Full Text of SB3912 102nd General Assembly
SB3912 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022 SB3912 Introduced 1/21/2022, by Sen. Ann Gillespie SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: |
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Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Expands the Post-Master of Social Work School Social Work Professional Educator License scholarship to allow a recipient to work as a social worker for an Illinois municipality who does not report directly to a police department (instead of only recipients who work at a public or nonpublic not-for-profit preschool, elementary school, or secondary school located in this State) for at least 2 of the 5 years immediately following the recipient's graduation or termination of studies.
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| | A BILL FOR |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning education.
| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
| 4 | | Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | 5 | | amended by changing Section 65.110 as follows: | 6 | | (110 ILCS 947/65.110) | 7 | | Sec. 65.110. Post-Master of Social Work School Social Work | 8 | | Professional Educator License scholarship. | 9 | | (a) Subject to appropriation, beginning with awards for | 10 | | the 2022-2023 academic year, the Commission shall award | 11 | | annually up to 250 Post-Master of Social Work School Social | 12 | | Work Professional Educator License scholarships to a person | 13 | | who: | 14 | | (1) holds a valid Illinois-licensed clinical social | 15 | | work license or social work license; | 16 | | (2) has obtained a master's degree in social work from | 17 | | an approved program; | 18 | | (3) is a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen; | 19 | | and | 20 | | (4) submits an application to the Commission for such | 21 | | scholarship and agrees to take courses to obtain an | 22 | | Illinois Professional Educator License with an endorsement | 23 | | in School Social Work. |
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| 1 | | (b) If an appropriation for this Section for a given | 2 | | fiscal year is insufficient to provide scholarships to all | 3 | | qualified applicants, the Commission shall allocate the | 4 | | appropriation in accordance with this subsection (b). If funds | 5 | | are insufficient to provide all qualified applicants with a | 6 | | scholarship as authorized by this Section, the Commission | 7 | | shall allocate the available scholarship funds for that fiscal | 8 | | year to qualified applicants who submit a complete application | 9 | | on or before a date specified by the Commission, based on the | 10 | | following order of priority: | 11 | | (1) firstly, to students who received a scholarship | 12 | | under this Section in the prior academic year and who | 13 | | remain eligible for a scholarship under this Section; | 14 | | (2) secondly, to new, qualified applicants who are | 15 | | members of a racial minority, as defined in subsection | 16 | | (c); and | 17 | | (3) finally, to other new, qualified applicants in | 18 | | accordance with this Section. | 19 | | (c) Scholarships awarded under this Section shall be | 20 | | issued pursuant to rules adopted by the Commission. In | 21 | | awarding scholarships, the Commission shall give priority to | 22 | | those applicants who are members of a racial minority. Racial | 23 | | minorities are underrepresented as school social workers in | 24 | | elementary and secondary schools and as social workers in | 25 | | municipalities in this State, and the General Assembly finds | 26 | | that it is in the interest of this State to provide them with |
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| 1 | | priority consideration for programs that encourage their | 2 | | participation in this field and thereby foster a profession | 3 | | that is more reflective of the diversity of the Illinois | 4 | | residents, students , and the parents they will serve. A more | 5 | | reflective workforce in school social work allows improved | 6 | | outcomes for individuals students and a better utilization of | 7 | | services. Therefore, the Commission shall give priority to | 8 | | those applicants who are members of a racial minority. In this | 9 | | subsection (c), "racial minority" means a person who is a | 10 | | citizen of the United States or a lawful permanent resident | 11 | | alien of the United States and who is: | 12 | | (1) Black (a person having origins in any of the black | 13 | | racial groups in Africa); | 14 | | (2) Hispanic (a person of Spanish or Portuguese | 15 | | culture with origins in Mexico, South or Central America, | 16 | | or the Caribbean Islands, regardless of race); | 17 | | (3) Asian American (a person having origins in any of | 18 | | the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the | 19 | | Indian Subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands); or | 20 | | (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native (a person having | 21 | | origins in any of the original peoples of North America). | 22 | | (d) Each scholarship shall be applied to the payment of | 23 | | tuition and mandatory fees at the University of Illinois, | 24 | | Southern Illinois University, Chicago State University, | 25 | | Eastern Illinois University, Governors State University, | 26 | | Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University, |
