Sen. Laura Fine

Filed: 2/7/2022

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 3925

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 3925 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Human
5Services Professional Loan Repayment Program Act.
 
6    Section 5. Purpose. The purpose of the Human Services
7Professional Loan Repayment Program is to recruit and retain
8qualified direct service professionals to work for
9community-based human services providers. Due to numerous
10factors, human services agencies have a high turnover rate and
11struggle to maintain consistent staffing levels. Many of these
12positions require degrees in human services-related fields of
13study. In addition, most human services positions require a
14graduate degree or postsecondary degree or certification. The
15higher education requirements for the human services workforce
16often means that many students graduate with a high level of

 

 

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1debt for a job that pays slightly above minimum wage with a
2great deal of stress and burnout.
 
3    Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
4    "Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance
5Commission.
6    "Eligible applicant" means a student who has graduated
7with a degree from an accredited college or university with an
8associate, bachelor's, or master's degree in a human services
9field or has been independently licensed as a licensed
10clinical social worker, a licensed clinical professional
11counselor, a licensed practitioner of the healing arts, a
12licensed marriage and family therapist, a board-certified
13behavior analyst, or a registered behavior technician.
14    "Professional" means a position funded by a grant or
15contract from a State agency for the purposes of providing
16direct or indirect services that ensure that individuals have
17the essential elements to build and maintain physical,
18emotional, and economic well-being at every phase of life.
19    "Program" means the Human Services Professional Loan
20Repayment Program.
21    "Qualified program" means a program that offers an
22associate, bachelor's, or master's degree in a human services
23field from an accredited college or university for the purpose
24of training and preparing students to be human services
25professionals.

 

 

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1    "State agency" means the Department of Human Services, the
2Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of
3Juvenile Justice, the Department on Aging, and the Department
4of Public Health.
 
5    Section 15. Establishment of the Program. The Human
6Services Professional Loan Repayment Program is created and
7shall be administered by the Commission. Subject to
8appropriation, the Program shall provide loan repayment
9assistance to eligible direct service professionals practicing
10in a community-based, human services agency that contracts
11with or is grant-funded by a State agency.
 
12    Section 20. Applications. Each year for which funds have
13been appropriated, the Commission shall receive and consider
14applications for loan repayment assistance under this Act. All
15applications must be submitted to the Commission in a form and
16manner prescribed by the Commission. An eligible applicant
17must submit any supporting documents deemed necessary by the
18Commission at the time of application.
 
19    Section 25. Award; maximum loan time; maximum amount. The
20Commission shall award a grant to each eligible applicant for
21a cumulative maximum of 4 years. The recipient of a grant
22awarded by the Commission under this Act must use the grant
23award for payments toward the recipient's educational loans

 

 

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1from a qualified program. The amount of the grant shall not
2exceed: (i) $25,000 per year for a master's degree in human
3services or higher; (ii) $15,000 per year for a bachelor's
4degree in human services; (iii) $3,000 per year for a direct
5service worker with an associate degree; and (iv) up to a
6$5,000 per year add-on if independently licensed as a licensed
7clinical social worker, a licensed clinical professional
8counselor, a licensed practitioner of the healing arts, a
9licensed marriage and family therapist, a board-certified
10behavior analyst, or a registered behavior technician.
 
11    Section 30. Eligibility; work requirement.
12    (a) To be eligible to receive a grant under the Human
13Services Professional Loan Repayment Program, the Commission
14must find that the eligible applicant satisfies all of the
15following:
16        (1) The applicant is a United States citizen or an
17    eligible noncitizen.
18        (2) The applicant is a resident of the State of
19    Illinois.
20        (3) The applicant has worked for at least 24
21    consecutive months as a full-time employee as a human
22    services professional in a community-based human services
23    agency that currently has or did have a contract with a
24    State agency to provide human services during the duration
25    of applicant's 24 consecutive month tenure.

 

 

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1        (4) The applicant holds a degree from a qualified
2    program.
3        (5) The applicant is a borrower with an outstanding
4    balance due on an educational loan.
5        (6) The applicant has not defaulted on an educational
6    loan.
7        (7) The applicant must remain a full-time employee as
8    a human services professional in a community-based human
9    services agency for at least 12 months after receiving
10    this grant.
11    (b) If the recipient of this grant fails to maintain
12full-time employment in a community-based human services
13agency for at least 12 months after receiving the grant, the
14Commission shall require the recipient to begin to repay the
15total amount of the grant within 90 calendar days after
16notification of employment ending. The repayment amount shall
17be prorated according to the fraction of employment obligation
18not completed, at a rate of interest equal to 5%.
19    (c) If the recipient's employment at a community-based
20human services agency is terminated for any reason other than
21for cause, the recipient must search for, apply to, and accept
22new, qualified, full-time employment as a human services
23professional in a community-based human services agency within
2490 calendar days from the recipient's termination of full-time
25employment, otherwise the stipend recipient is subject to the
26repayment of stipend funds to the Commission.

 

 

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1    (d) If the recipient's employment at a community-based
2human services agency is terminated for cause, the recipient
3shall repay the total amount of the grant received under this
4program within 90 calendar days after termination of full-time
5employment. The amount of repayment owed by the recipient
6shall be prorated based on the amount of the employment
7requirement that has been satisfied.
8    The Commission may grant preference to a previous
9recipient of a grant under the Program, provided that the
10recipient continues to meet the eligibility requirements under
11this Section.
 
12    Section 35. Administration; rules. The Commission shall
13administer the Program and shall adopt rules not inconsistent
14with this Act for the Program's effective implementation.
 
15    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
161, 2023.".