HB2838ham002 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Rep. Lindsey LaPointe

Filed: 4/16/2024

10300HB2838ham002 LRB103 04770 RJT 72483 a

AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 2838

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 2838 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding Section 5.1015 as follows:

(30 ILCS 105/5.1015 new)

Sec. 5.1015. The Behavioral Health Education Fund.

Section 10. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is amended by adding Section 65.125 as follows:

(110 ILCS 947/65.125 new)

Sec. 65.125. Behavioral Health Scholarship Program.

(a) As used in this Section:

"Behavioral health discipline" means:

(1) undergraduate behavioral health disciplines that may be offered through institutions of higher education, including, but not limited to, psychology, counseling, social work, behavioral analysis and therapy, child and adolescent development, and rehabilitation counseling;

(2) graduate behavioral health disciplines, including, but not limited to, clinical or counseling psychology, counseling, social work, behavioral analysis and therapy, child and adolescent development, rehabilitation counseling, and marriage and family therapy; and

(3) certified behavioral health disciplines, including but not limited to certified recovery support specialists, certified peer recovery specialists, certified alcohol and other drug counseling, and community health worker.

"Eligible applicant" means a student who is enrolled in a program of study at a participating college, community college, or university and who meets all of the qualifications and requirements under this Section.

"Federally qualified health center" means a health center funded under Section 330 of the federal Public Health Service Act.

"FQHC Look-Alike" means a health center that meets the requirements for receiving a grant under Section 330 of the federal Public Health Service Act but does not receive funding under that Act.

"Part-time employment" means working at least 20 hours a week.

"Participating college, community college, or university" means a public institution of higher education that is a party to an intergovernmental agreement entered into with the Commission in order to participate in the program established under this Section.

(b) Subject to appropriation, beginning with the 2025-2026 academic year, the Commission shall establish and administer the Behavioral Health Scholarship Program for the purpose of incentivizing students to pursue degrees in a behavioral health discipline. The Commission shall enter into agreements with institutions of higher education to participate in the Program. Under the Program, the Commission shall provide financial assistance to an eligible applicant.

(c) For purposes of this subsection, "racial minority" means a person who is a citizen of the United States or a lawful permanent resident alien of the United States and who is:

(1) Black (a person having origins in any of the black racial groups in Africa);

(2) Hispanic (a person of Spanish or Portuguese culture with origins in Mexico, South or Central America, or the Caribbean Islands, regardless of race);

(3) Asian American (a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands);

(4) American Indian or Alaskan Native (a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America); or

(5) Middle Eastern or Northern African (a person of a culture originating in the Middle East or Northern Africa, regardless of race).

Subject to appropriation, the Commission shall award financial assistance in the form of a scholarship to an eligible applicant up to the applicant's total cost of attendance, not to exceed $10,000 each year for a maximum of 4 years at a participating college, community college, or university if the applicant meets all of the following criteria:

(1) The applicant is a resident of this State or a child of a noncitizen of the United States.

(2) The applicant has committed to work in a community not-for-profit behavioral health agency, federally qualified health center, or FQHC Look-Alike located in this State for at least 4 years. The requirements of this paragraph shall be suspended if an applicant enrolls in a program of study at a participating college, community college, or university and who meets all other qualifications and requirements under this subsection.

(3) The applicant is enrolled on at least a half-time basis at a qualified institution.

Each scholarship awarded under this Section shall be in an amount determined by the Commission, up to the recipient's total cost of attendance, except that the total scholarship amount may not exceed $10,000 annually. The total amount of scholarship assistance awarded by the Commission under this Section to an applicant in any given fiscal year, when added to other financial assistance awarded to that individual for that year, may not exceed the cost of attendance at the institution at which the applicant is enrolled. If the amount of financial assistance to be awarded to an applicant exceeds the cost of attendance at the institution at which the applicant is enrolled, the scholarship awarded under this Section shall be reduced by an amount equal to the amount by which the combined financial assistance available to the applicant exceeds the total cost of attendance.

In awarding scholarships, the Commission shall give priority to those applicants who are members of a racial minority.

(d) Each participating college, community college, or university shall post on its website the criteria and eligibility requirements to receive financial assistance under this Section and must identify that the financial assistance is for a maximum of 4 academic years or the equivalent to 4 academic years, with the maximum amount of financial assistance awarded to an eligible applicant not to the amount specified in subsection (c). This information must also be reported to the Commission and the Board of Higher Education, and the Commission and the Board shall post the information on the Commission's and Board's respective websites.

(e) Nothing in this Section precludes a scholarship recipient from applying and being awarded financial assistance for a degree after previously receiving financial assistance under this Section.

(f) Prior to receiving financial assistance for any academic year, an eligible applicant under this Section shall be required by the participating college, community college, or university to sign an agreement with the Commission under which the eligible applicant pledges that, within 6 months from the date of the eligible applicant's graduation or certificate completion from the participating college, community college, or university, the eligible applicant must search for, apply for, and accept full-time or part-time employment at a community not-for-profit behavioral health agency, federally qualified health center, or FQHC Look-Alike. The recipient of financial assistance must, for at least 4 years, maintain this employment.

(g) A scholarship recipient shall not be considered in violation of the agreement entered into under subsection (f) if the recipient (i) enrolls on at least a half-time basis as a student in a course of study in a behavioral health discipline participating college, community college, or university, (ii) is serving, not in excess of 3 years, as a member of the armed services of the United States, (iii) is a person with a temporary total disability for a period of time not to exceed 3 years as established by sworn affidavit of a qualified physician, (iv) is seeking and unable to find full-time employment in a behavioral health discipline at a community not-for-profit behavioral health agency, federally qualified health center, or FQHC Look-Alike and is able to provide evidence of that fact, or (v) becomes a person with a permanent total disability as established by sworn affidavit of a qualified physician.

A scholarship recipient under this Section who withdraws from a program in a behavioral health discipline but remains enrolled in an institution of higher education to continue the recipient's postsecondary studies in another academic discipline may not be required to commence repayment of any financial assistance received under this Section if the recipient remains enrolled on a full-time basis or if the recipient can document for the Commission special circumstances that warrant extension of repayment.

(h) The Commission shall develop rules related to scholarship repayment for recipients who (i) fail to search for, apply for, and accept full-time or part-time employment within a defined time frame, (ii) have changes to their school enrollment status, (iii) have a terminated employment status for any reason, including for cause, prior to the program's 4-year employment requirement, or (iv) enroll in a degree program to pursue a degree in a behavioral health field.

(i) The Commission shall use moneys appropriated to the Behavioral Health Education Fund to fund the Program as described under this Section.

(j) The Commission shall adopt rules to implement this Section and may adopt rules relating to its collection activities for the repayment of any financial assistance provided under this Section.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.".