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92_HB5599
LRB9214228RCsb
1 AN ACT concerning attorneys' education expenses.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 Career Criminal Justice Attorney Education Expenses Repayment
6 Act.
7 Section 5. As used in this Act:
8 "Eligible attorney" means an attorney who is employed
9 full-time as an assistant State's attorney, assistant public
10 defender, assistant appellate defender, assistant appellate
11 prosecutor, or assistant attorney general whose application
12 under Section 10 of this Act has been accepted and authorized
13 by the State Treasurer to receive assistance in the repayment
14 of his or her student education expenses.
15 "Student education expenses" means the cumulative total
16 of the eligible attorney's outstanding student loans covering
17 the cost of attendance at any law school at which the
18 attorney completed course work required to obtain his or her
19 law degree.
20 Section 10. Education expenses repayment stipend. An
21 eligible attorney may apply to the State Treasurer on forms
22 furnished by the State Treasurer for an annual stipend to
23 repay his or her student education expenses.
24 To be accepted for a stipend, an eligible attorney must
25 meet the following qualifications:
26 (a) the attorney is currently licensed to practice
27 law in the State of Illinois;
28 (b) the attorney signs a statement agreeing to
29 remain in his or her present employment for at least one
30 year after receiving the stipend; and
-2- LRB9214228RCsb
1 (c) the attorney attaches verification of his or
2 her outstanding student loans.
3 An eligible attorney must apply each year for a stipend
4 for student education expenses repayment.
5 The amount of the annual stipend is $3,500 or the
6 outstanding balance of the eligible attorney's student loans,
7 whichever is less, and may be received by an eligible
8 attorney for 5 years. In addition, an eligible attorney who
9 has received 5 annual stipends may receive an additional 7
10 annual stipends in the amount of $5,000 per year or the
11 outstanding balance of his or her student loans, whichever is
12 less.
13 The amount of the annual stipend shall be adjusted for
14 inflation each July 1 using the Consumer Price Index of the
15 Bureau of Labor Standards of the U.S. Department of Labor.
16 If an eligible attorney receives a stipend and resigns
17 his or her position, the eligible attorney must repay to the
18 State 1/12th of the amount of the annual stipend for each
19 month left in the stipend year that he or she was not an
20 eligible attorney.
21 Section 15. Funding. The General Assembly shall make
22 appropriations to the State Treasurer for annual stipends
23 under this Act.
24 Section 20. Rules. The State Treasurer must adopt rules
25 for the implementation of this Act.
26 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
27 becoming law.
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