Sen. Jeffrey M. Schoenberg
Filed: 5/15/2009
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1 | AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 574
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2 | AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 574 by replacing | ||||||
3 | everything after the enacting clause with the following:
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4 | "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||||
5 | Public Interest Attorney Assistance Act. | ||||||
6 | Section 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly | ||||||
7 | finds the following: | ||||||
8 | (1) Equal access to justice is a basic right that is | ||||||
9 | fundamental to democracy in this State, and the integrity | ||||||
10 | of this State and this State's justice system depends on | ||||||
11 | protecting and enforcing the rights of all people and | ||||||
12 | quality enforcement of the laws of this State. | ||||||
13 | (2) Equal access to justice and quality enforcement of | ||||||
14 | State laws are integral parts of the general public | ||||||
15 | welfare. | ||||||
16 | (3) Vulnerable and disadvantaged citizens of this |
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1 | State are unable to protect or enforce their rights without | ||||||
2 | legal assistance from public interest attorneys. | ||||||
3 | (4) Graduating law students and practicing attorneys | ||||||
4 | are increasingly unable to continue in public interest | ||||||
5 | attorney positions because of high student loan debt. | ||||||
6 | (5) Assisting public interest attorneys with loan | ||||||
7 | forgiveness is a major step toward ensuring quality legal | ||||||
8 | representation for this State's most vulnerable citizens | ||||||
9 | and quality enforcement of State law. | ||||||
10 | (6) The collection and distribution of funds under this | ||||||
11 | Act promotes justice and is in the public interest. | ||||||
12 | (7) The use of funds for the purposes prescribed by | ||||||
13 | this Act are in the public interest and consistent with | ||||||
14 | providing equal access to justice and quality enforcement | ||||||
15 | of State law. | ||||||
16 | Section 10. Purpose. The purpose of this Act is to | ||||||
17 | encourage qualified individuals to enter into and continue in | ||||||
18 | employment in this State as assistant State's Attorneys, | ||||||
19 | assistant Public Defenders, civil legal aid attorneys, | ||||||
20 | assistant Attorneys General, assistant public guardians, IGAC | ||||||
21 | attorneys, and legislative attorneys in a manner that protects | ||||||
22 | the rights of this State's most vulnerable citizens or promotes | ||||||
23 | the quality enforcement of State law. | ||||||
24 | Section 15. Definitions. For the purposes of this Act: |
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1 | "Assistant State's Attorney" means a full-time employee of | ||||||
2 | a State's Attorney in Illinois or the State's Attorneys | ||||||
3 | Appellate Prosecutor who is continually licensed to practice | ||||||
4 | law and prosecutes or defends cases on behalf of the State or a | ||||||
5 | county. | ||||||
6 | "Assistant Attorney General" means a full-time employee of | ||||||
7 | the Illinois Attorney General who is continually licensed to | ||||||
8 | practice law and prosecutes or defends cases on behalf of the | ||||||
9 | State. | ||||||
10 | "Assistant Public Defender" means a full-time employee of a | ||||||
11 | Public Defender in Illinois or the State Appellate Defender who | ||||||
12 | is continually licensed to practice law and provides legal | ||||||
13 | representation to indigent persons, as provided by statute. | ||||||
14 | "Assistant public guardian" means a full-time employee of a | ||||||
15 | public guardian in Illinois who is continually licensed to | ||||||
16 | practice law and provides legal representation pursuant to | ||||||
17 | court appointment. | ||||||
18 | "Civil legal aid" means free or reduced-cost legal | ||||||
19 | representation or advice to low-income clients in non-criminal | ||||||
20 | matters. | ||||||
21 | "Civil legal aid attorney" means an attorney who is | ||||||
22 | continually licensed to practice law and is employed full time | ||||||
23 | as an attorney at a civil legal aid organization in Illinois. | ||||||
24 | "Civil legal aid organization" means a not-for-profit | ||||||
25 | corporation in Illinois that (i) is exempt from the payment of | ||||||
26 | federal income tax pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the |
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1 | Internal Revenue Code, (ii) is established for the purpose of | ||||||
