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| | SB0662 Enrolled | | LRB102 13536 CMG 18883 b |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning education.
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| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | | Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is |
| 5 | | amended by adding Section 65.110 as follows:
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| 6 | | (110 ILCS 947/65.110 new) |
| 7 | | Sec. 65.110. School Social Work Shortage Loan Repayment |
| 8 | | Program. |
| 9 | | (a) To encourage Illinois students to work, and to |
| 10 | | continue to work, as a school social worker in public school |
| 11 | | districts in this State, the Commission shall, each year, |
| 12 | | receive and consider applications for loan repayment |
| 13 | | assistance under this Section. This program shall be known as |
| 14 | | the School Social Work Shortage Loan Repayment Program. The |
| 15 | | Commission shall administer the program and shall adopt all |
| 16 | | necessary and proper rules to effectively implement the |
| 17 | | program. |
| 18 | | (b) Beginning July 1, 2022, subject to a separate |
| 19 | | appropriation made for such purposes, the Commission shall |
| 20 | | award a grant, up to a maximum of $6,500, to each qualified |
| 21 | | applicant. The Commission may encourage the recipient of a |
| 22 | | grant under this Section to use the grant award for repayment |
| 23 | | of the recipient's educational loan. If an appropriation for |
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| 1 | | this program for a given fiscal year is insufficient to |
| 2 | | provide grants to all qualified applicants, the Commission |
| 3 | | shall allocate the appropriation in accordance with this |
| 4 | | subsection. If funds are insufficient to provide all qualified |
| 5 | | applicants with a grant as authorized by this Section, the |
| 6 | | Commission shall allocate the available grant funds for that |
| 7 | | fiscal year to qualified applicants who submit a complete |
| 8 | | application on or before a date specified by the Commission, |
| 9 | | based on the following order of priority: |
| 10 | | (1) first, to new, qualified applicants who are |
| 11 | | members of a racial minority as defined in subsection (e); |
| 12 | | and |
| 13 | | (2) second, to other new, qualified applicants in |
| 14 | | accordance with this Section. |
| 15 | | (c) A person is a qualified applicant under this Section |
| 16 | | if he or she meets all of the following qualifications: |
| 17 | | (1) The person is a United States citizen or eligible |
| 18 | | noncitizen. |
| 19 | | (2) The person is a resident of this State. |
| 20 | | (3) The person is a borrower with an outstanding |
| 21 | | balance due on an educational loan related to obtaining a |
| 22 | | degree in social work. |
| 23 | | (4) The person has been employed as a school social |
| 24 | | worker by a public elementary school or secondary school |
| 25 | | in this State for at least 12 consecutive months. |
| 26 | | (5) The person is currently employed as a school |
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| 1 | | social worker by a public elementary school or secondary |
| 2 | | school in this State. |
| 3 | | (d) An applicant shall submit an application, in a form |
| 4 | | determined by the Commission, for grant assistance under this |
| 5 | | Section to the Commission. An applicant is required to submit, |
| 6 | | with the application, supporting documentation as the |
| 7 | | Commission may deem necessary. |
| 8 | | (e) Racial minorities are underrepresented as school |
| 9 | | social workers in elementary and secondary schools in |
| 10 | | Illinois, and the General Assembly finds that it is in the |
| 11 | | interest of this State to provide them priority consideration |
| 12 | | for programs that encourage their participation in this field |
| 13 | | and thereby foster a profession that is more reflective of the |
| 14 | | diversity of Illinois students and parents they will serve. A |
| 15 | | more reflective workforce in school social work allows |
| 16 | | improved outcomes for students and a better utilization of |
| 17 | | services. Therefore, the Commission shall give priority to |
| 18 | | those applicants who are members of a racial minority. In this |
| 19 | | subsection (e), "racial minority" means a person who is a |
| 20 | | citizen of the United States or a lawful permanent resident |
| 21 | | alien of the United States and who is: |
| 22 | | (1) Black (a person having origins in any of the black
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| 23 | | racial groups in Africa); |
| 24 | | (2) Hispanic (a person of Spanish or Portuguese
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| 25 | | culture with origins in Mexico, South or Central America,
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| 26 | | or the Caribbean Islands, regardless of race); |
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| 1 | | (3) Asian American (a person having origins in any of
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| 2 | | the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the
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| 3 | | Indian Subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands); or |
| 4 | | (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native (a person having
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| 5 | | origins in any of the original peoples of North America).
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| 6 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, |
| 7 | | 2022.
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