Full Text of HB0364 96th General Assembly
HB0364enr 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| AN ACT concerning education.
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| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| represented in the General Assembly:
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| Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | 5 |
| Veterinary Student Loan Repayment Program Act. | 6 |
| Section 15. Definitions. In this Act: | 7 |
| "College" means the College of Veterinary Medicine of the | 8 |
| University of Illinois. | 9 |
| "Program" means the Veterinary Student Loan Repayment | 10 |
| Program established under this Act. | 11 |
| "University" means the University of Illinois. | 12 |
| Section 20. Veterinary Student Loan Repayment Program.
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| (a) There is hereby created a veterinary training program | 14 |
| for large animal and public health veterinary medicine, which | 15 |
| shall be known as the Veterinary Student Loan Repayment Program | 16 |
| and administered through the University of Illinois. | 17 |
| (b) The purpose of the Program is to provide encouragement, | 18 |
| opportunities, and incentives for persons pursuing a | 19 |
| veterinary medicine degree program at the University of | 20 |
| Illinois to engage, upon completion of such education program, | 21 |
| in (i) veterinary practice that is at least 51% devoted to | 22 |
| large animal medicine that enhances agricultural animal health |
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| and productivity or (ii) regulatory veterinary medicine that | 2 |
| supports public health and safety, livestock biosecurity, or | 3 |
| food animal disease diagnosis. | 4 |
| (c) Subject to appropriation and upon recommendation of the | 5 |
| College, the University may enter into a program agreement with | 6 |
| up to 4 veterinary students during the first year of operation | 7 |
| of the Program; up to 8 veterinary students during the second | 8 |
| year of operation of the Program; up to 12 veterinary students | 9 |
| during the third year of operation of the Program; and up to 16 | 10 |
| veterinary students during the fourth year of operation of the | 11 |
| Program and every year thereafter until the expiration of the | 12 |
| Program, as set forth in Section 40 of this Act. Preference | 13 |
| must be given to those students who are Illinois residents. | 14 |
| Each student entering into a program agreement shall receive a | 15 |
| loan in the amount of $20,000 per year to cover tuition, books, | 16 |
| supplies and other school expenses and travel and training | 17 |
| expenses incurred by the student in pursuing a veterinary | 18 |
| medicine degree. A student may be the recipient of a loan under | 19 |
| the Program for no more than 4 years. | 20 |
| (d) Upon the satisfaction of all commitments made under the | 21 |
| Program and all provisions of the program agreement, all loans | 22 |
| disbursed to a student under the Program shall be deemed | 23 |
| satisfied and forgiven. | 24 |
| Section 25. Program agreement. | 25 |
| (a) Prior to receiving a loan under the Program, each loan |
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| recipient must sign an agreement pledging that he or she shall: | 2 |
| (1) complete the veterinary medicine degree program at | 3 |
| the College; | 4 |
| (2) complete all advanced training in public health, | 5 |
| livestock biosecurity, foreign animal disease diagnosis, | 6 |
| regulatory veterinary medicine and zoonotic disease and | 7 |
| complete an externship and mentorship with a licensed, | 8 |
| accredited veterinarian in Illinois who practices in one of | 9 |
| the areas of veterinary service need identified in this Act | 10 |
| and as required by the University; | 11 |
| (3) engage in the full-time practice of veterinary | 12 |
| medicine in any of the identified areas of veterinary | 13 |
| service need identified in this Act; | 14 |
| (4) practice full-time for a period of at least 12 | 15 |
| continuous months for each separate year that he or she | 16 |
| received a loan under the Program, unless such obligation | 17 |
| is otherwise satisfied as provided in this Act; and | 18 |
| (5) commence the full-time practice required under | 19 |
| this Section within 180 days after completion of his or her | 20 |
| degree program or, if he or she enters a post-degree | 21 |
| training program such as a graduate school or internship or | 22 |
| residency program, within 90 days after completion of that | 23 |
| post-degree training program. | 24 |
| (b) The fulfillment of obligations set forth in the program | 25 |
| agreement may be postponed under any of the following | 26 |
| circumstances: |
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| (1) Any period of temporary medical disability during | 2 |
| which the loan recipient is unable to practice veterinary | 3 |
| medicine due to such disability. | 4 |
| (2) Any period of time in which the loan recipient is | 5 |
| engaged in mandatory military service as part of the U.S. | 6 |
| Armed Forces. | 7 |
| (3) Any other period of postponement agreed to or | 8 |
| determined in accordance with criteria agreed to in the | 9 |
| program agreement. | 10 |
| (c) The obligations of a program agreement shall be | 11 |
| discharged prematurely upon the death of the loan recipient or | 12 |
| in the event that the loan recipient is unable to practice | 13 |
| veterinary medicine due to permanent disability. | 14 |
| Section 30. Failure to satisfy program agreement. Upon the | 15 |
| failure of a loan recipient to satisfy the obligations set | 16 |
| forth in the program agreement, he or she must repay to the | 17 |
| University the amount equal to the amount loaned to the | 18 |
| recipient less a prorated amount based on any periods of | 19 |
| practice of veterinary medicine meeting the requirements of the | 20 |
| program agreement, plus interest at a rate of 18% interest per | 21 |
| year beginning on the date of the failure to satisfy the | 22 |
| program requirement. Such interest shall be compounded | 23 |
| annually. | 24 |
| Section 35. Collected payments. Payments received by the |
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| University in accordance with this Act shall be deposited with | 2 |
| the University for the purpose of supporting the Program, which | 3 |
| shall include providing funding for additional loans as | 4 |
| provided for under this Act, and administrative costs | 5 |
| associated with administering the Program. | 6 |
| Section 40. Expiration of Program. The University may not | 7 |
| enter into any program agreement under the Program or the | 8 |
| provisions of this Act after July 1, 2019. All program | 9 |
| agreements entered into prior to July 1, 2019 shall continue in | 10 |
| full force and effect, subject to the requirements of this Act.
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| Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 12 |
| becoming law.
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