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| 1 | | Northern Illinois University, and Western Illinois University. | 2 | | Each scholarship may be applied to pay tuition and mandatory | 3 | | fees required to obtain an Illinois Professional Educator | 4 | | License with an endorsement in School Social Work. | 5 | | (e) The Commission shall make tuition and fee payments | 6 | | directly to the qualified institution of higher learning that | 7 | | the applicant attends. | 8 | | (f) Any person who has accepted a scholarship under this | 9 | | Section must, within one year after graduation or termination | 10 | | of enrollment in a Post-Master of Social Work Professional | 11 | | Education License with an endorsement in School Social Work | 12 | | program, begin working as a school social worker at a public or | 13 | | nonpublic not-for-profit preschool, elementary school, or | 14 | | secondary school located in this State or as a social worker | 15 | | for an Illinois municipality who does not report directly to a | 16 | | police department for at least 2 of the 5 years immediately | 17 | | following that graduation or termination . The following is | 18 | | excluded , excluding, however, from the computation of that | 19 | | 5-year period: (i) any time up to 3 years spent in the military | 20 | | service, whether such service occurs before or after the | 21 | | person graduates; (ii) the time that person is a person with a | 22 | | temporary total disability for a period of time not to exceed 3 | 23 | | years, as established by the sworn affidavit of a qualified | 24 | | physician; and (iii) the time that person is seeking and | 25 | | unable to find full-time employment as a school social worker | 26 | | at a State public or nonpublic not-for-profit preschool, |
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| 1 | | elementary school, or secondary school or as a social worker | 2 | | for an Illinois municipality who does not report directly to a | 3 | | police department . | 4 | | (g) If a recipient of a scholarship under this Section | 5 | | fails to fulfill the work obligation set forth in subsection | 6 | | (f), the Commission shall require the recipient to repay the | 7 | | amount of the scholarships received, prorated according to the | 8 | | fraction of the obligation not completed, at a rate of | 9 | | interest equal to 5%, and, if applicable, reasonable | 10 | | collection fees. The Commission is authorized to establish | 11 | | rules relating to its collection activities for repayment of | 12 | | scholarships under this Section. All repayments collected | 13 | | under this Section shall be forwarded to the State Comptroller | 14 | | for deposit into this State's General Revenue Fund. | 15 | | A recipient of a scholarship under this Section is not | 16 | | considered to be in violation of the failure to fulfill the | 17 | | work obligation under subsection (f) if the recipient (i) | 18 | | enrolls on a full-time basis as a graduate student in a course | 19 | | of study related to the field of social work at a qualified | 20 | | Illinois institution of higher learning; (ii) is serving, not | 21 | | in excess of 3 years, as a member of the armed services of the | 22 | | United States; (iii) is a person with a temporary total | 23 | | disability for a period of time not to exceed 3 years, as | 24 | | established by the sworn affidavit of a qualified physician; | 25 | | (iv) is seeking and unable to find full-time employment as a | 26 | | school social worker at an Illinois public or nonpublic |
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| 1 | | not-for-profit preschool, elementary school, or secondary | 2 | | school or as a social worker for an Illinois municipality who | 3 | | does not report directly to a police department that satisfies | 4 | | the criteria set forth in subsection (f) and is able to provide | 5 | | evidence of that fact; or (v) becomes a person with a permanent | 6 | | total disability, as established by the sworn affidavit of a | 7 | | qualified physician.
| 8 | | (Source: P.A. 102-621, eff. 1-1-22.)
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