Public Act 102-1089
 
SB3925 EnrolledLRB102 22989 CMG 32143 b


  
    AN ACT concerning education.
  
 
    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 Human 
Services Professional Loan Repayment Program Act.
 
    Section 5. Purpose. The purpose of the Human Services 
Professional Loan Repayment Program is to recruit and retain 
qualified human service professionals to work for 
community-based human services providers.  Due to numerous 
factors, human services agencies have a high turnover rate and 
struggle to maintain consistent staffing levels.  Many of these 
positions require degrees in human services-related fields of 
study. In addition, most human services positions require a 
graduate degree or postsecondary degree or certification. The 
higher education requirements for the human services workforce 
often means that many students graduate with a high level of 
debt for a job that pays slightly above minimum wage with a 
great deal of stress and burnout.
 
    Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:

    "Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance 
Commission.


    "Professional" means an individual employed by a human 
services agency that contracts with or is grant-funded by a 
State agency for the purposes of providing direct or indirect 
services  that ensure that individuals  have the essential 
elements to build and maintain physical, emotional, and 
economic well-being at every phase of life.
    "Program" means the Human Services Professional Loan 
Repayment Program.



    "Qualified program" means a program that offers an 
associate, bachelor's, or master's degree from an accredited 
college or university.

    "State agency" means the Department of Human Services, the 
Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of 
Juvenile Justice, the Department on Aging, and the Department 
of Public Health.


 
    Section 15. Establishment of the Program.
 The Human 
Services Professional Loan Repayment Program is created and 
shall be administered by the Commission. Subject to 
appropriation, the Program shall provide loan repayment 
assistance to eligible professionals practicing in a 
community-based, human services agency  that contracts with or 
is grant-funded by a State agency.

 
    Section 20. Applications. Each year for which funds have 
been appropriated, 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. An eligible professional 
must submit any supporting documents deemed necessary by the 
Commission at the time of application.
 
    Section 25. Award; maximum loan time; maximum amount. The 
Commission shall award a grant to each eligible applicant for 
a cumulative maximum of 4 years. The recipient of a grant 
awarded by the Commission under this Act must use the grant 
award for payments toward the recipient's educational loans 
from a qualified program. The amount of the grant shall not 
exceed: (i) $25,000 per year for a master's degree or higher; 
(ii) $15,000 per year for a bachelor's degree; (iii) $3,000 
per year for a professional with an associate degree; and (iv) 
up to a $5,000 per year add-on if independently licensed as a 
licensed clinical social worker, a licensed clinical 
professional counselor, a licensed practitioner of the healing 
arts, a licensed marriage and family therapist, a 
board-certified behavior analyst, or a registered behavior 
technician.
 
    Section 30. Eligibility; work requirement.


    (a)   To be eligible to receive a grant under the Human 
Services Professional Loan Repayment Program, the Commission 
must find that the eligible professional satisfies all of the 
following:


        (1)    The applicant is a resident of the State of 
    Illinois.

        (2)    The applicant has worked for at least 24 
    consecutive months as a full-time employee as a human 
    services professional in a community-based human services 
    agency that currently has or did have a contract with a 
    State agency  to provide human services during the duration 
    of applicant's 24 consecutive month tenure.
 
        (3)   The applicant is a borrower with an outstanding 
    balance due on an educational loan.

        (4)   The applicant has not defaulted on an educational 
    loan.

        (5)   The applicant must remain a full-time employee as 
    a human services professional in the same community-based 
    human services agency  for at least 12 months after 
    receiving this grant.



    (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.

 
    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.
  
 

    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January 
1, 2023.


Effective Date:  1/1/2023