Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SB1322

Sen. Javier L. Cervantes

Filed: 3/10/2025

10400SB1322sam002 LRB104 07394 LNS 23502 a

AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 1322

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 1322 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding Section 5.1030 as follows:

(30 ILCS 105/5.1030 new)

Sec. 5.1030. The Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship Fund.

Section 10. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is amended by adding Section 65.135 as follows:

(110 ILCS 947/65.135 new)

Sec. 65.135. Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship Program.

(a) As used in this Section:

"Eligible applicant" means a student who:

(1) has graduated from high school or has received a State of Illinois High School Diploma;

(2) has maintained a cumulative grade point average of no less than a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent as determined by the Commission;

(3) is pursuing or intends to pursue a qualifying degree at a qualified institution; and

(4) is entitled to apply for assistance under this Section.

"Full-time" means the number of credit hours the Commission determines is full-time enrollment for a student for purposes of the program established under this Section.

"Program" means the Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship Program established under this Section.

"Qualified student" means a person who:

(1) is a resident of this State;

(2) as an eligible applicant, has made a timely application for a scholarship under this Section;

(3) is enrolled on at least a half-time basis at a qualified institution;

(4) is enrolled in a course of study in the field of professional counseling, professional therapy, social work, psychology, or psychiatry or to become a mental health nurse practitioner or psychiatric pharmacist;

(5) maintains a grade point average of no less than a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent as determined by the Commission; and

(6) continues to advance satisfactorily toward the attainment of a degree.

"Qualifying degree" means an associate degree, bachelor's degree, master's degree, or doctoral degree granted by a qualified institution with a focus on professional counseling, professional therapy, social work, psychology, or psychiatry or a degree granted by a qualified institution to become a mental health nurse practitioner or psychiatric pharmacist.

"Qualifying job" means a job with an employer in this State performing work that is directly related to the field of study that qualified the candidate for assistance under this Section.

"Recipient" means a State resident enrolled in a qualified institution who receives an award under this Section.

(b) Subject to appropriation and no sooner than the 2026-2027 academic year, there is established the Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship Program to recruit and train individuals to work in qualifying jobs that have a high demand for new employees and offer high wages by awarding scholarships.

(c) Each scholarship awarded under this Section shall be determined by the Commission in an amount up to and including the full costs of tuition and fees and room and board of the qualified institution at which the recipient is enrolled if the institution is public or an equivalent rate established by the Commission for private institutions. The total amount of scholarship assistance awarded by the Commission under this Section to an eligible applicant in any given fiscal year, when added to other financial assistance awarded to that individual for that year, may not exceed the cost of attendance at the institution at which the student is enrolled. If the amount of financial assistance to be awarded to a qualified student exceeds the cost of attendance at the institution at which the student is enrolled, the scholarship shall be reduced by an amount equal to the amount by which the combined financial assistance available to the student exceeds the cost of attendance.

(d) The maximum number of academic terms for which a qualified student may receive scholarship assistance under this Section shall be 8 semesters or 12 quarters.

(e) All applications for scholarships awarded under this Section shall be made to the Commission on forms that the Commission shall provide to eligible applicants. The form of application and the information required to be set forth in the application shall be determined by the Commission, and the Commission shall require eligible applicants to submit with their applications such supporting documents or recommendations as the Commission deems necessary.

(f) The Commission shall establish a methodology for prioritizing applications from applicants under this Section who demonstrate a financial need or hardship and applications from applicants demonstrating academic excellence. After the first academic year that the Program operates, the Commission shall prioritize the applications of those applicants who received a scholarship under this Section during the prior academic year and who remain eligible for a scholarship under this Section.

(g) Subject to appropriation for such purposes, payment of any scholarship awarded under this Section shall be determined by the Commission. All scholarship funds distributed in accordance with this subsection shall be paid to the qualified institution and used only for payment of the tuition and fees assessed by the institution and the standard housing and food allowance used for all undergraduate students by the qualified student in connection with his or her attendance at a qualified institution.

Any scholarship awarded under this Section is applicable to 2 semesters or 3 quarters of enrollment annually. The qualified institution may only request payment for tuition and fees up to the amount of actual tuition and fee expenses incurred.

If a student withdraws after the expiration of the tuition refund or withdrawal adjustment period, the student may receive payment for tuition and fees incurred up to the term award. The housing and food allowance shall be prorated based on the qualified institution's return of funds policy.

(h) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any academic year, each recipient of a scholarship awarded under this Section shall be required by the Commission to sign an agreement under which the recipient pledges that the recipient shall:

(1) work in the State in a qualified job for a period of not less than one year for each year of scholarship assistance he or she was awarded under this Section; however, in no event may he or she agree to work in this State in a qualifying job for a period of less than 2 years; and

(2) upon request by the Commission, provide the Commission with evidence that he or she is fulfilling or has fulfilled the terms of the agreement provided for in this subsection.

If a recipient of a scholarship awarded under this Section fails to fulfill the obligations set forth in this subsection, the Commission shall require the recipient to repay the amount of the scholarships received, prorated according to the fraction of the employment obligation not completed, at a rate of interest equal to 5%, and, if applicable, reasonable collection fees. The Commission is authorized to establish rules relating to its collection activities for repayment of scholarships under this Section. All repayments collected under this Section shall be forwarded to the State Comptroller for deposit into the General Revenue Fund.

A recipient of a scholarship is not considered in violation of the agreement entered into pursuant to this subsection if the recipient:

(A) enrolls on a full-time basis as a graduate student in a course of study related to the degree for which he or she qualified for a scholarship at a qualified institution;

(B) is serving, not in excess of 3 years, as a member of the armed services of the United States;

(C) is a person with a temporary total disability for a period of time not to exceed 3 years, as established by sworn affidavit of a qualified physician;

(D) is seeking and unable to find full-time employment with an employer in this State that satisfies the criteria set forth in this subsection and is able to provide evidence of that fact;

(E) becomes a person with a permanent total disability, as established by sworn affidavit of a qualified physician; or

(F) meets any other criteria that the Commission may deem necessary.

(i) A scholarship recipient under this Section who withdraws from a course of study that qualified the recipient for a scholarship under this Section but remains enrolled in a qualified institution to continue postsecondary studies in another academic discipline is not required to commence repayment of the scholarship so long as the recipient remains enrolled in a qualified institution on a full-time basis or if the recipient can document for the Commission special circumstances that warrant an extension of repayment.

(j) If the Program does not expend at least 90% of the amount appropriated for the Program in a given fiscal year for 3 consecutive fiscal years on or before January 1 in each of those fiscal years, then up to 3% of the amount appropriated for the Program for each of next 3 fiscal years shall be allocated to increasing awareness of the Program.

(k) Each fiscal year, the Commission may use up to 5% of money appropriated for the Program for administration.

(l) The Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury. Money from both public entities and institutional, organizational, or other private entities may be deposited into the Fund. All money in the Fund shall be used, subject to appropriation, by the Commission to implement and administer the Program pursuant to this Section.

(m) Scholarships may be made under this Section through the 2030-2031 academic year.

(n) The Commission shall administer the Program and shall make all necessary and proper rules not inconsistent with this Section for its effective implementation.".