Director of |
Veterans' Affairs shall appoint a 3-member funding |
authorization committee. The Director shall designate one of |
the members as chairperson. The committee shall meet on a |
quarterly basis, at a minimum, and shall authorize expenditure |
of moneys from the special fund by a two-thirds vote. Decisions |
of the committee shall not take effect unless and until |
approved by the Director of Veterans' Affairs. Each member of |
the committee shall serve until a replacement is named by the |
Director of Veterans' Affairs. One member of the committee |
shall be a member of the Veterans' Advisory Council. |
Moneys collected from the special instant scratch-off game |
shall be used only as a supplemental financial resource and |
shall not supplant existing moneys that the Department of |
Veterans' Veterans Affairs may currently expend for the |
purposes set forth in items (i) through (v).
|
Moneys received for the purposes of this Section, |
|
including, without limitation, net revenue from the special |
instant scratch-off game and from gifts, grants, and awards |
from any public or private entity, must be deposited into the |
Fund. Any interest earned on moneys in the Fund must be |
deposited into the Fund.
|
For purposes of this subsection, "net revenue" means the |
total amount for which tickets have been sold less the sum of |
the amount paid out in the prizes and the actual administrative |
expenses of the Department solely related to the scratch-off |
game under this Section.
|
(c) During the time that tickets are sold for the Illinois |
veterans scratch-off game, the Department shall not |
unreasonably diminish the efforts devoted to marketing any |
other instant scratch-off lottery game. |
(d) The Department may adopt any rules necessary to |
implement and administer the provisions of this Section.
|
(Source: P.A. 97-464, eff. 10-15-11; 97-740, eff. 7-5-12; |
98-499, eff. 8-16-13; revised 9-2-16.)
|
Section 15. The Department of Veterans Affairs Act is |
amended by changing Sections 0.01 and 20 as follows:
|
(20 ILCS 2805/0.01) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 65.9)
|
Sec. 0.01. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
|
Department of Veterans' Veterans Affairs Act.
|
(Source: P.A. 86-1324.)
|
|
(20 ILCS 2805/20)
|
Sec. 20. Illinois Discharged Servicemember Task Force. The |
Illinois Discharged Servicemember Task Force is hereby created |
within the Department of Veterans' Veterans Affairs. The Task |
Force shall investigate the re-entry process for service |
members who return to civilian life after being engaged in an |
active theater. The investigation shall include the effects of |
post-traumatic stress disorder, homelessness, disabilities, |
and other issues the Task Force finds relevant to the re-entry |
process. For fiscal year 2012, the Task Force shall include the |
availability of prosthetics in its investigation. For fiscal |
year 2014, the Task Force shall include the needs of women |
veterans with respect to issues including, but not limited to, |
compensation, rehabilitation, outreach, health care, and |
issues facing women veterans in the community, and to offer |
recommendations on how best to alleviate these needs which |
shall be included in the Task Force Annual Report for 2014. The |
Task Force shall include the following members: |
(a) a representative of the Department of Veterans' |
Veterans Affairs, who shall chair the committee;
|
(b) a representative from the Department of Military |
Affairs;
|
(c) a representative from the Office of the Illinois |
Attorney General;
|
(d) a member of the General Assembly appointed by the |
|
Speaker of the House;
|
(e) a member of the General Assembly appointed by the |
House Minority Leader;
|
(f) a member of the General Assembly appointed by the |
President of the Senate;
|
(g) a member of the General Assembly appointed by the |
Senate Minority Leader;
|
(h) 4 members chosen by the Department of Veterans' |
Veterans Affairs, who shall represent statewide veterans' |
organizations or veterans' homeless shelters;
|
(i) one member appointed by the Lieutenant Governor; |
and
|
(j) a representative of the United States Department of |
Veterans Affairs shall be invited to participate.
