Public Act 102-1022
 
SB3761 EnrolledLRB102 25678 NLB 34972 b

    AN ACT concerning education.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is
amended by changing Section 65.115 as follows:
 
    (110 ILCS 947/65.115)
    (This Section may contain text from a Public Act with a
delayed effective date)
    Sec. 65.115 65.110. School and Municipal Social Work
Shortage Loan Repayment Program.
    (a) To encourage Illinois students to work, and to
continue to work, as a school social worker in public school
districts in this State or in State municipalities, the
Commission shall, each year, receive and consider applications
for loan repayment assistance under this Section. This program
shall be known as the School and Municipal Social Work
Shortage Loan Repayment Program. The Commission shall
administer the program and shall adopt all necessary and
proper rules to effectively implement the program.
    (b) Beginning July 1, 2022, subject to a separate
appropriation made for such purposes, the Commission shall
award a grant, up to a maximum of $6,500, to each qualified
applicant. The Commission may encourage the recipient of a
grant under this Section to use the grant award for repayment
of the recipient's educational loan. If an appropriation for
this program for a given fiscal year is insufficient to
provide grants to all qualified applicants, the Commission
shall allocate the appropriation in accordance with this
subsection. If funds are insufficient to provide all qualified
applicants with a grant as authorized by this Section, the
Commission shall allocate the available grant funds for that
fiscal year to qualified applicants who submit a complete
application on or before a date specified by the Commission,
based on the following order of priority:
        (1) first, to new, qualified applicants who are
    members of a racial minority as defined in subsection (e);
    and
        (2) second, to other new, qualified applicants in
    accordance with this Section.
    (c) A person is a qualified applicant under this Section
if he or she meets all of the following qualifications:
        (1) The person is a United States citizen or eligible
    noncitizen.
        (2) The person is a resident of this State.
        (3) The person is a borrower with an outstanding
    balance due on an educational loan related to obtaining a
    degree in social work.
        (4) The person has been employed as a school social
    worker by a public elementary school or secondary school
    in this State for at least 12 consecutive months or as a
    social worker for an Illinois municipality who did not
    report directly to a police department.
        (5) The person is currently employed as a school
    social worker by a public elementary school or secondary
    school in this State or as a social worker for an Illinois
    municipality who does not report directly to a police
    department.
    (d) An applicant shall submit an application, in a form
determined by the Commission, for grant assistance under this
Section to the Commission. An applicant is required to submit,
with the application, supporting documentation as the
Commission may deem necessary.
    (e) Racial minorities are underrepresented as school
social workers in elementary and secondary schools and in
municipalities in Illinois, and the General Assembly finds
that it is in the interest of this State to provide them
priority consideration for programs that encourage their
participation in this field and thereby foster a profession
that is more reflective of the diversity of Illinois
residents, students and parents they will serve. A more
reflective workforce in school social work allows improved
outcomes for individuals students and a better utilization of
services. Therefore, the Commission shall give priority to
those applicants who are members of a racial minority. In this
subsection (e), "racial minority" means a person who is a
citizen of the United States or a lawful permanent resident
alien of the United States and who is:
        (1) Black (a person having origins in any of the black
    racial groups in Africa);
        (2) Hispanic (a person of Spanish or Portuguese
    culture with origins in Mexico, South or Central America,
    or the Caribbean Islands, regardless of race);
        (3) Asian American (a person having origins in any of
    the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the
    Indian Subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands); or
        (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native (a person having
    origins in any of the original peoples of North America).
(Source: P.A. 102-622, eff. 7-1-22; revised 11-10-21.)