Bill Text: IL SB1624 | 2009-2010 | 96th General Assembly | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Creates the Higher Education Veterans Service Act. Requires all public colleges and universities to conduct a survey of the services and programs that are provided for veterans, active duty military personnel, and their families, at each of their respective campuses; sets forth the survey requirements. Requires each public college and university to appoint a Coordinator of Veterans and Military Personnel Student Services on each campus of the college or university that has an onsite, daily, full-time student headcount above 1,000 students; sets forth requirements concerning the coordinator. Provides that the Board of Higher Education and the Department of Veterans' Affairs may issue a best practices report to highlight those programs and services that are most beneficial to veterans and active duty military personnel. Sets forth additional provisions concerning a college's or university's best efforts and the fiscal impact of programs and services. Effective immediately.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-3)
Status: (Passed) 2009-08-07 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 96-0133 [SB1624 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2009-SB1624-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Creates the Higher Education Veterans Service Act. Requires all public colleges and universities to conduct a survey of the services and programs that are provided for veterans, active duty military personnel, and their families, at each of their respective campuses; sets forth the survey requirements. Requires each public college and university to appoint a Coordinator of Veterans and Military Personnel Student Services on each campus of the college or university that has an onsite, daily, full-time student headcount above 1,000 students; sets forth requirements concerning the coordinator. Provides that the Board of Higher Education and the Department of Veterans' Affairs may issue a best practices report to highlight those programs and services that are most beneficial to veterans and active duty military personnel. Sets forth additional provisions concerning a college's or university's best efforts and the fiscal impact of programs and services. Effective immediately.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-3)
Status: (Passed) 2009-08-07 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 96-0133 [SB1624 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2009-SB1624-Introduced.html
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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Higher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Education Veterans Service Act.
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6 | Section 5. Definitions. For purposes of this Act: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | "Task Force" means the Task Force on Service Member and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | Veterans Education. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | "Public colleges and universities" means public community | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | colleges subject to the Public Community College Act, the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University, Chicago | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | State University, Eastern Illinois University, Governors State | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | University, Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | University, Northern Illinois University, and Western Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | University.
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16 | Section 10. Findings.
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17 | (a) Pursuant to Public Act 95-736, the General Assembly | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | created the Task Force on Service Member and Veterans Education | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | to examine the manner in which public colleges and universities | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | in the State of Illinois provided education to servicemen and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | servicewomen as well as veterans of the armed forces of the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | United States. |
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1 | The Task Force conducted hearings and filed its findings | ||||||
2 | with the General Assembly on September 16, 2008. Its report | ||||||
3 | urges the General Assembly to recognize the sacrifice of | ||||||
4 | American servicemen and women, and, in a small way, repay them | ||||||
5 | by chartering a concerted effort by State government, in | ||||||
6 | cooperation with our public institutions of higher learning, to | ||||||
7 | make its best efforts to take positive, quantifiable steps to | ||||||
8 | providing a superior learning environment for student veterans | ||||||
9 | and service members. The Task Force reviewed the unique needs | ||||||
10 | of veterans and military personnel, combined with the large | ||||||
11 | number of active duty personnel and military veterans seeking | ||||||
12 | higher education since the onset of the Global War on | ||||||
13 | Terrorism. The Task Force found that public universities and | ||||||
14 | community colleges in this State have varying levels of | ||||||
15 | assistance available for active duty service personnel and | ||||||
16 | veterans. | ||||||
17 | (b) The Task Force has reported that veterans and active | ||||||
18 | duty personnel have difficulty in finding and receiving various | ||||||
19 | State and federal education-related benefits and services that | ||||||
20 | they may be eligible to receive, such as educational loans, | ||||||
21 | scholarships, grants, local employment opportunities, access | ||||||
22 | to medical care, a social network for support of student | ||||||
23 | veterans, and groups to help with the transition to becoming a | ||||||
24 | civilian after service in an active duty unit, because such | ||||||
25 | programs are administered by different arms of the government. | ||||||
26 | (c) The Task Force found that the various public colleges |
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1 | and universities in this State have a wide array of programs | ||||||
2 | and services available to veterans and active duty service | ||||||
3 | personnel, ranging from online educational opportunities, | ||||||
4 | admission and academic counseling, medical services, and | ||||||
5 | family housing information. | ||||||
6 | (d) The Task Force also found that certain other higher | ||||||
7 | education institutions across the United States have adopted | ||||||
8 | programs and services that seek to better promote and | ||||||
9 | coordinate the assistance that is available for veterans and | ||||||
10 | active duty personnel.