|
Vacancies in the Task Force shall be filled by the initial |
appointing authority. Task Force members shall serve without |
compensation, but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses |
incurred in performing duties associated with the Task Force.
|
By July 1, 2008 and by July 1 of each year thereafter, the |
Task Force shall present an annual report of its findings to |
the Governor, the Attorney General, the Director of Veterans' |
Affairs, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Secretary of the |
United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
|
If the Task Force becomes inactive because active theaters |
cease, the Director of Veterans' Veterans Affairs may |
reactivate the Task Force if active theaters are reestablished.
|
|
(Source: P.A. 97-414, eff. 1-1-12; 98-310, eff. 8-12-13; |
revised 9-8-16.)
|
Section 20. The Task Force on Inventorying Employment |
Restrictions Act is amended by changing Section 10 as follows:
|
(20 ILCS 5000/10)
|
Sec. 10. Definitions. As used in this Act: |
"State agencies" shall mean the following State agencies, |
boards, and commissions: Department on Aging, Department of |
Agriculture, Office of Appellate Defender, Office of the |
State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor, Illinois Arts Council, |
Office of the Attorney General, Auditor General, Capital |
Development Board, Department of Central Management Services, |
Department of Children and Family Services, Civil Service |
Commission, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic |
Opportunity, Illinois Commerce Commission, Illinois Community |
College Board, State of Illinois Comprehensive Health |
Insurance Plan, Office of the Comptroller, Department of |
Corrections, Criminal Justice Information Authority, Illinois |
Council on Developmental Disabilities, Illinois Deaf and Hard |
of Hearing Commission, Commission on Discrimination and Hate |
Crimes, State Board of Education, Illinois Educational Labor |
Relations Board, State Board of Elections, Illinois Emergency |
Management Agency, Department of Employment Security, |
Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois State Fair, Illinois |
|
Finance Authority, Department of Financial and Professional |
Regulation, Office of the First Lady, Illinois Gaming Board, |
Office of the Governor, Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, |
Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Board of Higher |
Education, Historic Preservation Agency, Illinois Housing |
Development Authority, Illinois Human Rights Commission, |
Department of Human Rights, Department of Human Services, |
Illinois State Board of Investment, Department of Juvenile |
Justice, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Department of |
Labor, Illinois Labor Relations Board, Illinois Law |
Enforcement Training Standards Board, Illinois Liquor Control |
Commission, Illinois Lottery, Governor's Office of Management |
and Budget, Illinois Medical District Commission, Department |
of Military Affairs, Department of Natural Resources, |
Pollution Control Board, Prairie State 2000 Authority, |
Property Tax Appeal Board, Department of Public Health, |
Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Illinois Racing Board, |
Department of Revenue, Office of the Secretary of State, State |
Fire Marshal, Illinois State Police, State Police Merit Board, |
State Retirement Systems, Office of the State Treasurer, State |
Universities Civil Service System, State Universities |
Retirement System, Illinois Student Assistance Commission, |
Illinois Supreme Court, Illinois Teachers' Retirement System, |
Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, Department of |
Transportation, Department of Veterans' Affairs Veterans |
Affairs', Governor's Office of Women's Affairs, and Illinois |
|
Workers' Compensation Commission.
|
(Source: P.A. 96-593, eff. 8-18-09.)
|
Section 25. The Illinois Procurement Code is amended by |
changing Section 45-67 as follows:
|
(30 ILCS 500/45-67) |
Sec. 45-67. Encouragement to hire qualified veterans. A |
chief procurement officer may, as part of any solicitation, |
encourage potential contractors to consider hiring qualified |
veterans and to notify them of any available financial |
incentives or other advantages associated with hiring such |
persons. In establishing internal guidelines in furtherance of |
this Section, the Department of Central Management Services may |
work with an interagency advisory committee consisting of |
representatives from the Department of Veterans' Veterans |
Affairs, the Department of Employment Security, the Department |
of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and the Department of |
Revenue and consisting of 8 members of the General Assembly, 2 |
of whom are appointed by the Speaker of the House of |
Representatives, 2 of whom are appointed by the President of |
the Senate, 2 of whom are appointed by the Minority Leader of |
the House of Representatives, and 2 of whom are appointed by |
the Minority Leader of the Senate. |
For the purposes of this Section, "qualified veteran" means |
an Illinois resident who: (i) was a member of the Armed Forces |
|
of the United States, a member of the Illinois National Guard, |
or a member of any reserve component of the Armed Forces of the |
United States; (ii) served on active duty in connection with |
Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, or |
Operation Iraqi Freedom; and (iii) was honorably discharged.
