Senate Bill 1160, originally filed by State Representative Stephanie Kifowit and then transferred to Rep. Schweizer, amends the Illinois Vehicle Code to allow any resident of Illinois who served in the United Nations Protecting Force in Somalia, Panama, or Grenada to apply for a United National Protection Force license plate.
Senate Bill 2175, a measure Rep. Schweizer serves as the Chief Co-sponsor on and is identical to his HB 2777, is an initiative of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs that seeks to clarify time off for veteran medical appointments. Under current law, an employee who is also a veteran is permitted four days off per year to visit a veteran’s hospital or clinic for an examination of a military service-related disability, and those days do not take away from their accrued sick time. The legislation expands the use of those four days by changing the language from veteran’s hospital or clinic to veteran medical appointments, encompassing all needed veteran medical visits and interventions.
House Bill 2572, filed by Rep. Schweizer, is also an initiative of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. The bill amends the School Code and the Deceased, Disabled, and MIA/POW Veterans’ Dependents Educational Opportunity Grant Act and Scholarship by adding rulemaking authority when determining grant and scholarship eligibility. As the law currently stands, the Department can run the program but cannot make any rules about how it operates.
“These bills will help make life easier for our veterans,” said Rep. Schweizer. “Sponsoring legislation that makes the lives of veterans easier is one of my legislative priorities. I am pleased that my colleagues helped to advance these important legislative pieces out of the House and Senate. I look forward to the governor signing these important legislative matters.”