SB3761 EngrossedLRB102 25678 NLB 34972 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is
5amended by changing Section 65.115 as follows:
 
6    (110 ILCS 947/65.115)
7    (This Section may contain text from a Public Act with a
8delayed effective date)
9    Sec. 65.115 65.110. School and Municipal Social Work
10Shortage Loan Repayment Program.
11    (a) To encourage Illinois students to work, and to
12continue to work, as a school social worker in public school
13districts in this State or in State municipalities, the
14Commission shall, each year, receive and consider applications
15for loan repayment assistance under this Section. This program
16shall be known as the School and Municipal Social Work
17Shortage Loan Repayment Program. The Commission shall
18administer the program and shall adopt all necessary and
19proper rules to effectively implement the program.
20    (b) Beginning July 1, 2022, subject to a separate
21appropriation made for such purposes, the Commission shall
22award a grant, up to a maximum of $6,500, to each qualified
23applicant. The Commission may encourage the recipient of a

 

 

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1grant under this Section to use the grant award for repayment
2of the recipient's educational loan. If an appropriation for
3this program for a given fiscal year is insufficient to
4provide grants to all qualified applicants, the Commission
5shall allocate the appropriation in accordance with this
6subsection. If funds are insufficient to provide all qualified
7applicants with a grant as authorized by this Section, the
8Commission shall allocate the available grant funds for that
9fiscal year to qualified applicants who submit a complete
10application on or before a date specified by the Commission,
11based on the following order of priority:
12        (1) first, to new, qualified applicants who are
13    members of a racial minority as defined in subsection (e);
14    and
15        (2) second, to other new, qualified applicants in
16    accordance with this Section.
17    (c) A person is a qualified applicant under this Section
18if he or she meets all of the following qualifications:
19        (1) The person is a United States citizen or eligible
20    noncitizen.
21        (2) The person is a resident of this State.
22        (3) The person is a borrower with an outstanding
23    balance due on an educational loan related to obtaining a
24    degree in social work.
25        (4) The person has been employed as a school social
26    worker by a public elementary school or secondary school

 

 

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1    in this State for at least 12 consecutive months or as a
2    social worker for an Illinois municipality who did not
3    report directly to a police department.
4        (5) The person is currently employed as a school
5    social worker by a public elementary school or secondary
6    school in this State or as a social worker for an Illinois
7    municipality who does not report directly to a police
8    department.
9    (d) An applicant shall submit an application, in a form
10determined by the Commission, for grant assistance under this
11Section to the Commission. An applicant is required to submit,
12with the application, supporting documentation as the
13Commission may deem necessary.
14    (e) Racial minorities are underrepresented as school
15social workers in elementary and secondary schools and in
16municipalities in Illinois, and the General Assembly finds
17that it is in the interest of this State to provide them
18priority consideration for programs that encourage their
19participation in this field and thereby foster a profession
20that is more reflective of the diversity of Illinois
21residents, students and parents they will serve. A more
22reflective workforce in school social work allows improved
23outcomes for individuals students and a better utilization of
24services. Therefore, the Commission shall give priority to
25those applicants who are members of a racial minority. In this
26subsection (e), "racial minority" means a person who is a

 

 

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1citizen of the United States or a lawful permanent resident
2alien of the United States and who is:
3        (1) Black (a person having origins in any of the black
4    racial groups in Africa);
5        (2) Hispanic (a person of Spanish or Portuguese
6    culture with origins in Mexico, South or Central America,
7    or the Caribbean Islands, regardless of race);
8        (3) Asian American (a person having origins in any of
9    the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the
10    Indian Subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands); or
11        (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native (a person having
12    origins in any of the original peoples of North America).
13(Source: P.A. 102-622, eff. 7-1-22; revised 11-10-21.)