|
The Department of Central Management Services must report |
to the Governor and to the General Assembly by December 31 of |
each year on the activities undertaken by chief procurement |
officers and the Department of Central Management Services to |
encourage potential contractors to consider hiring qualified |
veterans. The report must include the number of vendors who |
have hired qualified veterans.
|
(Source: P.A. 98-1076, eff. 1-1-15; revised 9-9-16.)
|
Section 30. The Nursing Home Care Act is amended by |
changing Section 2-215 as follows:
|
(210 ILCS 45/2-215)
|
Sec. 2-215. Conflicts with the Department of Veterans' |
Veterans Affairs Act. If
there is a conflict between the |
provisions of this Act and the provisions of
the
Department of |
Veterans' Veterans Affairs Act concerning an Illinois Veterans |
Home not
operated by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, then |
the provisions of this
Act shall apply.
|
(Source: P.A. 90-168, eff. 7-23-97.)
|
|
Section 35. The Viet Nam Veterans Compensation Act is |
amended by changing Sections 3 and 5 as follows:
|
(330 ILCS 30/3) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 57.53)
|
Sec. 3.
The widow or widower, child or children, mother, |
father, person standing
in loco parentis, brothers and sisters, |
in the order named, of any deceased
person shall be paid the |
compensation to which the deceased person would be
entitled |
under Section 2 of this Act. Where such deceased person would |
have
qualified for compensation under Section 2 except for his |
death and his
death was connected with such service and |
resulted from such service during
the time period specified in |
Section 2, his survivors, in the order named
in this Section, |
shall be paid $1000.
|
Where a preceding beneficiary fails to file a claim for |
compensation
after the official notice of death the Department |
of Veterans' Affairs Illinois Veterans' Commission may
proceed |
to process applications from succeeding beneficiaries, and |
such
beneficiaries may then proceed to qualify upon submission |
of satisfactory
proof of eligibility.
|
(Source: P.A. 78-295.)
|
(330 ILCS 30/5) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 57.55)
|
Sec. 5.
The Department of Veterans' Affairs Illinois |
Veterans' Commission has complete charge and control
of the |
general scheme of payments authorized by this Act and shall |
|
adopt
general rules for the making of such payments, the |
ascertainment and
selection of proper beneficiaries and the |
amount to which such
beneficiaries are entitled, and for |
procedure.
|
If the person to whom compensation is payable under this |
Act is under
legal disability, it shall be paid to the person |
legally vested with the care of
such legally disabled person |
under the laws of his State
of residence. If no such
person has |
been so designated for the legally disabled person,
payment |
shall be made to
the chief officer of any hospital or |
institution under the supervision or
control of any State or of |
the Veterans Administration of the United States
in which such |
legally disabled person is placed, if
such officer is |
authorized to
accept moneys for the benefit of the incompetent. |
Any payments so made
shall be held or used solely for the |
benefit of the legally disabled person.
|
As used in this Section, a person under legal
disability |
means any person
found to be so disabled by a court of |
competent jurisdiction
of any State
or the District of Columbia |
or by any adjudication officer of the Veterans
Administration |
of the United States.
|
(Source: P.A. 83-706.)
|
Section 40. The Prisoner of War Bonus Act is amended by |
changing Section 2 as follows:
|
|
(330 ILCS 35/2) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 57.62)
|
Sec. 2.
