96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
SB3697

 

Introduced 2/11/2010, by Sen. M. Maggie Crotty

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Nurse Educator Student Loan Forgiveness Act. Creates the Nurse Educator Student Loan Forgiveness Program to be administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Provides that the program shall provide loan assistance, subject to appropriation, to eligible students for graduate study. Specifies the maximum loan time period and maximum loan amount. Specifies the requirements for eligibility under the Program. Contains provisions concerning repayment schedules, credits, and penalties for non-compliance with the Program's requirements. Effective July 1, 2010.


LRB096 20388 MJR 36031 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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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 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Nurse
5 Educator Student Loan Forgiveness Act.
 
6     Section 5. Purpose. The purpose of this Act is to attract
7 capable and promising students to the nurse educator
8 profession, increase employment and retention of individuals
9 who are working towards or who have received a master's degree
10 in nursing or any subject area that qualifies the individual
11 for employment as a nurse educator, and provide opportunities
12 for persons making mid-career decisions to enter the nurse
13 educator profession.
 
14     Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
15     "Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance
16 Commission.
17     "Forgivable loan" means a higher education student loan
18 that a person has incurred in attending a an accredited nursing
19 program.
 
20     Section 15. Establishment of program. There is created the
21 Nurse Educator Student Loan Forgiveness Program to be

 

 

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1 administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
2 The program shall provide loan assistance, subject to
3 appropriation, to eligible students for graduate study. The
4 Commission shall adopt rules necessary to administer the
5 program.
 
6     Section 20. Maximum loan time period; maximum loan amount.
7 Subject to appropriation, a graduate forgivable loan may be
8 awarded for a maximum of 2 academic years. The amount of this
9 loan shall not exceed $8,000 per year.
 
10     Section 25. Eligibility. To be eligible for assistance
11 under the Nurse Educator Student Loan Forgiveness Program, an
12 applicant for a graduate forgivable loan must meet all of the
13 following qualifications:
14         (1) Be a full-time student at the graduate level in an
15     accredited nursing degree program.
16         (2) Have declared an intent to work in nurse education
17     for at least the number of years for which a forgivable
18     loan is received.
19         (3) Hold a bachelor's degree from a school or
20     department of nursing from an accredited college or
21     university.
22         (4) Have maintained an undergraduate cumulative grade
23     point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or have
24     attained a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score of at

 

 

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1     least 1,000. If applying for renewal of a graduate
2     forgivable loan, an applicant must have maintained a
3     minimum cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.0 on
4     a 4.0 scale for all graduate work and have earned at least
5     9 semester credits per term, or the equivalent.
 
6     Section 30. Repayment schedule; credit; penalty for
7 non-compliance.
8     (a) A forgivable loan must be repaid within 10 years after
9 completion of the approved or accredited nursing program. The
10 Commission shall adopt, by rule, repayment schedules, and
11 applicable interest rates.
12     (b) Credit for repayment of a forgivable loan shall be in
13 an amount not to exceed $4,000 in loan principal plus
14 applicable accrued interest for each full year of eligible
15 service in the nurse education profession. Forgivable loan
16 recipients may receive loan repayment credit for nurse
17 education rendered at any time during the scheduled repayment
18 period. However, such repayment credit shall be applicable only
19 to the current principal and accrued interest balance that
20 remains at the time the repayment credit is earned. No loan
21 recipient shall be reimbursed for previous cash payments of
22 principal and interest.
23     (c) Any forgivable loan recipient who fails to work, as
24 required under the terms of the loan, is responsible for
25 repaying the loan plus accrued interest at 8% annually.
 

 

 

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1     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
2 2010.