Rep. Lindsey LaPointe

Filed: 4/16/2024

 

 


 

 


 
10300HB2838ham002LRB103 04770 RJT 72483 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 2838

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 2838 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
5Section 5.1015 as follows:
 
6    (30 ILCS 105/5.1015 new)
7    Sec. 5.1015. The Behavioral Health Education Fund.
 
8    Section 10. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is
9amended by adding Section 65.125 as follows:
 
10    (110 ILCS 947/65.125 new)
11    Sec. 65.125. Behavioral Health Scholarship Program.
12    (a) As used in this Section:
13    "Behavioral health discipline" means:
14        (1) undergraduate behavioral health disciplines that

 

 

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1    may be offered through institutions of higher education,
2    including, but not limited to, psychology, counseling,
3    social work, behavioral analysis and therapy, child and
4    adolescent development, and rehabilitation counseling;
5        (2) graduate behavioral health disciplines, including,
6    but not limited to, clinical or counseling psychology,
7    counseling, social work, behavioral analysis and therapy,
8    child and adolescent development, rehabilitation
9    counseling, and marriage and family therapy; and
10        (3) certified behavioral health disciplines, including
11    but not limited to certified recovery support specialists,
12    certified peer recovery specialists, certified alcohol and
13    other drug counseling, and community health worker.
14    "Eligible applicant" means a student who is enrolled in a
15program of study at a participating college, community
16college, or university and who meets all of the qualifications
17and requirements under this Section.
18    "Federally qualified health center" means a health center
19funded under Section 330 of the federal Public Health Service
20Act.
21    "FQHC Look-Alike" means a health center that meets the
22requirements for receiving a grant under Section 330 of the
23federal Public Health Service Act but does not receive funding
24under that Act.
25    "Part-time employment" means working at least 20 hours a
26week.

 

 

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1    "Participating college, community college, or university"
2means a public institution of higher education that is a party
3to an intergovernmental agreement entered into with the
4Commission in order to participate in the program established
5under this Section.
6    (b) Subject to appropriation, beginning with the 2025-2026
7academic year, the Commission shall establish and administer
8the Behavioral Health Scholarship Program for the purpose of
9incentivizing students to pursue degrees in a behavioral
10health discipline. The Commission shall enter into agreements
11with institutions of higher education to participate in the
12Program. Under the Program, the Commission shall provide
13financial assistance to an eligible applicant.
14    (c) For purposes of this subsection, "racial minority"
15means a person who is a citizen of the United States or a
16lawful permanent resident alien of the United States and who
17is:
18        (1) Black (a person having origins in any of the black
19    racial groups in Africa);
20        (2) Hispanic (a person of Spanish or Portuguese
21    culture with origins in Mexico, South or Central America,
22    or the Caribbean Islands, regardless of race);
23        (3) Asian American (a person having origins in any of
24    the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the
25    Indian subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands);
26        (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native (a person having

 

 

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1    origins in any of the original peoples of North America);
2    or
3        (5) Middle Eastern or Northern African (a person of a
4    culture originating in the Middle East or Northern Africa,
5    regardless of race).
6    Subject to appropriation, the Commission shall award
7financial assistance in the form of a scholarship to an
8eligible applicant up to the applicant's total cost of
9attendance, not to exceed $10,000 each year for a maximum of 4
10years at a participating college, community college, or
11university if the applicant meets all of the following
12criteria:
13        (1) The applicant is a resident of this State or a
14    child of a noncitizen of the United States.
15        (2) The applicant has committed to work in a community
16    not-for-profit behavioral health agency, federally
17    qualified health center, or FQHC Look-Alike located in
18    this State for at least 4 years. The requirements of this
19    paragraph shall be suspended if an applicant enrolls in a
20    program of study at a participating college, community
21    college, or university and who meets all other
22    qualifications and requirements under this subsection.
23        (3) The applicant is enrolled on at least a half-time
24    basis at a qualified institution.
25    Each scholarship awarded under this Section shall be in an
26amount determined by the Commission, up to the recipient's

