Full Text of SB0136 102nd General Assembly
SB0136enr 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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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 5. The Children and Family Services Act is amended | 5 | | by adding Section 44 as follows: | 6 | | (20 ILCS 505/44 new) | 7 | | Sec. 44. Pat McGuire Child Welfare Education Fellowship | 8 | | Pilot Program. | 9 | | (a) The General Assembly makes all of the following | 10 | | findings: | 11 | | (1) The Department of Children and Family Services is | 12 | | the sole State agency for the planning and coordination of | 13 | | programs and services for the prevention of child abuse | 14 | | and neglect. The Department also provides social services | 15 | | to children and their families, operates children's | 16 | | institutions, and provides certain other rehabilitative | 17 | | and residential services. The Department contracts with | 18 | | many purchase of service agencies for the administration | 19 | | of these programs. | 20 | | (2) Due to numerous factors, including the rate of | 21 | | pay, purchase of service agencies have a high employee
| 22 | | turnover rate and struggle to maintain consistent | 23 | | employment levels. This high turnover is disruptive to the |
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| 1 | | delivery of direct child welfare services to families and | 2 | | youth in care. | 3 | | (3) A number of public institutions of higher | 4 | | education in this State offer child welfare social work | 5 | | programs that are designed to train and prepare students | 6 | | for employment in the child welfare social work field, | 7 | | including, but not limited to, employment at purchase of | 8 | | service agencies that provide direct child welfare | 9 | | services to families and youth in care. | 10 | | (4) The Department and public institutions of higher | 11 | | education have a mutual interest in providing greater | 12 | | access to child welfare social work education for a | 13 | | professional workforce that is responsive to the work of | 14 | | the Department through purchase of service agencies. | 15 | | (b) As used in this Section: | 16 | | "Department" means the Department of Children and Family | 17 | | Services. | 18 | | "Direct service" means a position in foster care services, | 19 | | intact services, foster care licensing, adoption, or | 20 | | permanency or a supervisory position in the practice area. | 21 | | "Eligible applicant" means a student who is enrolled in a | 22 | | social work program of study at a participating institution of | 23 | | higher education and who meets all of the qualifications as | 24 | | determined by the Department. | 25 | | "Participating institution" means a public university in | 26 | | this State that is a party to an
intergovernmental agreement |
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| 1 | | entered into with the Department in order to participate in | 2 | | the program established under this Section. | 3 | | "Tuition, university fees, and books" includes the | 4 | | customary charge for instruction and books or course material | 5 | | and the additional fixed fees charged for specified purposes | 6 | | that are required generally of students who are not program | 7 | | applicants under this Section for each academic year for which | 8 | | a program applicant under this Section actually enrolls, but | 9 | | does not include room and board, transportation fees, fees | 10 | | payable only once, breakage fees, and other contingent | 11 | | deposits that are refundable in whole or in part. The | 12 | | Department may adopt, by rule not inconsistent with this | 13 | | Section, detailed provisions concerning the computation of | 14 | | tuition, university fees, and books. | 15 | | (c) Beginning with the 2021-2022 academic year and | 16 | | continuing for a period of 6 academic years, the Department | 17 | | shall establish and administer the Pat McGuire Child Welfare | 18 | | Education Fellowship Pilot Program to provide financial | 19 | | assistance to eligible students who commit to seek and | 20 | | maintain employment at a purchase of service agency that | 21 | | contracts with the Department upon graduation from a | 22 | | participating institution with a degree in social work. The | 23 | | goal of the program is to develop and support an effective and | 24 | | stable direct service child welfare workforce. Pursuant to the | 25 | | Intergovernmental Cooperation Act, each participating | 26 | | institution shall enter into and adhere to all of the |
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| 1 | | provisions of an
intergovernmental agreement between the | 2 | | Department and the participating institution. Subject to | 3 | | appropriation, the stipend program shall be available to | 4 | | eligible applicants in this State pursuing either a Bachelor | 5 | | of Social Work or a Master of Social Work degree at a | 6 | | participating institution. The Department may award a stipend | 7 | | of up to $10,000 each academic year for a maximum of 2 academic | 8 | | years, up to a maximum total of $20,000 in stipends for the 2 | 9 | | academic years combined, to a student under this Section if | 10 | | the participating institution and the Department find that the | 11 | | applicant meets all criteria established by the Department. | 12 | | (d) Each participating institution and the Department | 13 | | shall determine renewal criteria for assistance consistent | 14 | | with the requirements of this Section. | 15 | | (e) Each participating institution shall post on its | 16 | | Internet website the criteria and eligibility requirements to | 17 | | receive a stipend award of funds under this Section and must | 18 | | identify that the stipend awards are up to a maximum of $10,000 | 19 | | per student per academic year for a maximum of 2 academic | 20 | | years, with the total amount of stipends awarded to an | 21 | | eligible applicant or student not to exceed $20,000 for the | 22 | | duration of the eligible applicant's or student's | 23 | | participation in the program. This information must also be | 24 | | reported to the Department and the Board of Higher Education, | 25 | | and the Department and the Board shall post the information on | 26 | | their respective Internet websites. |