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11 | Section 15. Survey; coordinator; best practices report; | ||||||
12 | best efforts.
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13 | (a) All public colleges and universities shall, within 60 | ||||||
14 | days after the effective date of this Act, conduct a survey of | ||||||
15 | the services and programs that are provided for veterans, | ||||||
16 | active duty military personnel, and their families, at each of | ||||||
17 | their respective campuses. This survey shall enumerate and | ||||||
18 | fully describe the service or program that is available, the | ||||||
19 | number of veterans or active duty personnel using the service | ||||||
20 | or program, an estimated range for potential use within a | ||||||
21 | 5-year and 10-year period, information on the location of the | ||||||
22 | service or program, and how its administrators may be | ||||||
23 | contacted. The survey shall indicate the manner or manners in | ||||||
24 | which a student veteran may avail himself or herself of the | ||||||
25 | program's services. This survey must be made available to all |
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1 | veterans matriculating at the college or university in the form | ||||||
2 | of an orientation-related guidebook. | ||||||
3 | Each public college and university shall make the survey | ||||||
4 | available on the homepage of all campus Internet links as soon | ||||||
5 | as practical after the completion of the survey. As soon as | ||||||
6 | possible after the completion of the survey, each public | ||||||
7 | college and university shall provide a copy of its survey to | ||||||
8 | the following: | ||||||
9 | (1) the Board of Higher Education; | ||||||
10 | (2) the Department of Veterans' Affairs; | ||||||
11 | (3) the President and Minority Leader of the Senate and | ||||||
12 | the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House of | ||||||
13 | Representatives; and | ||||||
14 | (4) the Governor. | ||||||
15 | (b) Each public college and university shall, at its | ||||||
16 | discretion, (i) appoint, within 6 months after the effective | ||||||
17 | date of this Act, an existing employee or (ii) hire a new | ||||||
18 | employee to serve as a Coordinator of Veterans and Military | ||||||
19 | Personnel Student Services on each campus of the college or | ||||||
20 | university that has an onsite, daily, full-time student | ||||||
21 | headcount above 1,000 students. | ||||||
22 | The Coordinator of Veterans and Military Personnel Student | ||||||
23 | Services shall be an ombudsperson serving the specific needs of | ||||||
24 | student veterans and military personnel and their families and | ||||||
25 | shall serve as an advocate before the administration of the | ||||||
26 | college or university for the needs of student veterans. The |
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1 | college or university shall enable the Coordinator of Veterans | ||||||
2 | and Military Personnel Student Services to communicate | ||||||
3 | directly with the senior executive administration of the | ||||||
4 | college or university periodically. The college or university | ||||||
5 | shall retain unfettered discretion to determine the | ||||||
6 | organizational management structure of its institution. | ||||||
7 | In addition to any responsibilities the college or | ||||||
8 | university may assign, the Coordinator of Veterans and Military | ||||||
9 | Personnel Student Services shall make its best efforts to | ||||||
10 | create a centralized source for student veterans and military | ||||||
11 | personnel to learn how to receive all benefit programs and | ||||||
12 | services for which they are eligible. | ||||||
13 | Each college and university campus that is required to have | ||||||
14 | a Coordinator of Veterans and Military Personnel Student | ||||||
15 | Services shall regularly and conspicuously advertise the | ||||||
16 | office location, phone number, and Internet access to the | ||||||
17 | Coordinator of Veterans and Military Personnel Student | ||||||
18 | Services, along with a brief summary of the manner in which he | ||||||
19 | or she can assist student veterans. The advertisement shall | ||||||
20 | include, but is not necessarily limited to, the following: | ||||||
21 | (1) advertisements on each campus' Internet home page; | ||||||
22 | and | ||||||
23 | (2) any promotional mailings for student application.
