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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | ||||||
5 | amended by changing Section 65.115 as follows:
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6 | (110 ILCS 947/65.115)
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7 | (This Section may contain text from a Public Act with a | ||||||
8 | delayed effective date ) | ||||||
9 | Sec. 65.115 65.110 . School and Municipal Social Work | ||||||
10 | Shortage Loan Repayment Program. | ||||||
11 | (a) To encourage Illinois students to work, and to | ||||||
12 | continue to work, as a school social worker in public school | ||||||
13 | districts in this State or in State municipalities , the | ||||||
14 | Commission shall, each year, receive and consider applications | ||||||
15 | for loan repayment assistance under this Section. This program | ||||||
16 | shall be known as the School and Municipal Social Work | ||||||
17 | Shortage Loan Repayment Program. The Commission shall | ||||||
18 | administer the program and shall adopt all necessary and | ||||||
19 | proper rules to effectively implement the program. | ||||||
20 | (b) Beginning July 1, 2022, subject to a separate | ||||||
21 | appropriation made for such purposes, the Commission shall | ||||||
22 | award a grant, up to a maximum of $6,500, to each qualified | ||||||
23 | applicant. The Commission may encourage the recipient of a |
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1 | grant under this Section to use the grant award for repayment | ||||||
2 | of the recipient's educational loan. If an appropriation for | ||||||
3 | this program for a given fiscal year is insufficient to | ||||||
4 | provide grants to all qualified applicants, the Commission | ||||||
5 | shall allocate the appropriation in accordance with this | ||||||
6 | subsection. If funds are insufficient to provide all qualified | ||||||
7 | applicants with a grant as authorized by this Section, the | ||||||
8 | Commission shall allocate the available grant funds for that | ||||||
9 | fiscal year to qualified applicants who submit a complete | ||||||
10 | application on or before a date specified by the Commission, | ||||||
11 | based on the following order of priority: | ||||||
12 | (1) first, to new, qualified applicants who are | ||||||
13 | members of a racial minority as defined in subsection (e); | ||||||
14 | and | ||||||
15 | (2) second, to other new, qualified applicants in | ||||||
16 | accordance with this Section. | ||||||
17 | (c) A person is a qualified applicant under this Section | ||||||
18 | if he or she meets all of the following qualifications: | ||||||
19 | (1) The person is a United States citizen or eligible | ||||||
20 | noncitizen. | ||||||
21 | (2) The person is a resident of this State. | ||||||
22 | (3) The person is a borrower with an outstanding | ||||||
23 | balance due on an educational loan related to obtaining a | ||||||
24 | degree in social work. | ||||||
25 | (4) The person has been employed as a school social | ||||||
26 | worker by a public elementary school or secondary school |
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1 | in this State for at least 12 consecutive months or as a | ||||||
2 | social worker for an Illinois municipality who did not | ||||||
3 | report directly to a police department . | ||||||
4 | (5) The person is currently employed as a school | ||||||
5 | social worker by a public elementary school or secondary | ||||||
6 | school in this State or as a social worker for an Illinois | ||||||
7 | municipality who does not report directly to a police | ||||||
8 | department . | ||||||
9 | (d) An applicant shall submit an application, in a form | ||||||
10 | determined by the Commission, for grant assistance under this | ||||||
11 | Section to the Commission. An applicant is required to submit, | ||||||
12 | with the application, supporting documentation as the | ||||||
13 | Commission may deem necessary. | ||||||
14 | (e) Racial minorities are underrepresented as school | ||||||
15 | social workers in elementary and secondary schools and in | ||||||
16 | municipalities in Illinois, and the General Assembly finds | ||||||
17 | that it is in the interest of this State to provide them | ||||||
18 | priority consideration for programs that encourage their | ||||||
19 | participation in this field and thereby foster a profession | ||||||
20 | that is more reflective of the diversity of Illinois | ||||||
21 | residents, students and parents they will serve. A more | ||||||
22 | reflective workforce in school social work allows improved | ||||||
23 | outcomes for individuals students and a better utilization of | ||||||
24 | services. Therefore, the Commission shall give priority to | ||||||
25 | those applicants who are members of a racial minority. In this | ||||||
26 | subsection (e), "racial minority" means a person who is a |
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1 | citizen of the United States or a lawful permanent resident | ||||||
2 | alien of the United States and who is: | ||||||
3 | (1) Black (a person having origins in any of the black
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4 | racial groups in Africa); | ||||||
5 | (2) Hispanic (a person of Spanish or Portuguese
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6 | culture with origins in Mexico, South or Central America,
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7 | or the Caribbean Islands, regardless of race); | ||||||
8 | (3) Asian American (a person having origins in any of
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9 | the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the
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10 | Indian Subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands); or | ||||||
11 | (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native (a person having
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12 | origins in any of the original peoples of North America).
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13 | (Source: P.A. 102-622, eff. 7-1-22; revised 11-10-21.)
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