HB1343eng 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB1343 Engrossed LRB094 06295 RAS 36368 b

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Child Welfare Student Loan Forgiveness Act.

Section 5. Purpose. The purpose of this Act is to attract capable and promising students to the child welfare profession, increase employment and retention of individuals who are working towards or who have received either a bachelor's degree or a master's degree in social work or any human services subject area that qualifies the individual for employment as a family services worker, and provide opportunities for persons making mid-career decisions to enter the child welfare profession.

Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:

"Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.

"Contracting agency" means an agency that the Department of Children and Family Services contracts with for the provision of child protective services.

"Forgivable loan" means a higher education student loan that a person has incurred in attending a social work program approved by the Council on Social Work Education or an accredited human services degree program.

Section 15. Establishment of program. There is created the Child Welfare Student Loan Forgiveness Program to be administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. The program shall provide loan assistance, subject to appropriation, to eligible students for upper-division undergraduate and graduate study. The Commission shall adopt rules necessary to administer the program.

Section 20. Maximum loan time period; maximum loan amount.

(a) Subject to appropriation, an undergraduate forgivable loan may be awarded for a maximum of 2 academic years. The amount of this loan shall not exceed $4,000 per year.

(b) Subject to appropriation, a graduate forgivable loan may be awarded for a maximum of 2 academic years. The amount of this loan shall not exceed $8,000 per year.

Section 25. Eligibility.

(a) To be eligible for assistance under the Child Welfare Student Loan Forgiveness Program, an applicant for an undergraduate forgivable loan must meet all of the following qualifications:

(1) Be a full-time student at the upper-division undergraduate level in a social work program approved by the Council on Social Work Education leading to a bachelor's degree in social work or an accredited human services degree program.

(2) Have declared an intent to work in child welfare at the Department of Children and Family Services, its successor, or a contracting agency for at least the number of years for which a forgivable loan is received.

(3) Have maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate work. If applying for renewal of an undergraduate forgivable loan, an applicant must have maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate work and have earned at least 12 semester credits per term, or the equivalent.

(b) To be eligible for assistance under the Child Welfare Student Loan Forgiveness Program, an applicant for a graduate forgivable loan must meet all of the following qualifications:

(1) Be a full-time student at the graduate level in a social work program approved by the Council on Social Work Education leading to a master's degree in social work or an accredited human services degree program.

(2) Have declared an intent to work in child welfare at the Department of Children and Family Services, its successor, or a contracting agency for at least the number of years for which a forgivable loan is received.

(3) Hold a bachelor's degree from a school or department of social work at any college or university accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, or hold a degree in a human services field from an accredited college or university.

(4) Have maintained an undergraduate cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or have attained a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score of at least 1,000. If applying for renewal of a graduate forgivable loan, an applicant must have maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all graduate work and have earned at least 9 semester credits per term, or the equivalent.

(5) Not have received an undergraduate forgivable loan under the program.

Section 30. Repayment schedule; credit; penalty for non-compliance.

(a) A forgivable loan must be repaid within 10 years after completion of the approved or accredited social work or human services program. The Commission shall adopt, by rule, repayment schedules and applicable interest rates.

(b) Credit for repayment of a forgivable loan shall be in an amount not to exceed $4,000 in loan principal plus applicable accrued interest for each full year of eligible service in the child welfare profession. Forgivable loan recipients may receive loan repayment credit for child welfare service rendered at any time during the scheduled repayment period. However, such repayment credit shall be applicable only to the current principal and accrued interest balance that remains at the time the repayment credit is earned. No loan recipient shall be reimbursed for previous cash payments of principal and interest.

(c) Any forgivable loan recipient who fails to work at the Department of Children and Family Services, its successor, or a contracting agency, as required under the terms of the loan, is responsible for repaying the loan plus accrued interest at 8% annually.