 

 

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1total cost of attendance, except that the total scholarship
2amount may not exceed $10,000 annually. The total amount of
3scholarship assistance awarded by the Commission under this
4Section to an applicant in any given fiscal year, when added to
5other financial assistance awarded to that individual for that
6year, may not exceed the cost of attendance at the institution
7at which the applicant is enrolled. If the amount of financial
8assistance to be awarded to an applicant exceeds the cost of
9attendance at the institution at which the applicant is
10enrolled, the scholarship awarded under this Section shall be
11reduced by an amount equal to the amount by which the combined
12financial assistance available to the applicant exceeds the
13total cost of attendance.
14    In awarding scholarships, the Commission shall give
15priority to those applicants who are members of a racial
16minority.
17    (d) Each participating college, community college, or
18university shall post on its website the criteria and
19eligibility requirements to receive financial assistance under
20this Section and must identify that the financial assistance
21is for a maximum of 4 academic years or the equivalent to 4
22academic years, with the maximum amount of financial
23assistance awarded to an eligible applicant not to the amount
24specified in subsection (c). This information must also be
25reported to the Commission and the Board of Higher Education,
26and the Commission and the Board shall post the information on

 

 

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1the Commission's and Board's respective websites.
2    (e) Nothing in this Section precludes a scholarship
3recipient from applying and being awarded financial assistance
4for a degree after previously receiving financial assistance
5under this Section.
6    (f) Prior to receiving financial assistance for any
7academic year, an eligible applicant under this Section shall
8be required by the participating college, community college,
9or university to sign an agreement with the Commission under
10which the eligible applicant pledges that, within 6 months
11from the date of the eligible applicant's graduation or
12certificate completion from the participating college,
13community college, or university, the eligible applicant must
14search for, apply for, and accept full-time or part-time
15employment at a community not-for-profit behavioral health
16agency, federally qualified health center, or FQHC Look-Alike.
17The recipient of financial assistance must, for at least 4
18years, maintain this employment.
19    (g) A scholarship recipient shall not be considered in
20violation of the agreement entered into under subsection (f)
21if the recipient (i) enrolls on at least a half-time basis as a
22student in a course of study in a behavioral health discipline
23participating college, community college, or university, (ii)
24is serving, not in excess of 3 years, as a member of the armed
25services of the United States, (iii) is a person with a
26temporary total disability for a period of time not to exceed 3

 

 

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1years as established by sworn affidavit of a qualified
2physician, (iv) is seeking and unable to find full-time
3employment in a behavioral health discipline at a community
4not-for-profit behavioral health agency, federally qualified
5health center, or FQHC Look-Alike and is able to provide
6evidence of that fact, or (v) becomes a person with a permanent
7total disability as established by sworn affidavit of a
8qualified physician.
9    A scholarship recipient under this Section who withdraws
10from a program in a behavioral health discipline but remains
11enrolled in an institution of higher education to continue the
12recipient's postsecondary studies in another academic
13discipline may not be required to commence repayment of any
14financial assistance received under this Section if the
15recipient remains enrolled on a full-time basis or if the
16recipient can document for the Commission special
17circumstances that warrant extension of repayment.
18    (h) The Commission shall develop rules related to
19scholarship repayment for recipients who (i) fail to search
20for, apply for, and accept full-time or part-time employment
21within a defined time frame, (ii) have changes to their school
22enrollment status, (iii) have a terminated employment status
23for any reason, including for cause, prior to the program's
244-year employment requirement, or (iv) enroll in a degree
25program to pursue a degree in a behavioral health field.
26    (i) The Commission shall use moneys appropriated to the

 

 

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1Behavioral Health Education Fund to fund the Program as
2described under this Section.
3    (j) The Commission shall adopt rules to implement this
4Section and may adopt rules relating to its collection
5activities for the repayment of any financial assistance
6provided under this Section.
 
7    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
8becoming law.".