Agriculture & Conservation Committee

Filed: 3/4/2008

 

 


 

 


 
09500HB4843ham001 LRB095 16041 RAS 47489 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4843

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4843 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
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.
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.
 
7     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
8 becoming law.".