102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB4720

 

Introduced 1/27/2022, by Rep. Lamont J. Robinson, Jr.

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Human Service Professional Loan Repayment Program Act. Creates the Human Service Professional Loan Repayment Program, which shall be administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, to provide loan repayment assistance to eligible direct service professionals practicing in a community-based, human service agency that contracts with or is grant funded by a State agency. Contains provisions concerning applications, award amounts, eligibility and work requirements, and rules.


LRB102 25675 CMG 34968 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB4720LRB102 25675 CMG 34968 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Human
5Service Professional Loan Repayment Program Act.
 
6    Section 5. Purpose. The purpose of the Human Service
7Professional Loan Repayment Program is to recruit and retain
8qualified direct service professionals to work for
9community-based human service providers. Due to numerous
10factors, human service agencies have a high turnover rate and
11struggle to maintain consistent staffing levels. Many of these
12positions require degrees in human service-related fields of
13study. In addition, most human service positions require
14graduate degrees or post-secondary degree or certification.
15The higher education requirements for the human service
16workforce often means that many students graduate with a high
17level of debt for a job that pays slightly above minimum wage
18with a great deal of stress and burnout.
 
19    Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
20    "Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance
21Commission.
22    "Eligible applicant" means a student who has graduated

 

 

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1with a degree from an accredited college or university with an
2associate's, bachelor's, or master's degree in a human
3services field, or has been independently licensed as a
4licensed clinical social worker, a licensed clinical
5professional counselor, a licensed practitioner of the healing
6arts, a licensed marriage and family therapist, a
7board-certified behavior analyst, or a registered behavior
8technician.
9    "Professional" means a position funded by a grant or
10contract from a State agency for the purposes of providing
11direct or indirect services that ensure that individuals have
12the essential elements to build and maintain physical,
13emotional, and economic well-being at every phase of life.
14    "Program" means the Human Service Professional Loan
15Repayment Program.
16    "Qualified program" means a program which offers an
17Associate's, Bachelor's, or Master's Degree in a Human
18Services field from an accredited college or university for
19the purpose of training and preparing students to be human
20service professionals.
21    "State agency" means the Department of Human Services, the
22Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of
23Juvenile Justice, the Department on Aging, and the Department
24of Public Health.
 
25    Section 15. Establishment of the Program. Beginning on

 

 

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1January 1, 2023, there is to be created the Human Service
2Professional Loan Repayment Program, which shall be
3administered by the Commission. The Program shall provide loan
4repayment assistance to eligible direct service professionals
5practicing in a community-based, human service agency that
6contracts with or is grant funded by a State agency.
 
7    Section 20. Applications. Each year, the Commission shall
8receive and consider applications for loan repayment
9assistance under this Act. All applications must be submitted
10to the Commission in a form and manner prescribed by the
11Commission. An eligible applicant must submit any supporting
12documents deemed necessary by the Commission at the time of
13application.
 
14    Section 25. Award; maximum loan time; maximum amount. The
15Commission shall award a grant to each eligible applicant for
16a cumulative maximum of 4 years. The recipient of a grant
17awarded by the Commission under this Act must use the grant
18award for payments towards the recipient's educational loans
19from a qualified program. The amount of the grant shall not
20exceed: (i) $25,000 per year for a Master's Degree in Human
21Services or higher; (ii) $15,000 per year for a Bachelor's
22Degree in Human Services; (iii) $3,000 per year for a direct
23service worker with an associate's degree; and (iv) up to a
24$5,000 per year add-on if independently licensed as a licensed

 

 

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1clinical social worker, a licensed clinical professional
2counselor, a licensed practitioner of the healing arts, a
3licensed marriage and family therapist, a board certified
4behavior analyst, or a registered behavior technician.
 
5    Section 30. Eligibility; work requirement.
6    (a) To be eligible to receive a grant under the Human
7Service Professional Loan Repayment Program, the Commission
8must find that the eligible applicant satisfies all of the
9following:
10        (1) The applicant is a United States citizen or an
11    eligible noncitizen.
12        (2) The applicant is a resident of the State of
13    Illinois.
14        (3) The applicant has worked for at least 24
15    consecutive months as a full-time employee as a human
16    service professional in a community-based human service
17    agency that currently has or did have a contract with a
18    State agency to provide human services during the duration
19    of applicant's 24 consecutive month tenure.
20        (4) The applicant holds a degree from a qualified
21    program.
22        (5) The applicant is a borrower with an outstanding
23    balance due on an educational loan.
24        (6) The applicant has not defaulted on an educational
25    loan.

 

 

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1        (7) The applicant must remain a full-time employee as
2    a human service professional in a community-based human
3    service agency for at least 12 months after receiving this
4    grant.
5    (b) If the recipient of this grant fails to maintain
6full-time employment in a community-based human service agency
7for at least 12 months after receiving the grant, the
8Commission shall require the recipient to begin to repay the
9total amount of the grant within 90 calendar days after
10notification of employment ending. The repayment amount shall
11be prorated according to the fraction of employment obligation
12not completed, at a rate of interest equal to 5%.
13    (c) If the recipient's employment at a community-based
14human service agency is terminated for any reason other than
15for cause, the recipient must search for, apply to, and accept
16new, qualified, full-time employment as a human service
17professional in a community-based human service agency within
1890 calendar days from the recipient's termination of full-time
19employment, otherwise the stipend recipient is subject to the
20repayment of stipend funds to the Commission.
21    (d) If the recipient's employment at a community-based
22human service agency is terminated for cause, the recipient
23shall repay the total amount of the grant received under this
24program within 90 calendar days after termination of full-time
25employment. The amount of repayment owed by the recipient
26shall be prorated based on the amount of the employment

 

 

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1requirement that has been satisfied.
2    The Commission may grant preference to a previous
3recipient of a grant under the Program, provided that the
4recipient continues to meet the eligibility requirements under
5this Section.
 
6    Section 35. Administration; rules. The Commission shall
7administer the Program and shall adopt rules not inconsistent
8with this Act for the Program's effective implementation.