Full Text of SB0661 102nd General Assembly
SB0661enr 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 Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | 5 | | amended by adding Section 65.110 as follows: | 6 | | (110 ILCS 947/65.110 new) | 7 | | Sec. 65.110. Post-Master of Social Work School Social Work | 8 | | Professional Educator License scholarship. | 9 | | (a) Subject to appropriation, beginning with awards for | 10 | | the 2022-2023 academic year, the Commission shall award | 11 | | annually up to 250 Post-Master of Social Work School Social | 12 | | Work Professional Educator License scholarships to a person | 13 | | who: | 14 | | (1) holds a valid Illinois-licensed clinical social | 15 | | work license or social work license; | 16 | | (2) has obtained a master's degree in social work from | 17 | | an approved program; | 18 | | (3) is a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen; | 19 | | and | 20 | | (4) submits an application to the Commission for such | 21 | | scholarship and agrees to take courses to obtain an | 22 | | Illinois Professional Educator License with an endorsement | 23 | | in School Social Work. |
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| 1 | | (b) If an appropriation for this Section for a given | 2 | | fiscal year is insufficient to provide scholarships to all | 3 | | qualified applicants, the Commission shall allocate the | 4 | | appropriation in accordance with this subsection (b). If funds | 5 | | are insufficient to provide all qualified applicants with a | 6 | | scholarship as authorized by this Section, the Commission | 7 | | shall allocate the available scholarship funds for that fiscal | 8 | | year to qualified applicants who submit a complete application | 9 | | on or before a date specified by the Commission, based on the | 10 | | following order of priority: | 11 | | (1) firstly, to students who received a scholarship | 12 | | under this Section in the prior academic year and who | 13 | | remain eligible for a scholarship under this Section; | 14 | | (2) secondly, to new, qualified applicants who are | 15 | | members of a racial minority, as defined in subsection | 16 | | (c); and | 17 | | (3) finally, to other new, qualified applicants in | 18 | | accordance with this Section. | 19 | | (c) Scholarships awarded under this Section shall be | 20 | | issued pursuant to rules adopted by the Commission. In | 21 | | awarding scholarships, the Commission shall give priority to | 22 | | those applicants who are members of a racial minority. Racial | 23 | | minorities are underrepresented as school social workers in | 24 | | elementary and secondary schools in this State, and the | 25 | | General Assembly finds that it is in the interest of this State | 26 | | to provide them with priority consideration for programs that |
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| 1 | | encourage their participation in this field and thereby foster | 2 | | a profession that is more reflective of the diversity of | 3 | | Illinois students and the parents they will serve. A more | 4 | | reflective workforce in school social work allows improved | 5 | | outcomes for students and a better utilization of services. | 6 | | Therefore, the Commission shall give priority to those | 7 | | applicants who are members of a racial minority. In this | 8 | | subsection (c), "racial minority" means a person who is a | 9 | | citizen of the United States or a lawful permanent resident | 10 | | alien of the United States and who is: | 11 | | (1) Black (a person having origins in any of the black | 12 | | racial groups in Africa); | 13 | | (2) Hispanic (a person of Spanish or Portuguese | 14 | | culture with origins in Mexico, South or Central America, | 15 | | or the Caribbean Islands, regardless of race); | 16 | | (3) Asian American (a person having origins in any of | 17 | | the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the | 18 | | Indian Subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands); or | 19 | | (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native (a person having | 20 | | origins in any of the original peoples of North America). | 21 | | (d) Each scholarship shall be applied to the payment of | 22 | | tuition and mandatory fees at the University of Illinois, | 23 | | Southern Illinois University, Chicago State University, | 24 | | Eastern Illinois University, Governors State University, | 25 | | Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University, | 26 | | Northern Illinois University, and Western Illinois University. |
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| 1 | | Each scholarship may be applied to pay tuition and mandatory | 2 | | fees required to obtain an Illinois Professional Educator | 3 | | License with an endorsement in School Social Work. | 4 | | (e) The Commission shall make tuition and fee payments | 5 | | directly to the qualified institution of higher learning that | 6 | | the applicant attends. | 7 | | (f) Any person who has accepted a scholarship under this | 8 | | Section must, within one year after graduation or termination | 9 | | of enrollment in a Post-Master of Social Work Professional | 10 | | Education License with an endorsement in School Social Work | 11 | | program, begin working as a school social worker at a public or | 12 | | nonpublic not-for-profit preschool, elementary school, or | 13 | | secondary school located in this State for at least 2 of the 5 | 14 | | years immediately following that graduation or termination, | 15 | | excluding, however, from the computation of that 5-year | 16 | | period: (i) any time up to 3 years spent in the military | 17 | | service, whether such service occurs before or after the | 18 | | person graduates; (ii) the time that person is a person with a | 19 | | temporary total disability for a period of time not to exceed 3 | 20 | | years, as established by the sworn affidavit of a qualified | 21 | | physician; and (iii) the time that person is seeking and | 22 | | unable to find full-time employment as a school social worker | 23 | | at a State public or nonpublic not-for-profit preschool, | 24 | | elementary school, or secondary school. | 25 | | (g) If a recipient of a scholarship under this Section | 26 | | fails to fulfill the work obligation set forth in subsection |
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| 1 | | (f), the Commission shall require the recipient to repay the | 2 | | amount of the scholarships received, prorated according to the | 3 | | fraction of the obligation not completed, at a rate of | 4 | | interest equal to 5%, and, if applicable, reasonable | 5 | | collection fees. The Commission is authorized to establish | 6 | | rules relating to its collection activities for repayment of | 7 | | scholarships under this Section. All repayments collected | 8 | | under this Section shall be forwarded to the State Comptroller | 9 | | for deposit into this State's General Revenue Fund. | 10 | | A recipient of a scholarship under this Section is not | 11 | | considered to be in violation of the failure to fulfill the | 12 | | work obligation under subsection (f) if the recipient (i) | 13 | | enrolls on a full-time basis as a graduate student in a course | 14 | | of study related to the field of social work at a qualified | 15 | | Illinois institution of higher learning; (ii) is serving, not | 16 | | in excess of 3 years, as a member of the armed services of the | 17 | | United States; (iii) is a person with a temporary total | 18 | | disability for a period of time not to exceed 3 years, as | 19 | | established by the sworn affidavit of a qualified physician; | 20 | | (iv) is seeking and unable to find full-time employment as a | 21 | | school social worker at an Illinois public or nonpublic | 22 | | not-for-profit preschool, elementary school, or secondary | 23 | | school that satisfies the criteria set forth in subsection (f) | 24 | | and is able to provide evidence of that fact; or (v) becomes a | 25 | | person with a permanent total disability, as established by | 26 | | the sworn affidavit of a qualified physician.
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| 1 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January | 2 | | 1, 2022.
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