103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB3714

 

Introduced 2/9/2024, by Sen. Lakesia Collins

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Community Hospice and Palliative Care Professional Loan Repayment Program Act. Provides that, by January 1, 2025, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall create and administer the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program. Provides that the Program shall provide loan repayment assistance, subject to appropriation, to eligible hospice and palliative professionals practicing in a hospice program that provides services in the State. Provides that the Commission shall award a grant to each qualified applicant for a maximum of 4 years. Sets forth provisions concerning awarding funds, eligibility, work requirements, and priority of awarding funds. Provides for rulemaking. Provides that the Act is inoperative 10 years after the effective date of the Act. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

SB3714LRB103 38778 RJT 68915 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Community Hospice and Palliative Care Professional Loan
6Repayment Program Act.
 
7    Section 5. Purpose. The purpose of this Act is to help
8licensed hospice programs recruit and retain qualified
9professionals and address this State's community-based hospice
10and palliative care workforce shortage. The goal of the
11program is to reduce disparities in access to critical health
12services for people who have serious illnesses or who are
13nearing the end of life.
 
14    Section 7. Findings. The General Assembly finds all of the
15following:
16        (1) Racial minorities are underrepresented as hospice
17    and palliative care and interdisciplinary healthcare
18    providers in the State.
19        (2) It is in the interest of the State to provide
20    racial minorities priority in consideration for programs
21    that encourage racial minority participation in hospice
22    and palliative care and interdisciplinary healthcare

 

 

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1    providers.
2        (3) A workforce that is more reflective of the
3    seriously ill population in a minority community can
4    improve the use of hospice and palliative care services,
5    which will address inequities in health outcomes for this
6    population.
 
7    Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
8    "Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance
9Commission.
10    "Hospice and palliative care professional" means a person
11who is employed by a hospice program and is a physician,
12licensed advanced practice registered nurse, licensed
13registered nurse, licensed social worker, licensed clinical
14social worker, or licensed practical nurse.
15    "Hospice program" means a public agency or private
16organization, or subdivision of either, that is licensed by
17the State as a comprehensive hospice program as defined in the
18Hospice Program Licensing Act and is Medicare-certified.
19    "Loan Repayment Program" means the Community Hospice and
20Palliative Care Professional Loan Repayment Program
21established under this Act.
22    "Physician" means a person licensed by this State to
23practice medicine in all its branches and includes any
24physician holding a temporary license, as provided in the
25Medical Practice Act of 1987.
 

 

 

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1    Section 15. Community Hospice and Palliative Care
2Professional Loan Repayment Program. The Commission shall
3establish by January 1, 2025 the Community Hospice and
4Palliative Care Professional Loan Repayment Program, which
5shall be administered by the Commission. The Program shall
6provide loan repayment assistance, subject to appropriation,
7to eligible hospice and palliative professionals practicing in
8a hospice program that provides services in the State.
 
9    Section 20. Applications. Each year, the Commission shall
10receive and consider applications for loan repayment
11assistance under this Act. All applications shall be submitted
12to the Commission in a form and manner prescribed by the
13Commission. Applicants shall submit any supporting documents
14deemed necessary by the Commission at the time of application.
 
15    Section 25. Award; maximum loan time; maximum amount.
16Subject to appropriation, the Commission shall award a grant
17to each qualified applicant for a maximum of 4 years. The
18Commission shall encourage the recipient of a grant awarded
19under this Act to use the grant award for payments towards the
20recipient's educational loans. The yearly appropriation for
21the program may be divided as follows:
22        (1) 10% toward awards for physicians;
23        (2) 10% toward awards for licensed advanced practice

 

 

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1    registered nurses;
2        (3) 42% toward awards for licensed registered nurses;
3        (4) 28% toward awards for licensed social workers and
4    licensed clinical social workers; and
5        (5) 10% toward awards for licensed practical nurses.
6    The award amount shall be based on a percentage of an
7awardee's total outstanding loan balance. The maximum amount
8of any award shall not exceed 15% of the awardee's total
9outstanding loan balance for that award year. However, if
10there are any funds not awarded, then the Commission may award
11funds to qualified applicants beyond the division of award
12amounts under this Section.
 
13    Section 30. Eligibility; work requirement.
14    (a) To be eligible for assistance under the Community
15Hospice and Palliative Care Professional Loan Repayment
16Program, the Commission shall find that the applicant
17satisfies all of the following:
18        (1) The applicant is a United States citizen or an
19    eligible noncitizen.
20        (2) The applicant is a resident of this State.
21        (3) The applicant has worked for at least 12
22    consecutive months as a hospice and palliative care
23    professional in a hospice program in the State, and (i)
24    has worked at least 10 hours per week, if the applicant is
25    a physician, or (ii) has worked at least 32 hours per week,

 

 

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1    if the applicant is not a physician.
2        (4) The applicant is a borrower with an outstanding
3    balance due on an educational loan.
4        (5) The a
    pplicant has not defaulted on an educational
5    loan.
6    (b) The Commission may grant preference to a previous
7recipient of a grant under the Program, provided that the
8recipient continues to meet the eligibility requirements under
9this Section.
10    (c) A recipient of a grant under the Program shall
11complete a separate 12-month period working in a hospice
12program in the State for each grant that the recipient is
13awarded and shall, during that 12-month period, (i) work at
14least 10 hours per week, if the applicant is a physician, or
15(ii) work at least 32 hours per week, if the applicant is not a
16physician.
 
17    Section 35. Award priority.
18    (a) If an appropriation for this program for a given
19fiscal year is insufficient to provide grants to all qualified
20applicants, the Commission shall allocate the appropriation in
21accordance with this subsection. If funds are insufficient to
22provide all qualified applicants with a grant as authorized by
23this Section, the Commission shall allocate the available
24grant funds for that fiscal year to qualified applicants who
25submit a complete application on or before a date specified by

 

 

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1the Commission, based on the following order of priority:
2        (1) first, to new, qualified applicants who are
3    members of a racial minority as defined in subsection (b);
4    and
5        (2) second, to other new, qualified applicants in
6    accordance with this Act.
7    (b) The Commission shall give priority to those applicants
8who are members of a racial minority. As used in this
9subsection, "racial minority" means a person who is a citizen
10of the United States or a lawful permanent resident alien of
11the United States and who is:
12        (1) Black (a person having origins in any of the Black
13    racial groups in Africa);
14        (2) Hispanic (a person of Spanish or Portuguese
15    culture with origins in Mexico, South or Central America,
16    or the Caribbean Islands, regardless of race);
17        (3) Asian American (a person having origins in any of
18    the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the
19    Indian Subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands); or
20        (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native (a person having
21    origins in any of the original peoples of North America).
 
22    Section 40. Administration; rules. The Commission shall
23administer the program and shall adopt rules not inconsistent
24with this Act to implement and administer this Act.
 

 

 

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1    Section 90. Inoperative. This Act is inoperative 10 years
2after the effective date of this Act.
 
3    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
4becoming law.