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| 1 | AN ACT concerning education. | ||||||
| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||||
| 3 | represented in the General Assembly: | ||||||
| 4 | Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | ||||||
| 5 | amended by changing Section 65.115 as follows: | ||||||
| 6 | (110 ILCS 947/65.115) | ||||||
| 7 | Sec. 65.115. School and Municipal Social Worker and School | ||||||
| 8 | Counselor Work Shortage Loan Repayment Program. | ||||||
| 9 | (a) To encourage Illinois students to work, and to | ||||||
| 10 | continue to work, as a school social worker or school | ||||||
| 11 | counselor for a in public school district districts in this | ||||||
| 12 | State or to work as a social worker for a municipality in this | ||||||
| 13 | in State municipalities, the Commission shall, each year, | ||||||
| 14 | receive and consider applications for loan repayment | ||||||
| 15 | assistance under this Section. This program shall be known as | ||||||
| 16 | the School and Municipal Social Worker and School Counselor | ||||||
| 17 | Work 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) Subject 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 $8,000 per year for a maximum | ||||||
| 23 | of 4 years $6,500, to each qualified applicant. A The | ||||||
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| 1 | Commission may encourage the recipient of a grant awarded | ||||||
| 2 | under this Section shall be used to use the grant award for | ||||||
| 3 | repayment of the recipient's educational loan. If funds are | ||||||
| 4 | insufficient to provide all qualified applicants with a grant | ||||||
| 5 | as authorized by this Section, the Commission shall allocate | ||||||
| 6 | the available grant funds for the fiscal year to qualified | ||||||
| 7 | applicants who submit a complete application on or before a | ||||||
| 8 | date specified by the Commission, based on the following order | ||||||
| 9 | of priority: | ||||||
| 10 | (1) first, to students who received a grant under this | ||||||
| 11 | Section in the prior fiscal year and who remain eligible | ||||||
| 12 | for a grant under this Section; and | ||||||
| 13 | (2) then, to new, qualified applicants in accordance | ||||||
| 14 | with this Section. | ||||||
| 15 | (c) A person is a qualified applicant under this Section | ||||||
| 16 | if he or she meets all of the following qualifications: | ||||||
| 17 | (1) The person is a United States citizen or eligible | ||||||
| 18 | noncitizen. | ||||||
| 19 | (2) The person is a resident of this State. | ||||||
| 20 | (3) The person is a borrower with an outstanding | ||||||
| 21 | balance due on an educational loan related to obtaining a | ||||||
| 22 | degree in social work or obtaining the appropriate | ||||||
| 23 | education and training to work as a school counselor. | ||||||
| 24 | (4) The person, at the time of application, has been | ||||||
| 25 | employed for at least 12 consecutive months as a school | ||||||
| 26 | social worker or school counselor by a public elementary | ||||||
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| 1 | school or secondary school in this State for at least 12 | ||||||
| 2 | consecutive months or as a social worker for an Illinois | ||||||
| 3 | municipality who did not report directly to a police | ||||||
| 4 | department. | ||||||
| 5 | (5) The person, at the time of application, is | ||||||
| 6 | currently employed as a school social worker or school | ||||||
| 7 | counselor by a public elementary school or secondary | ||||||
| 8 | school in this State or as a social worker for an Illinois | ||||||
| 9 | municipality who does not report directly to a police | ||||||
| 10 | department. | ||||||
| 11 | (d) An applicant shall submit an application, in a form | ||||||
| 12 | determined by the Commission, for grant assistance under this | ||||||
| 13 | Section to the Commission. An applicant is required to submit, | ||||||
| 14 | with the application, supporting documentation as the | ||||||
| 15 | Commission may deem necessary. | ||||||
| 16 | (e) (Blank). | ||||||
| 17 | (Source: P.A. 104-437, eff. 11-21-25.) | ||||||
| 18 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, | ||||||
| 19 | 2026. | ||||||