Agriculture & Conservation Committee
Filed: 3/4/2008
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1 | AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4843
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2 | AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4843 by replacing | ||||||
3 | everything after the enacting clause with the following:
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4 | "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||||
5 | Veterinary Student Loan Repayment Program Act. | ||||||
6 | Section 15. Definitions. In this Act: | ||||||
7 | "College" means the College of Veterinary Medicine of the | ||||||
8 | University of Illinois. | ||||||
9 | "Program" means the Veterinary Student Loan Repayment | ||||||
10 | Program established under to this Act. | ||||||
11 | "University" means the University of Illinois. | ||||||
12 | Section 20. Veterinary Student Loan Repayment Program.
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13 | (a) There is hereby created a veterinary training program | ||||||
14 | for large animal and public health veterinary medicine, which | ||||||
15 | shall be known as the Veterinary Student Loan Repayment Program |
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1 | and administered through the University of Illinois. | ||||||
2 | (b) The purpose of the Program is to provide encouragement, | ||||||
3 | opportunities, and incentives for persons pursuing a | ||||||
4 | veterinary medicine degree program at the University of | ||||||
5 | Illinois to engage, upon completion of such education program, | ||||||
6 | in (i) veterinary practice that is at least 51% devoted to | ||||||
7 | large animal medicine that enhances agricultural animal health | ||||||
8 | and productivity or (ii) regulatory veterinary medicine that | ||||||
9 | supports public health and safety, livestock biosecurity, or | ||||||
10 | food animal disease diagnosis. | ||||||
11 | (c) Subject to appropriation and upon recommendation of the | ||||||
12 | College, the University may enter into a program agreement with | ||||||
13 | up to 4 veterinary students during the first year of operation | ||||||
14 | of the Program; up to 8 veterinary students during the second | ||||||
15 | year of operation of the Program; up to 12 veterinary students | ||||||
16 | during the third year of operation of the Program; and up to 16 | ||||||
17 | veterinary students during the fourth year of operation of the | ||||||
18 | Program and every year thereafter until the expiration of the | ||||||
19 | Program, as set forth in Section 40 of this Act. Preference | ||||||
20 | must be given to those students who are Illinois residents. | ||||||
21 | Each student entering into a program agreement shall receive a | ||||||
22 | loan in the amount of $20,000 per year to cover tuition, books, | ||||||
23 | supplies and other school expenses and travel and training | ||||||
24 | expenses incurred by the student in pursuing a veterinary | ||||||
25 | medicine degree. A student may be the recipient of a loan under | ||||||
26 | the Program for no more than 4 years. |
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1 | (d) Upon the satisfaction of all commitments made under the | ||||||
2 | Program and all provisions of the program agreement, all loans | ||||||
3 | disbursed to a student under the Program shall be deemed | ||||||
4 | satisfied and forgiven. | ||||||
5 | Section 25. Program agreement. | ||||||
6 | (a) Prior to receiving a loan under the Program, each loan | ||||||
7 | recipient must sign an agreement pledging that he or she shall: | ||||||
8 | (1) complete the veterinary medicine degree program at | ||||||
9 | the College; | ||||||
10 | (2) complete all advanced training in public health, | ||||||
11 | livestock biosecurity, foreign animal disease diagnosis, | ||||||
12 | regulatory veterinary medicine and zoonotic disease and | ||||||
13 | complete an externship and mentorship with a licensed, | ||||||
14 | accredited veterinarian in Illinois who practices in one of | ||||||
15 | the areas of veterinary service need identified in this Act | ||||||
16 | and as required by the University; | ||||||
17 | (3) engage in the full-time practice of veterinary | ||||||
18 | medicine in any of the identified areas of veterinary | ||||||
19 | service need identified in this Act; | ||||||
20 | (4) practice full-time for a period of at least 12 | ||||||
21 | continuous months for each separate year that he or she | ||||||
22 | received a loan under the Program, unless such obligation | ||||||
23 | is otherwise satisfied as provided in this Act; and | ||||||
24 | (5) commence the full-time practice required under | ||||||
25 | this Section within 180 days after completion of his or her |
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1 | degree program or, if he or she enters a post-degree | ||||||
2 | training program such as a graduate school or internship or | ||||||
3 | residency program, within 90 days after completion of that | ||||||
4 | post-degree training program. | ||||||
5 | (b) The fulfillment of obligations set forth in the program | ||||||
6 | agreement may be postponed under any of the following | ||||||
7 | circumstances: | ||||||
8 | (1) Any period of temporary medical disability during | ||||||
9 | which the loan recipient is unable to practice veterinary | ||||||
10 | medicine due to such disability. | ||||||
11 | (2) Any period of time in which the loan recipient is | ||||||
12 | engaged in mandatory military service as part of the U.S. | ||||||
13 | Armed Forces. | ||||||
14 | (3) Any other period of postponement agreed to or | ||||||
15 | determined in accordance with criteria agreed to in the | ||||||
16 | program agreement. | ||||||
17 | (c) The obligations of a program agreement shall be | ||||||
18 | discharged prematurely upon the death of the loan recipient or | ||||||
19 | in the event that the loan recipient is unable to practice | ||||||
20 | veterinary medicine due to permanent disability. | ||||||
21 | Section 30. Failure to satisfy program agreement. Upon the | ||||||
22 | failure of a loan recipient to satisfy the obligations set | ||||||
23 | forth in the program agreement, he or she must repay to the | ||||||
24 | University the amount equal to the amount loaned to the | ||||||
25 | recipient less a prorated amount based on any periods of |
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1 | practice of veterinary medicine meeting the requirements of the | ||||||
2 | program agreement, plus interest at the prime rate of interest | ||||||
3 | from the date the loan accrued. Such interest shall be | ||||||
4 | compounded annually. | ||||||
5 | Section 35. No authority to make or promulgate rules. | ||||||
6 | Notwithstanding any other rulemaking authority that may exist, | ||||||
7 | neither the Governor or University nor any agency or agency | ||||||
8 | head under the jurisdiction of the Governor has any authority | ||||||
9 | to make or promulgate rules to implement or enforce the | ||||||
10 | provisions of this Act. If, however, the Governor or University | ||||||
11 | believes that rules are necessary to implement or enforce the | ||||||
12 | provisions of this Act, the Governor or University may suggest | ||||||
13 | rules to the General Assembly by filing them with the Clerk of | ||||||
14 | the House and Secretary of the Senate and by requesting that | ||||||
15 | the General Assembly authorize such rulemaking by law, enact | ||||||
16 | those suggested rules into law, or take any other appropriate | ||||||
17 | action in the General Assembly's discretion. Nothing contained | ||||||
18 | in this Act shall be interpreted to grant rulemaking authority | ||||||
19 | under any other Illinois statute where such authority is not | ||||||
20 | otherwise explicitly given. For the purposes of this Act, | ||||||
21 | "rules" is given the meaning contained in Section 1-70 of the | ||||||
22 | Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, and "agency" and | ||||||
23 | "agency head" are given the meanings contained in Sections 1-20 | ||||||
24 | and 1-25 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to the | ||||||
25 | extent that such definitions apply to agencies or agency heads |
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1 | under the jurisdiction of the Governor. | ||||||
2 | Section 40. Expiration of Program. The University may not | ||||||
3 | enter into any program agreement under the Program or the | ||||||
4 | provisions of this Act after July 1, 2018. All program | ||||||
5 | agreements entered into prior to July 1, 2018 shall continue in | ||||||
6 | full force and effect, subject to the requirements of this Act.
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7 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
8 | becoming law.".
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