The widow or widower, child or children, mother, |
father, person standing
in loco parentis, brothers and sisters, |
in the order named, of any deceased
person shall be paid the |
compensation to which the deceased person would be
entitled |
under Section 1 of this Act.
|
Where a preceding beneficiary fails to file a claim for |
compensation
after the official notice of death the Department |
of Veterans' Affairs Illinois Veterans' Commission may
proceed |
to process applications from succeeding beneficiaries and such
|
beneficiaries may then proceed to qualify upon submission of |
satisfactory
proof of eligibility.
|
(Source: P.A. 78-293.)
|
Section 45. The Veterans Burial Places Act is amended by |
changing Section 3 as follows:
|
(330 ILCS 110/3) (from Ch. 21, par. 59c)
|
Sec. 3.
For the purpose of locating the burial places of |
United
States War Veterans, the different Veteran |
organizations, their
auxiliaries and affiliated organizations |
in the State of Illinois are
authorized, without expense to the |
State, to collect the required data
and prepare and file with |
the Department of Veterans' Affairs the
information provided |
for in section 1 hereof. For filing and recording
this report, |
the Department of Veterans' Affairs Illinois Veterans' |
|
Commission may charge a fee of 25
cents for a single report and |
not to exceed 50 cents per folio for
reports containing more |
than one name and more than one folio. A representative
of the |
Department of Veterans' Affairs may visit cemeteries
of the |
State or resort to any other reliable means to locate the |
burial
places of United States War Veterans.
|
(Source: P.A. 81-167.)
|
Section 50. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended by |
changing Section 3-626 as follows:
|
(625 ILCS 5/3-626)
|
Sec. 3-626. Korean War Veteran license plates.
|
(a) In addition to any other special license plate, the |
Secretary, upon
receipt of all applicable fees and applications |
made in the form prescribed by
the Secretary of State, may |
issue special registration plates designated as
Korean War |
Veteran license plates to
residents of Illinois who |
participated in the United States Armed Forces during
the |
Korean War. The special plate issued under this Section shall |
be affixed
only to passenger vehicles of the first division, |
motorcycles,
motor vehicles of the second
division weighing not |
more than 8,000 pounds, and recreational vehicles as
defined by |
Section 1-169 of this Code. Plates issued under this Section |
shall
expire according to the staggered multi-year procedure |
established by Section
3-414.1 of this Code.
|
|
(b) The design, color, and format of the plates shall be |
wholly
within the discretion of the Secretary of State. The |
Secretary may, in his or
her discretion, allow the plates to be |
issued as vanity plates or personalized
in accordance with |
Section 3-405.1 of this Code. The plates are not required
to |
designate "Land Of Lincoln", as prescribed in subsection (b) of |
Section
3-412 of this Code. The Secretary shall prescribe the |
eligibility requirements
and, in his or her discretion, shall |
approve and prescribe stickers or decals
as provided under |
Section 3-412.
|
(c) (Blank).
|
(d) The Korean War Memorial Construction Fund is created as |
a special fund
in the State treasury. All moneys in the Korean |
War Memorial Construction Fund
shall, subject to |
appropriation, be used by the Department of Veterans' Veteran |
Affairs
to provide grants for construction of the Korean War |
Memorial to be located at
Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, |
Illinois. Upon the completion of the
Memorial, the Department |
of Veterans' Veteran Affairs shall certify to the State
|
Treasurer that the construction of the Memorial has been |
completed. Upon the
certification by the Department of |
Veterans' Veteran Affairs, the State Treasurer shall
transfer |
all moneys in the Fund and any future deposits into the Fund |
into the
Secretary of State Special License Plate
Fund.
|
(e) An individual who has been issued Korean War Veteran |
license plates
for a vehicle
and who has been approved for |