SB3925 EngrossedLRB102 22989 CMG 32143 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
5Services Professional Loan Repayment Program Act.
 
6    Section 5. Purpose. The purpose of the Human Services
7Professional Loan Repayment Program is to recruit and retain
8qualified human service professionals to work for
9community-based human services providers. Due to numerous
10factors, human services agencies have a high turnover rate and
11struggle to maintain consistent staffing levels. Many of these
12positions require degrees in human services-related fields of
13study. In addition, most human services positions require a
14graduate degree or postsecondary degree or certification. The
15higher education requirements for the human services workforce
16often means that many students graduate with a high level of
17debt for a job that pays slightly above minimum wage with a
18great deal of stress and burnout.
 
19    Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
20    "Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance
21Commission.
22    "Professional" means an individual employed by a human

 

 

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1services agency that contracts with or is grant-funded by a
2State agency for the purposes of providing direct or indirect
3services that ensure that individuals have the essential
4elements to build and maintain physical, emotional, and
5economic well-being at every phase of life.
6    "Program" means the Human Services Professional Loan
7Repayment Program.
8    "Qualified program" means a program that offers an
9associate, bachelor's, or master's degree from an accredited
10college or university.
11    "State agency" means the Department of Human Services, the
12Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of
13Juvenile Justice, the Department on Aging, and the Department
14of Public Health.
 
15    Section 15. Establishment of the Program. The Human
16Services Professional Loan Repayment Program is created and
17shall be administered by the Commission. Subject to
18appropriation, the Program shall provide loan repayment
19assistance to eligible professionals practicing in a
20community-based, human services agency that contracts with or
21is grant-funded by a State agency.
 
22    Section 20. Applications. Each year for which funds have
23been appropriated, the Commission shall receive and consider
24applications for loan repayment assistance under this Act. All

 

 

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1applications must be submitted to the Commission in a form and
2manner prescribed by the Commission. An eligible professional
3must submit any supporting documents deemed necessary by the
4Commission at the time of application.
 
5    Section 25. Award; maximum loan time; maximum amount. The
6Commission shall award a grant to each eligible applicant for
7a cumulative maximum of 4 years. The recipient of a grant
8awarded by the Commission under this Act must use the grant
9award for payments toward the recipient's educational loans
10from a qualified program. The amount of the grant shall not
11exceed: (i) $25,000 per year for a master's degree or higher;
12(ii) $15,000 per year for a bachelor's degree; (iii) $3,000
13per year for a professional with an associate degree; and (iv)
14up to a $5,000 per year add-on if independently licensed as a
15licensed clinical social worker, a licensed clinical
16professional counselor, a licensed practitioner of the healing
17arts, a licensed marriage and family therapist, a
18board-certified behavior analyst, or a registered behavior
19technician.
 
20    Section 30. Eligibility; work requirement.
21    (a) To be eligible to receive a grant under the Human
22Services Professional Loan Repayment Program, the Commission
23must find that the eligible professional satisfies all of the
24following:

 

 

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1        (1) The applicant is a resident of the State of
2    Illinois.
3        (2) The applicant has worked for at least 24
4    consecutive months as a full-time employee as a human
5    services professional in a community-based human services
6    agency that currently has or did have a contract with a
7    State agency to provide human services during the duration
8    of applicant's 24 consecutive month tenure.
9        (3) The applicant is a borrower with an outstanding
10    balance due on an educational loan.
11        (4) The applicant has not defaulted on an educational
12    loan.
13        (5) The applicant must remain a full-time employee as
14    a human services professional in the same community-based
15    human services agency for at least 12 months after
16    receiving this grant.
17    (b) The Commission may grant preference to a previous
18recipient of a grant under the Program, provided that the
19recipient continues to meet the eligibility requirements under
20this Section.
 
21    Section 35. Administration; rules. The Commission shall
22administer the Program and shall adopt rules not inconsistent
23with this Act for the Program's effective implementation.
 
24    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
251, 2023.