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| 1 | | (f) Prior to receiving a stipend for any academic year, an | 2 | | eligible applicant under this Section shall be required by the | 3 | | participating institution to sign an agreement with the | 4 | | Department under which the stipend recipient pledges that, | 5 | | within 6 months from the date of the stipend recipient's | 6 | | graduation from the participating institution with a Bachelor | 7 | | of Social Work or a Master of Social Work degree for which | 8 | | stipend funds were paid by the Department, the stipend | 9 | | recipient must search for, apply to, and accept full-time | 10 | | employment in a direct service position at a Department | 11 | | purchase of service agency located anywhere in this State. The | 12 | | stipend recipient must remain as a full-time employee in a | 13 | | direct service position at a Department purchase of service | 14 | | agency located anywhere in this State for at least 18 months | 15 | | for each academic year the stipend recipient received a | 16 | | stipend from the Department under the program. | 17 | | (g) If the recipient of a stipend award under this Section | 18 | | fails to search for, apply to, and accept full-time employment | 19 | | in a direct service position at a Department purchase of | 20 | | service agency located anywhere in this State within 6 months | 21 | | following the stipend recipient's graduation from a social | 22 | | work program at a participating institution, the Department | 23 | | shall require the stipend recipient to begin to repay the | 24 | | total amount of the stipend received within 90 calendar days | 25 | | after the end of the 6-month period or as agreed to by the | 26 | | Department. The repayment amount shall be prorated according |
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| 1 | | to the fraction of the employment obligation not completed, at | 2 | | a rate of interest equal to 5%, and, if applicable, reasonable | 3 | | attorney's and collection fees. All repayments collected under | 4 | | this Section shall be forwarded to the State Comptroller for | 5 | | deposit into the fund from which the stipend awards were paid. | 6 | | (h) A stipend recipient under this Section must | 7 | | immediately notify the participating institution and the | 8 | | Department of any changes to the stipend recipient's | 9 | | enrollment status or if the stipend recipient withdraws from | 10 | | the social work program for which the recipient was awarded a | 11 | | stipend under the program. | 12 | | (i) If a stipend recipient's qualified employment is | 13 | | terminated for any reason other than for cause, a stipend | 14 | | recipient must search for, apply to, and accept new, | 15 | | qualified, full-time employment in a direct service position | 16 | | at a Department purchase of service agency located anywhere in | 17 | | this State within 90 calendar days from the stipend | 18 | | recipient's termination of full-time employment, otherwise the | 19 | | stipend recipient is subject to the repayment of stipend funds | 20 | | to the Department. | 21 | | (j) If a stipend recipient's qualified employment is | 22 | | terminated for cause prior to the completion of the program's | 23 | | employment requirement, the stipend recipient shall repay the | 24 | | total amount of stipends received under the program within 90 | 25 | | calendar days from termination or as agreed to by the | 26 | | Department. The amount of repayment owed by the recipient |
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| 1 | | shall be prorated based on the amount of the employment | 2 | | requirement that has been satisfied. | 3 | | (k) On or before October 1, 2023 and each October 1 | 4 | | thereafter during the Pat McGuire Child Welfare Education | 5 | | Fellowship Pilot Program, the Department shall provide a | 6 | | report and evaluation of the results of the program at each | 7 | | participating institution to the General Assembly and the | 8 | | Office of the Governor. Each participating institution shall | 9 | | track a student's eligibility under the program, the | 10 | | completion of educational requirements, the costs of each | 11 | | student's tuition, university fees, and books, and the | 12 | | application of the recipient's stipends during the recipient's | 13 | | enrollment at the participating institution. The report shall | 14 | | also include the location in this State where each stipend | 15 | | recipient was hired and shall identify the purchase of service | 16 | | agency, the duration of the recipient's employment, and the | 17 | | termination date of the recipient's employment. | 18 | | (l) The sharing and reporting of student data under | 19 | | subsection (k) shall be in accordance with the federal Family | 20 | | Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and the Illinois | 21 | | School Student Records Act. All parties under this Section | 22 | | must preserve the confidentiality of information as required | 23 | | by law. The names of stipend recipients under this Section are | 24 | | not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information | 25 | | Act. | 26 | | (m) The Department is authorized to adopt rules to |
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| 1 | | implement and administer this Section.
| 2 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, | 3 | | 2021. |
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