104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 HB3403 Introduced , by Rep. Joyce Mason SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: New Act Creates the Veterans Bill of Rights Act. Requires the Department of Veterans' Affairs to make specified efforts to: (1) increase loans to small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans or service-disabled veterans; (2) increase veterans' access to health care coverage and services; (3) take specified steps toward preventing veteran suicide; and (4) develop and implement a strategy to end veteran homelessness within 3 years. Directs the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to review all State licenses for which military service members may have relevant training or experience, produce a report recommending steps that can be taken to increase recognition of military training and experience toward licensing, and take those steps within one year of issuing the report. Contains provisions regarding veterans at public institutions of higher education receiving college credit, registering for courses, and being called to active duty. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to annually review apprentice, training, and other vocational programs focused on providing job training and placement to returning military service members and veterans. Contains other provisions. LRB104 10702 KTG 20781 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 HB3403 Introduced , by Rep. Joyce Mason SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: New Act New Act Creates the Veterans Bill of Rights Act. Requires the Department of Veterans' Affairs to make specified efforts to: (1) increase loans to small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans or service-disabled veterans; (2) increase veterans' access to health care coverage and services; (3) take specified steps toward preventing veteran suicide; and (4) develop and implement a strategy to end veteran homelessness within 3 years. Directs the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to review all State licenses for which military service members may have relevant training or experience, produce a report recommending steps that can be taken to increase recognition of military training and experience toward licensing, and take those steps within one year of issuing the report. Contains provisions regarding veterans at public institutions of higher education receiving college credit, registering for courses, and being called to active duty. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to annually review apprentice, training, and other vocational programs focused on providing job training and placement to returning military service members and veterans. Contains other provisions. LRB104 10702 KTG 20781 b LRB104 10702 KTG 20781 b A BILL FOR
104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 HB3403 Introduced , by Rep. Joyce Mason SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act New Act
New Act
Creates the Veterans Bill of Rights Act. Requires the Department of Veterans' Affairs to make specified efforts to: (1) increase loans to small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans or service-disabled veterans; (2) increase veterans' access to health care coverage and services; (3) take specified steps toward preventing veteran suicide; and (4) develop and implement a strategy to end veteran homelessness within 3 years. Directs the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to review all State licenses for which military service members may have relevant training or experience, produce a report recommending steps that can be taken to increase recognition of military training and experience toward licensing, and take those steps within one year of issuing the report. Contains provisions regarding veterans at public institutions of higher education receiving college credit, registering for courses, and being called to active duty. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to annually review apprentice, training, and other vocational programs focused on providing job training and placement to returning military service members and veterans. Contains other provisions.
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A BILL FOR
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1 AN ACT concerning veterans.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 Veterans Bill of Rights Act.
6 Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
7 "Department" means the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
8 "EMS personnel" has the same meaning provided in Section
9 3.5 of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act.
10 "Public institution of higher education" has the same
11 meaning provided in Section 10 of the Illinois Prepaid Tuition
12 Act.
13 Section 10. Loans to veteran business concerns; monthly
14 reports.
15 (a) The Department may target any loans granted by the
16 Department toward small business concerns owned and controlled
17 by veterans or service-disabled veterans, with a goal of 7% of
18 annual loaned funds reaching such businesses.
19 (b) The Department shall produce monthly electronic
20 reports of workforce need projections by industry, job type,
21 geography, and credentials needed. The report shall include a
22 comparison of workforce needs to existing and projected
104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 HB3403 Introduced , by Rep. Joyce Mason SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act New Act
New Act
Creates the Veterans Bill of Rights Act. Requires the Department of Veterans' Affairs to make specified efforts to: (1) increase loans to small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans or service-disabled veterans; (2) increase veterans' access to health care coverage and services; (3) take specified steps toward preventing veteran suicide; and (4) develop and implement a strategy to end veteran homelessness within 3 years. Directs the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to review all State licenses for which military service members may have relevant training or experience, produce a report recommending steps that can be taken to increase recognition of military training and experience toward licensing, and take those steps within one year of issuing the report. Contains provisions regarding veterans at public institutions of higher education receiving college credit, registering for courses, and being called to active duty. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to annually review apprentice, training, and other vocational programs focused on providing job training and placement to returning military service members and veterans. Contains other provisions.
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LRB104 10702 KTG 20781 b
A BILL FOR
New Act
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1 workforce and credential availability in Illinois, a list of
2 top in-demand industries, job types, and credentials by
3 geographic area, and a mapping of which in-demand job titles
4 and credentials would leverage skills, experience, and
5 credentials possessed by veterans. The Department shall
6 forward the report monthly to appropriate military
7 out-placement offices, education centers, nonprofit programs,
8 and any State agencies working to connect veterans with jobs.
9 Section 15. Recognition of military training and
10 experience.