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24 | The Coordinator of Veterans and Military Personnel Student | ||||||
25 | Services shall facilitate other campus offices with the | ||||||
26 | promotion of programs and services that are available. |
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1 | (c) Upon receipt of all of the surveys under subsection (a) | ||||||
2 | of this Section, the Board of Higher Education and the | ||||||
3 | Department of Veterans' Affairs shall conduct a joint review of | ||||||
4 | the surveys and post, on any Internet home page they may | ||||||
5 | operate, a link to each survey as posted on the Internet | ||||||
6 | website for the college or university. Upon receipt of all of | ||||||
7 | the surveys, the Office of the Governor, through its military | ||||||
8 | affairs advisors, shall similarly conduct a review of the | ||||||
9 | surveys and post the surveys on its Internet website. Following | ||||||
10 | its review of the surveys, the Office of the Governor shall | ||||||
11 | submit an evaluation report to each college and university | ||||||
12 | offering suggestions and insight on the conduct of student | ||||||
13 | veteran-related policies and programs. | ||||||
14 | (d) The Board of Higher Education and the Department of | ||||||
15 | Veterans' Affairs may issue a best practices report to | ||||||
16 | highlight those programs and services that are most beneficial | ||||||
17 | to veterans and active duty military personnel. The report | ||||||
18 | shall contain a fiscal needs assessment in conjunction with any | ||||||
19 | program recommendations. | ||||||
20 | (e) Each college and university campus that is required to | ||||||
21 | have a Coordinator of Veterans and Military Personnel Student | ||||||
22 | Services under subsection (b) of this Section shall make its | ||||||
23 | best efforts to create academic and social programs and | ||||||
24 | services for veterans and active duty military personnel that | ||||||
25 | will provide reasonable opportunities for academic performance | ||||||
26 | and success. |
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1 | Each public college and university shall make its best | ||||||
2 | efforts to determine how its online educational curricula can | ||||||
3 | be expanded or altered to serve the needs of student veterans | ||||||
4 | and currently-deployed military, including a determination of | ||||||
5 | whether and to what extent the public colleges and universities | ||||||
6 | can share existing technologies to improve the online curricula | ||||||
7 | of peer institutions, provided such efforts are both | ||||||
8 | practically and economically feasible.
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9 | Section 20. Fiscal impact and reporting. Beginning on | ||||||
10 | September 1 of the year following the effective date of this | ||||||
11 | Act and each subsequent September 1, each college and | ||||||
12 | university that is required to have a Coordinator of Veterans | ||||||
13 | and Military Personnel Student Services under subsection (b) of | ||||||
14 | Section 20 of this Act shall report to the Board of Higher | ||||||
15 | Education on the fiscal impact of the programs and services | ||||||
16 | related to the requirements of this Act. | ||||||
17 | The Board of Higher Education shall compile the information | ||||||
18 | and, within 60 days after receipt of such information, issue a | ||||||
19 | report reflecting the information for each institution | ||||||
20 | required to report under this Section. The report must be filed | ||||||
21 | with the Governor, the Governor's Office of Management and | ||||||
22 | Budget, the Director of Veterans' Affairs, the Speaker of the | ||||||
23 | House of Representatives, the President of the Senate, the | ||||||
24 | Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, and the | ||||||
25 | Minority Leader of the Senate.
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1 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
2 | becoming law.
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