HB1522 Engrossed LRB094 09337 RAS 39578 b

1     AN ACT concerning loan repayment assistance for
2 physicians.
 
3     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
 
5     Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Loan
6 Repayment Assistance for Physicians Act.
 
7     Section 5. Purpose. The purpose of this Act is to
8 establish a program in the Department of Public Health to
9 increase the total number of physicians in this State by
10 providing educational loan repayment assistance grants to
11 physicians.
 
12     Section 10. Definitions. In this Act, unless the context
13 otherwise requires:
14     "Department" means the Department of Public Health.
15     "Educational loans" means higher education student loans
16 that a person has incurred in attending a registered
17 professional physician education program.
18     "Physician" means a person licensed under the Medical
19 Practice Act of 1987 to practice medicine in all of its
20 branches.
21     "Program" means the educational loan repayment assistance
22 program for physicians established by the Department under this
23 Act.
 
24     Section 15. Establishment of program. The Department shall
25 establish an educational loan repayment assistance program for
26 physicians who practice in Illinois. The Department shall
27 administer the program and make all necessary and proper rules
28 not inconsistent with this Act for the program's effective
29 implementation. The Department may use up to 5% of the
30 appropriation for this program for administration and

 

 

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1 promotion of physician incentive programs.
 
2     Section 20. Application. Beginning July 1, 2005, the
3 Department shall, each year, consider applications for
4 assistance under the program. The form of application and the
5 information required to be set forth in the application shall
6 be determined by the Department, and the Department shall
7 require applicants to submit with their applications such
8 supporting documents as the Department deems necessary.
 
9     Section 25. Eligibility. To be eligible for assistance
10 under the program, an applicant must meet all of the following
11 qualifications:
12         (1) He or she must be a citizen or permanent resident
13     of the United States.
14         (2) He or she must be a resident of Illinois.
15         (3) He or she must be practicing full-time in Illinois
16     as a physician.
17         (4) He or she must currently be repaying educational
18     loans.
19         (5) He or she must agree to continue full-time practice
20     in Illinois for 3 years.
 
21     Section 30. The award of grants. Under the program, for
22 each year that a qualified applicant practices full-time in
23 Illinois as a physician, the Department shall, subject to
24 appropriation, award a grant to that person in an amount equal
25 to the amount in educational loans that the person must repay
26 that year. However, the total amount in grants that a person
27 may be awarded under the program shall not exceed $25,000. The
28 Department shall require recipients to use the grants to pay
29 off their educational loans.
 
30     Section 35. Penalty for failure to fulfill obligation. Loan
31 repayment recipients who fail to practice full-time in Illinois
32 for 3 years shall repay the Department a sum equal to 3 times

 

 

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1 the amount received under the program.
 
2     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
3 2005.