11 (a) The Department shall take all necessary steps to
12 annually increase the number of veterans taking advantage of
13 the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Military
14 Skills Test Waiver Program. These steps shall include, but are
15 not limited to, ensuring information on the Program is
16 accessible on the Department's website, coordinating with
17 military placement and training programs, including, but not
18 limited to, the Credentialing Opportunities On-Line program,
19 and disseminating information on the Program to veterans with
20 relevant experience who are newly located or locating in
21 Illinois.
22 (b) The Department of Public Health shall immediately
23 review all licensing practices and take all necessary and
24 appropriate steps to increase recognition of military training
25 and experience toward licensing of EMS personnel. Within one
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1 year after the effective date of this Act, the Department of
2 Public Health shall report to the General Assembly any
3 additional steps that may require legislation and request that
4 the General Assembly pass that legislation.
5 (c) The Department of Financial and Professional
6 Regulation shall review all State licenses for which military
7 service members may have relevant training or experience and,
8 within one year after the effective date of this Act, produce a
9 report recommending steps that can be taken to increase
10 recognition of military training and experience toward
11 licensing. As soon as practicable, but by no later than one
12 year after issuance of the report, the Department of Financial
13 and Professional Regulation shall then take any steps
14 identified in the report that can be taken without further
15 legislation and shall report to the General Assembly annually
16 to request it enact any necessary legislation.
17 Section 20. College credit; course registration; students
18 called to active duty.
19 (a) A veteran who enrolls as a student in good standing at
20 a public institution of higher education shall upon
21 application be granted academic credits without limitation
22 toward his or her degree for completion of courses that were
23 part of the veteran's military training or service if the
24 completed courses meet the standards of the American Council
25 on Education, or its equivalent, for the awarding of academic
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1 credits. No fee, tuition, or other charge shall be assessed
2 against a veteran who qualifies for academic credit under this
3 subsection.
4 (b) A public institution of higher education that offers
5 an early course registration period for any segment of the
6 student population shall have a process in place to offer
7 early course registration to students who are veterans or
8 National Guard members. A veteran with no previous college
9 experience shall be permitted to file applications up to the
10 end of registration and begin classes pending completion of
11 his or her application and provision of supporting documents.
12 (c) A student who is called to active duty in the armed
13 forces of the United States after having attended a public
14 institution of higher education regularly for 13 weeks or
15 more, or having completed 85% of the term's work through
16 acceleration, shall be given full credit for each course in
17 which he or she has a grade of C or better. A student called to
18 active duty who does not meet attendance requirements
19 sufficient to earn a grade shall be entitled to a 100% refund
20 of tuition and fees. Upon a veteran's return from active duty,
21 he or she may register after normal registration periods end
22 without late fees or other penalties.
23 (d) A public institution of higher education shall adopt
24 any and all procedures that are necessary to fully implement
25 this Section.
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1 Section 25. Training programs. The Department of Commerce
2 and Economic Opportunity shall annually review apprentice,
3 training, and other vocational programs focused on providing
4 job training and placement to returning military service
5 members and veterans. The annual review shall evaluate the
6 costs and results and recommend programs for expansion using
7 State funding, including, but not limited to, an estimate of
8 future returns to the State of improved outcomes from the
9 expansion of programs. The Department of Commerce and Economic
10 Opportunity shall provide an annual report to the General
11 Assembly and Governor on January 1 of each year for 5 years
12 after the effective date of this Act, to be used by the General
13 Assembly to inform annual budget decisions.
14 Section 30. Access to health care.
15 (a) The Department shall develop and operate veteran
16 health navigator services to increase access to health care
17 coverage and services. The Department shall identify, train,
18 and deploy veteran health navigators who have direct knowledge
19 of the veteran communities they serve. Leveraging existing
20 resources and structures where veterans and their families are
21 likely to be found, the veteran health navigators shall:
22 (1) help identify all federal and other health
23 benefits, coverage, and services available to veterans and
24 their families; and
25 (2) coordinate with relevant departments, health care
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1 providers, and health insurance programs to help veterans
2 and their beneficiaries apply for coverage under such
3 programs, including helping veterans overcome barriers
4 within the health care system to ensure enrollment in
5 health plans and effective delivery and coordination of
6 health services.
7 (b) Using the veteran health services and navigators
8 described in subsection (a) as a source of information about
9 the unique needs, coverage, and treatment gaps faced by
10 veterans and their families, the Department shall examine all
11 existing programs designed to increase access to affordable,
12 quality health care and evaluate whether the needs of veterans
13 and their families are met by those programs or whether
14 further coordination with the veteran health navigators or
15 other steps would better meet the needs of veterans and their
16 families. The Department shall then produce a report of its
17 findings, recommendations, and any additional legislative or
18 budget action it recommends, deliver that report to the
19 General Assembly and the Governor, and release it to the news
20 media.
