HB5109 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB100 19021 RLC 34275 b

100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2017 and 2018
HB5109

Introduced , by Rep. Lou Lang

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program Act. Creates the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program to be administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Provides that the Program shall provide loan assistance, subject to appropriation, to eligible mental health and substance use professionals practicing in a community mental health center in an underserved or rural federally designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Area. Provides that applicants must enter into a minimum 2-year contract. Provides that the Commission may extend the contract a third or fourth year to individual applicants upon completion of the initial 2-year obligation. Provides that the Commission may extend the contract a third or fourth year to individual applicants upon completion of the initial 2-year obligation. Provides that Program participants who, for any reason, fail to begin or complete the required period of obligated service shall be liable to the Commission for an amount equal to the number of months of obligated service not completed multiplied by $2,500 and interest on the amount at the maximum legal prevailing rate, as determined by the Treasurer of the United States from the date of breach.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning health.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program Act.

Section 5. Purpose. The purpose of the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program is to recruit and retain qualified mental health and substance use professionals to practice in underserved or rural areas and to address this State's community-based behavioral healthcare workforce shortage that causes disparities in access to critical mental health and substance use services.

Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:

"Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.

"Physician" means a person licensed by this State to practice medicine in all its branches and includes any person holding a temporary license, as provided in the Medical Practice Act of 1987.

"Program" means the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program.

"Psychiatrist" or "licensed psychiatrist" means a physician who has successfully completed a residency program in psychiatry accredited by either the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association.

Section 15. Establishment of Program. There is created the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program which shall be administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. The Program shall provide loan assistance, subject to appropriation, to eligible mental health and substance use professionals practicing in a community mental health center in an underserved or rural federally designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Area.

Section 20. Applications. Each year, the Commission shall receive and consider applications for loan repayment assistance under this Act.

Section 25. Maximum loan time. Applicants must enter into a minimum 2-year contract. The Commission may extend the contract a third or fourth year to individual applicants upon completion of the initial 2-year obligation.

Section 30. Eligibility. To be eligible for assistance under the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program, an applicant must meet each of the following qualifications:

(1) the person must be a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen;

(2) the person must be a resident of this State;

(3) the person must be licensed in this State or expect to be licensed in this State as a psychiatrist, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, clinical psychologist, professional counselor, marriage and family therapist, or clinical social worker and must be willing to practice in a community mental health center in an underserved or rural federally designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Area in this State;

(4) sign a contract with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission guaranteeing his or her minimum commitment of 2 years of service in a community mental health center in an underserved or rural federally designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Area in this State; and

(5) be indebted to a governmental or commercial lending institution for educational expenses incurred in pursuit of the applicant's degrees or diploma.

Section 35. Repayment obligations. Program participants who, for any reason, fail to begin or complete the required period of obligated service shall be liable to the Commission for an amount equal to the number of months of obligated service not completed multiplied by $2,500 and interest on the amount at the maximum legal prevailing rate, as determined by the Treasurer of the United States from the date of breach.

Any amount the Commission is entitled to recover shall be paid within one year of the date the Commission determines that the applicant is in breach of the written contract. Failure to pay the Commission by the due date has the following consequences:

(1) the debt shall be reported to credit reporting agencies. Any loan repayment debt more than 60 days past due shall be reported to all appropriate credit reporting agencies;

(2) the debt shall be referred to a debt collection agency and the Attorney General's Office. Any loan repayment debt past due for 3 months shall be referred to a debt agency. If the debt collection agency is unsuccessful in receiving payment in full, the debt shall be referred to the Attorney General's Office for enforced collection; and

(3) State payments due to the grantee, such as a State income tax refund, may be offset by the Department of Revenue to repay a delinquent loan repayment debt.

Section 40. Rules. The Commission shall administer the Program and shall adopt rules not inconsistent with this Act for the Program's effective implementation.