Public Act 094-0497
 
HB1343 Enrolled LRB094 06295 RAS 36368 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 Child
Welfare Student Loan Forgiveness Act.
 
    Section 5. Purpose. The purpose of this Act is to attract
capable and promising students to the child welfare profession,
increase employment and retention of individuals who are
working towards or who have received either a bachelor's degree
or a master's degree in social work or any human services
subject area that qualifies the individual for employment as a
family services worker, and provide opportunities for persons
making mid-career decisions to enter the child welfare
profession.
 
    Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
    "Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance
Commission.
    "Contracting agency" means an agency that the Department of
Children and Family Services contracts with for the provision
of child protective services.
    "Forgivable loan" means a higher education student loan
that a person has incurred in attending a social work program
approved by the Council on Social Work Education or an
accredited human services degree program.
 
    Section 15. Establishment of program. There is created the
Child Welfare Student Loan Forgiveness Program to be
administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
The program shall provide loan assistance, subject to
appropriation, to eligible students for upper-division
undergraduate and graduate study. The Commission shall adopt
rules necessary to administer the program.
 
    Section 20. Maximum loan time period; maximum loan amount.
    (a) Subject to appropriation, an undergraduate forgivable
loan may be awarded for a maximum of 2 academic years. The
amount of this loan shall not exceed $4,000 per year.
    (b) Subject to appropriation, a graduate forgivable loan
may be awarded for a maximum of 2 academic years. The amount of
this loan shall not exceed $8,000 per year.
 
    Section 25. Eligibility.
    (a) To be eligible for assistance under the Child Welfare
Student Loan Forgiveness Program, an applicant for an
undergraduate forgivable loan must meet all of the following
qualifications:
        (1) Be a full-time student at the upper-division
    undergraduate level in a social work program approved by
    the Council on Social Work Education leading to a
    bachelor's degree in social work or an accredited human
    services degree program.
        (2) Have declared an intent to work in child welfare at
    the Department of Children and Family Services, its
    successor, or a contracting agency for at least the number
    of years for which a forgivable loan is received.
        (3) Have maintained a minimum cumulative grade point
    average of at least a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for all
    undergraduate work. If applying for renewal of an
    undergraduate forgivable loan, an applicant must have
    maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average of at
    least a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate work and
    have earned at least 12 semester credits per term, or the
    equivalent.
    (b) To be eligible for assistance under the Child Welfare
Student Loan Forgiveness Program, an applicant for a graduate
forgivable loan must meet all of the following qualifications:
        (1) Be a full-time student at the graduate level in a
    social work program approved by the Council on Social Work
    Education leading to a master's degree in social work or an
    accredited human services degree program.
        (2) Have declared an intent to work in child welfare at
    the Department of Children and Family Services, its
    successor, or a contracting agency for at least the number
    of years for which a forgivable loan is received.
        (3) Hold a bachelor's degree from a school or
    department of social work at any college or university
    accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, or hold
    a degree in a human services field from an accredited
    college or university.
        (4) Have maintained an undergraduate cumulative grade
    point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or have
    attained a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score of at
    least 1,000. If applying for renewal of a graduate
    forgivable loan, an applicant must have maintained a
    minimum cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.0 on
    a 4.0 scale for all graduate work and have earned at least
    9 semester credits per term, or the equivalent.
        (5) Not have received an undergraduate forgivable loan
    under the program.
 
    Section 30. Repayment schedule; credit; penalty for
non-compliance.
    (a) A forgivable loan must be repaid within 10 years after
completion of the approved or accredited social work or human
services program. The Commission shall adopt, by rule,
repayment schedules and applicable interest rates.
    (b) Credit for repayment of a forgivable loan shall be in
an amount not to exceed $4,000 in loan principal plus
applicable accrued interest for each full year of eligible
service in the child welfare profession. Forgivable loan
recipients may receive loan repayment credit for child welfare
service rendered at any time during the scheduled repayment
period. However, such repayment credit shall be applicable only
to the current principal and accrued interest balance that
remains at the time the repayment credit is earned. No loan
recipient shall be reimbursed for previous cash payments of
principal and interest.
    (c) Any forgivable loan recipient who fails to work at the
Department of Children and Family Services, its successor, or a
contracting agency, as required under the terms of the loan, is
responsible for repaying the loan plus accrued interest at 8%
annually.