21 (c) The Department shall prepare a report showing the
22 impacts that Medicaid expansion has had to date for the
23 community of veterans and their families in Illinois,
24 including any recommendations for better including or serving
25 veterans and their families in that expansion. The Department
26 shall deliver that report to the General Assembly and the
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1 Governor and release it to the news media.
2 Section 35. Suicide prevention.
3 (a) The Department shall ensure that access to mental
4 health coverage, services, and treatment is included as a full
5 focus stream of the veteran health navigator services
6 described in subsection (a) of Section 30, and that veteran
7 health navigators help identify all federal and other mental
8 health benefits, coverage, and services available to veterans
9 and their families, including, but not limited to, those
10 relating to post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and
11 suicide prevention.
12 (b) In coordination with local, State, and federal
13 governmental agencies, and in consultation with nonprofits,
14 the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, localities,
15 municipalities that have effective prevention and treatment
16 systems for mental health, and service providers such as
17 Veterans Affairs medical centers, the Department shall develop
18 and implement a strategy to reduce barriers to access to
19 mental health services and treatment for veterans and their
20 families. The Department shall develop the strategy using
21 methods including, but not limited to, the following:
22 (1) Identifying structural and logistical barriers to
23 accessing treatment, including, but not limited to,
24 perceived stigma, long travel distances to receive care,
25 and any other barriers. The Department shall create an
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1 annual report on the barriers, which shall be delivered to
2 the General Assembly and the Governor and made available
3 on the Department's website.
4 (2) Resolving all barriers identified in paragraph (1)
5 that can be resolved without legislative or budgetary
6 action, including, but not limited to, the following:
7 (A) increased coordination between State agencies,
8 nonprofit providers, and the federal government;
9 (B) application for and use of private and federal
10 grants; and
11 (C) any other actions.
12 (3) Reporting annually to the General Assembly and the
13 Governor and making available on the Department's website
14 any additional legislative or budgetary steps that would
15 resolve the barriers identified in paragraph (1) that have
16 not been resolved by the steps taken in paragraph (2).
17 (c) In coordination with local, State, and federal
18 governmental agencies, and in consultation with nonprofits,
19 the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, localities, cities
20 that have effective prevention and treatment systems for
21 mental health, and service providers such as Veterans Affairs
22 medical centers, the Department shall enhance and strengthen
23 suicide prevention programs in keeping with proven best
24 practices and research, using methods including, but not
25 limited to, the following:
26 (1) Identifying and applying for federal and private
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1 grants focused on veteran suicide prevention.
2 (2) Coordinating local, State, federal, and nonprofit
3 programs that include community-based approaches for
4 at-risk veterans and veterans at large.
5 (3) Providing technical assistance to communities to
6 develop strategic plans to reduce veteran suicide,
7 including, but not limited to, coordination and
8 participation by local leaders, faith communities,
9 schools, workplaces, and other stakeholders.
10 (4) Evaluating community strategic plans within
11 Illinois and disseminating methods and best practices to
12 optimize the impact of efforts by all partners and
13 stakeholders.
14 (d) The Department shall create a centralized provider
15 database, identifying, by region, mental health providers with
16 the expertise and ability to assist veterans and their
17 families. The database shall highlight providers with training
18 or experience in the prevention and treatment of veteran
19 suicide.
20 (e) Using existing resources, and incorporating best
21 practices and research from the U.S. Department of Veterans
22 Affairs and State and nonprofit service providers in Illinois,
23 the Department shall develop a continuing education course for
24 mental health providers in Illinois to obtain expertise in
25 veteran suicide assessment, prevention, treatment, and risk
26 management and shall make the program available for free to
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1 providers in regions of the State lacking sufficiently trained
2 providers, as determined by the database created under
3 subsection (d).
4 (f) Using existing or appropriated resources, the
5 Department shall identify evidence-based best practices to
6 increase awareness of any veteran suicide prevention hotline
7 and other crisis resources in Illinois or nationally with
8 proven effectiveness in reducing veteran suicide.
9 Section 40. Strategy for ending veteran homelessness.
10 (a) In coordination with local, State, and federal
11 governmental agencies and nonprofits, and in consultation with
12 states and municipalities that have achieved an end to veteran
13 homelessness, the Department shall develop and implement a
14 strategy to end veteran homelessness within 3 years. The
15 strategy shall include, but is not limited to, the following:
16 (1) Coordinated community outreach and a common
17 assessment tool.
18 (2) A community-wide, comprehensive list of veterans
19 by name who are experiencing homelessness, prioritized
20 based on vulnerability.
21 (3) Data-sharing among all relevant providers, State
22 agencies, and Veterans Affairs medical centers.
23 (4) Increased coordination and streamlined processes
24 for appropriate housing placements.
25 (5) Connecting veterans experiencing homelessness to
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