Section 2776.15  Definitions

"Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC).

"Full-time employee" means an individual who is employed for consideration for at least 35 hours each week.

"Program" means the Workforce Development through Charitable Loan Repayment Program established under the Workforce Development through Charitable Loan Repayment Act.

"Qualified community foundation" has the same meaning given to that term as in Section 10-10 of the Workforce Development through Charitable Loan Repayment Program Act [110 ILCS 998].

"Qualified worker" means an individual who meets all of the following:

the individual is a full-time employee of a business that meets one or more of the following criteria:

the business is a qualified new business venture registered with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity under Section 220 of the Illinois Income Tax Act;

the business is primarily engaged in a targeted growth industry;

the business is a minority-owned business, a women-owned business, or a business owned by a person with a disability as defined in the Business Enterprise for Minorities, Women, and Persons with Disabilities Act; or

the business is a not-for-profit corporation, as defined in the General Not For Profit Corporation Act of 1986;

the individual is employed by the business at a job site that is located in an Enterprise Zone, an Opportunity Zone, an underserved area, or an area that has a bachelor's degree attainment rate for the population that is below the State or national average for the population as determined by the United States Census Bureau; and

the individual has received an associate degree or higher and has an outstanding balance due on a qualified education loan or the individual has accrued educational debt while pursuing skilled trades and related schooling.

"Student loan repayment assistance" means grants or post-graduation scholarships made by a community foundation directly to a student loan servicer on behalf of a qualified worker.

"Targeted growth industry" is one or more of the following: advanced manufacturing; agribusiness and food processing; transportation distribution and logistics; life sciences and biotechnology; businesses and professional services; or energy. [110 ILCS 998/10-10]

"Underserved area" has the meaning given to that term in Section 5-5 of the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act, defined as an area that meets one of the following four qualifications:

poverty rate of at least 20% according to the latest American Community Survey;

35% or more of the families with children in the area are living below 130% of the poverty line according to the latest American Community Survey;

at least 20% of the households in the area receive assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); or

the area's average unemployment rate as determined by the Illinois Department of Employment Security that is more than 120% of the national unemployment average as determined by the U.S. Department of Labor for a period of at least 2 consecutive calendar years preceding the date of the application. [110 ILCS 998/10-10] and [35 ILCS 10/5-5]