Bill Text: IL SB0294 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the University of Illinois Act. Provides that a county is entitled to a scholarship in the University of Illinois for the benefit of the children of persons who served in the armed forces of the United States any time on or after August 2, 1990 and until Congress or the President orders that persons in service are no longer eligible for the Kosovo Campaign Medal or the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2026-05-22 - Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments [SB0294 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-SB0294-Introduced.html

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB0294 Introduced 1/24/2025, by Sen. Jil Tracy SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
110 ILCS 305/9 from Ch. 144, par. 30
Amends the University of Illinois Act. Provides that a county is entitled to a scholarship in the University of Illinois for the benefit of the children of persons who served in the armed forces of the United States any time on or after August 2, 1990 and until Congress or the President orders that persons in service are no longer eligible for the Kosovo Campaign Medal or the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.
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A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The University of Illinois Act is amended by
changing Section 9 as follows:
(110 ILCS 305/9) (from Ch. 144, par. 30)
Sec. 9. Scholarships for children of veterans. For each of
the following periods of hostilities, each county shall be
entitled, annually, to one honorary scholarship in the
University, for the benefit of the children of persons who
served in the armed forces of the United States, except that
the total number of scholarships annually granted to
recipients from each county may not exceed 3: any time between
September 16, 1940 and the termination of World War II, any
time during the national emergency between June 25, 1950 and
January 31, 1955, any time during the Viet Nam conflict
between January 1, 1961 and May 7, 1975, any time during the
siege of Beirut and the Grenada Conflict between June 14, 1982
and December 15, 1983, or any time on or after August 2, 1990
and until Congress or the President orders that persons in
service are no longer eligible for the Southwest Asia Service
Medal, the Kosovo Campaign Medal, or the Armed Forces
Expeditionary Medal, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation

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Iraqi Freedom. Preference for scholarships shall be given to
the children of persons who are deceased or to the children of
persons who have a disability. Such scholarships shall be
granted to such pupils as shall, upon public examination,
conducted as the board of trustees of the University may
determine, be decided to have attained the greatest
proficiency in the branches of learning usually taught in the
secondary schools, and who shall be of good moral character,
and not less than 15 years of age. Such pupils, so selected,
shall be entitled to receive, without charge for tuition,
instruction in any or all departments of the University for a
term of at least 4 consecutive years. Such pupils shall
conform, in all respects, to the rules and regulations of the
University, established for the government of the pupils in
attendance.
(Source: P.A. 99-143, eff. 7-27-15; 99-377, eff. 8-17-15;
99-642, eff. 7-28-16.)