SB0057eng 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0057 Engrossed LRB103 04647 RJT 49655 b

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program Act is amended by changing Sections 25 and 30 as follows:

(110 ILCS 996/25)

Sec. 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) $40,000 $35,000 per year for a psychiatrist, (ii) $20,000 $15,000 per year for an advanced practice registered nurse or a physician assistant, (iii) $20,000 $12,000 per year for a psychologist who holds a doctoral degree, (iv) $15,000 $6,500 per year for a licensed clinical social worker, or a licensed clinical professional counselor, or a licensed marriage and family therapist, and (v) $4,000 $2,500 per year for a substance use professional, a certified alcohol and drug counselor, or a certified recovery support specialist, (vi) $12,000 per year for a professional possessing a master's degree in counseling, psychology, social work, or marriage and family therapy, and (vii) $6,000 per year for a professional possessing a bachelor's degree in counseling, psychology, or social work.

No less than 30% of the funding for grants under this Section each fiscal year shall be reserved for awards to minority applicants of African American or Black, Hispanic or Latinx, Asian, or Native American origin. If the Commission does not receive enough applications from qualified minorities on or before January 1 of a given fiscal year to award 30% of the funding to qualified minority applicants, then the Commission may award a portion of these reserved funds to other qualified applicants.

(Source: P.A. 100-862, eff. 1-1-19.)

(110 ILCS 996/30)

Sec. 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, behavioral health clinic, substance use treatment center, or State-operated psychiatric hospital licensed or certified by the Department of Human Services or the Department of Healthcare and Family Services 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.

(Source: P.A. 100-862, eff. 1-1-19.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2024.