2 | providing legal services that include civil legal aid, (iii) | ||||||
3 | employs 2 or more full-time attorneys who are licensed to | ||||||
4 | practice law in this State and who directly provide civil legal | ||||||
5 | aid, and (iv) is in compliance with registration and filing | ||||||
6 | requirements that are applicable under the Charitable Trust Act | ||||||
7 | and the Solicitation for Charity Act. | ||||||
8 | "Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance | ||||||
9 | Commission. | ||||||
10 | "Committee" means the advisory committee created under | ||||||
11 | Section 20 of this Act. | ||||||
12 | "Eligible debt" means outstanding principal, interest, and | ||||||
13 | related fees from loans obtained for undergraduate, graduate, | ||||||
14 | or law school educational expenses made by government or | ||||||
15 | commercial lending institutions or educational institutions. | ||||||
16 | "Eligible debt" excludes loans made by a private individual or | ||||||
17 | family member. | ||||||
18 | "IGAC attorney" means a full-time employee of the Illinois | ||||||
19 | Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, including the Office of | ||||||
20 | State Guardian, the Legal Advocacy Service, and the Human | ||||||
21 | Rights Authority, who is continually licensed to practice law | ||||||
22 | and provides legal representation to carry out the | ||||||
23 | responsibilities of the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy | ||||||
24 | Commission. | ||||||
25 | "Legislative attorney" means a full-time employee of the | ||||||
26 | Illinois Senate, the Illinois House of Representatives, or the |
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1 | Illinois Legislative Reference Bureau who is continually | ||||||
2 | licensed to practice law and provides legal advice to members | ||||||
3 | of the General Assembly. | ||||||
4 | "Program" means the Public Interest Attorney Loan | ||||||
5 | Repayment Assistance Program. | ||||||
6 | "Public interest attorney" means an attorney practicing in | ||||||
7 | Illinois who is an assistant State's Attorney, assistant Public | ||||||
8 | Defender, civil legal aid attorney, assistant Attorney | ||||||
9 | General, assistant public guardian, IGAC attorney, or | ||||||
10 | legislative attorney. | ||||||
11 | "Qualifying employer" means (i) an Illinois State's | ||||||
12 | Attorney or the State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor, (ii) an | ||||||
13 | Illinois Public Defender or the State Appellate Defender, (iii) | ||||||
14 | an Illinois civil legal aid organization, (iv) the Illinois | ||||||
15 | Attorney General, (v) an Illinois public guardian, (vi) the | ||||||
16 | Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, (vii) the | ||||||
17 | Illinois Senate, (viii) the Illinois House of Representatives, | ||||||
18 | or (ix) the Illinois Legislative Reference Bureau. | ||||||
19 | Section 20. Public Interest Attorney Loan Repayment | ||||||
20 | Assistance Program. | ||||||
21 | (a) The Commission shall establish and administer the | ||||||
22 | Program for the primary purpose of providing loan repayment | ||||||
23 | assistance to practicing attorneys to encourage them to pursue | ||||||
24 | careers as public interest attorneys to protect the rights of | ||||||
25 | this State's most vulnerable citizens or provide quality |
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1 | enforcement of State law. The Commission shall create an | ||||||
2 | advisory committee composed of representatives from | ||||||
3 | organizations with relevant expertise, including one person | ||||||
4 | from each of the following entities: | ||||||
5 | (1) The Illinois State's Attorneys Association. | ||||||
6 | (2) An office of an Illinois Public Defender. | ||||||
7 | (3) An office of an Illinois public guardian. | ||||||
8 | (4) The Office of the Illinois Attorney General. | ||||||
9 | (5) An Illinois metropolitan bar association. | ||||||
10 | (6) An Illinois statewide bar association. | ||||||
11 | (7) A public law school in this State. | ||||||
12 | (b) The Public Interest Attorney Loan Repayment Assistance | ||||||
13 | Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury. The | ||||||
14 | Fund shall consist of all moneys remitted to the Commission | ||||||
15 | under the terms of this Act. All money in the Fund shall be | ||||||
16 | used, subject to appropriation, by the Commission for the | ||||||
17 | purposes of this Act. | ||||||
18 | (c) Subject to the availability of appropriations and | ||||||
19 | subsections (d) and (e) of this Section, the Commission shall | ||||||
20 | distribute funds to eligible applicants. | ||||||
