Public Act 100-0862
 
HB5109 EnrolledLRB100 19021 RLC 34275 b

    AN ACT concerning health.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment
Program Act.
 
    Section 5. Purpose. The purpose of the Community Behavioral
Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program is to recruit
and retain qualified mental health and substance use
professionals to practice in underserved or rural areas and to
address this State's community-based behavioral health care
workforce shortage that causes disparities in access to
critical mental health and substance use services.
 
    Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
    "Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance
Commission.
    "Physician" means a person licensed by this State to
practice medicine in all its branches and includes any person
holding a temporary license, as provided in the Medical
Practice Act of 1987.
    "Program" means the Community Behavioral Health Care
Professional Loan Repayment Program.
    "Psychiatrist" or "licensed psychiatrist" means a
physician who has successfully completed a residency program in
psychiatry accredited by either the Accreditation Council for
Graduate Medical Education or the American Osteopathic
Association.
 
    Section 15. Establishment of Program. Beginning on July 1,
2019, there is created the Community Behavioral Health Care
Professional Loan Repayment Program, which shall be
administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
The Program shall provide loan repayment assistance, subject to
appropriation, to eligible mental health and substance use
professionals practicing in a community mental health center in
an underserved or rural federally designated Mental Health
Professional Shortage Area.
 
    Section 20. Applications. Each year, the Commission shall
receive and consider applications for loan repayment
assistance under this Act. All applications must be submitted
to the Commission in a form and manner prescribed by the
Commission. Applicants must submit any supporting documents
deemed necessary by the Commission at the time of application.
 
    Section 25. Award; maximum loan time; maximum amount.
Subject to appropriation, the Commission shall award a grant to
each qualified applicant for a maximum of 4 years. The
Commission must encourage the recipient of a grant awarded
under this Act to use the grant award for payments towards the
recipient's educational loans. The amount of the grant shall
not exceed (i) $35,000 per year for a psychiatrist, (ii)
$15,000 per year for an advanced practice registered nurse or a
physician assistant, (iii) $12,000 per year for a psychologist
who holds a doctoral degree, (iv) $6,500 per year for a
licensed clinical social worker or a licensed clinical
professional counselor, and (v) $2,500 per year for a substance
use professional.
 
    Section 30. Eligibility; work requirement.
    (a) To be eligible for assistance under the Community
Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program,
the Commission must find that the applicant satisfies all of
the following:
        (1) He or she is a United States citizen or an eligible
    noncitizen.
        (2) He or she is a resident of this State.
        (3) He or she has worked for at least 12 consecutive
    months as a behavioral health professional in a community
    mental health center in an underserved or rural federally
    designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Area in
    this State.
        (4) He or she is a borrower with an outstanding balance
    due on an educational loan.
        (5) He or she has not defaulted on an educational loan.
    (b) The Commission may grant preference to a previous
recipient of a grant under the Program, provided that the
recipient continues to meet the eligibility requirements under
this Section.
    (c) A recipient of a grant under the Program must complete
a separate 12-month period working in a community mental health
center in an underserved or rural federally designated Mental
Health Professional Shortage Area in this State for each grant
that he or she is awarded.
 
    Section 35. Administration; rules. The Commission shall
administer the Program and shall adopt rules not inconsistent
with this Act for the Program's effective implementation.