21 | (d) The Commission is authorized to prescribe all rules, | ||||||
22 | policies, and procedures necessary or convenient for the | ||||||
23 | administration of the Program and all terms and conditions | ||||||
24 | applicable to payments made under this Act. This shall be done | ||||||
25 | with the guidance and assistance of the Committee. | ||||||
26 | (e) The Commission shall administer the Program, |
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1 | including, but not limited to, establishing and implementing | ||||||
2 | the following: | ||||||
3 | (1) An application process. Subject to the | ||||||
4 | availability of appropriations, the Commission shall, each | ||||||
5 | year, consider applications by eligible public interest | ||||||
6 | attorneys for loan repayment assistance under the Program. | ||||||
7 | (2) Eligibility requirements. The Commission shall, on | ||||||
8 | an annual basis, receive and consider applications for loan | ||||||
9 | repayment assistance under the Program if the Commission | ||||||
10 | finds that the applicant: | ||||||
11 | (i) is a citizen or permanent resident of the | ||||||
12 | United States; | ||||||
13 | (ii) is a licensed member of the Illinois Bar in | ||||||
14 | good standing; | ||||||
15 | (iii) has eligible debt in grace or repayment | ||||||
16 | status; and | ||||||
17 | (iv) is employed as a public interest attorney with | ||||||
18 | a qualifying employer in Illinois. | ||||||
19 | (3) A maximum amount of loan repayment assistance for | ||||||
20 | each participant, which shall be $6,000 per year, up to a | ||||||
21 | maximum of $30,000 during the participant's career. | ||||||
22 | (4) Prioritization. The Commission shall develop | ||||||
23 | criteria for prioritization among eligible applicants in | ||||||
24 | the event that there are insufficient funds available to | ||||||
25 | make payments to all eligible applicants under this Act. | ||||||
26 | The prioritization criteria shall include the timeliness |
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1 | of the application, the applicant's salary level, the | ||||||
2 | amount of the applicant's eligible debt, the availability | ||||||
3 | of other loan repayment assistance to the applicant, the | ||||||
4 | applicant's length of service as a public interest | ||||||
5 | attorney, and the applicant's prior participation in the | ||||||
6 | Program. | ||||||
7 | (f) The distribution of funds available after | ||||||
8 | administrative costs must be made by the Commission to eligible | ||||||
9 | public interest attorneys in the following manner: | ||||||
10 | (1) Loan repayment assistance must be in the form of a | ||||||
11 | forgivable loan. | ||||||
12 | (2) To have the loan forgiven, the participant shall | ||||||
13 | (i) complete a year of employment with a qualifying | ||||||
14 | employer and (ii) make educational debt payments (interest | ||||||
15 | or principal or both) that equal at least the amount of | ||||||
16 | assistance received under the Program during the | ||||||
17 | assistance year. | ||||||
18 | (3) Each loan must be documented by means of a | ||||||
19 | promissory note executed by the borrower in a form provided | ||||||
20 | by the Commission and shall be forgiven when an eligible | ||||||
21 | participant meets the requirements set forth by the | ||||||
22 | Commission.
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23 | Section 25. Ineligibility and termination of funds; | ||||||
24 | procedures. | ||||||
25 | (a) If a participant becomes ineligible during the term of |
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1 | a loan, he or she must repay the outstanding amount of any loan | ||||||
2 | received from the Commission. | ||||||
3 | (b) The Commission may in its discretion forgive the loan | ||||||
4 | of a participant in whole or in part in certain circumstances | ||||||
5 | as set forth in its written policies and guidelines. | ||||||
6 | Section 30. Other powers. The Commission may make, enter | ||||||
7 | into, and execute contracts, agreements, leases, and other | ||||||
8 | instruments with any person, including without limitation any | ||||||
9 | federal, State, or local governmental agency, and may take | ||||||
10 | other actions that may be necessary or convenient to accomplish | ||||||
11 | any purpose authorized by this Act. | ||||||
12 | Section 90. The State Finance Act is amended by adding | ||||||
13 | Section 5.719 as follows: | ||||||
14 | (30 ILCS 105/5.719 new)
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15 | Sec. 5.719. The Public Interest Attorney Loan Repayment | ||||||
16 | Assistance Fund. ".
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