Bill Text: IA HF469 | 2015-2016 | 86th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act creating a licensed social worker loan repayment program and revolving fund.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 17-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-03-04 - Subcommittee, Forristall, Bacon, and Gaines. H.J. 466. [HF469 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2015-HF469-Introduced.html
House File 469 - Introduced HOUSE FILE BY SMITH, GASKILL, COHOON, LENSING, WINCKLER, HUNTER, McCONKEY, BROWN=POWERS, THEDE, GAINES, HANSON, STAED, BEARINGER, ANDERSON, KEARNS, KELLEY, and STUTSMAN A BILL FOR 1 An Act creating a licensed social worker loan repayment program 2 and revolving fund. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: TLSB 2315YH (2) 86 tr/nh PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 261.117 Licensed social worker loan 1 2 repayment program ==== definitions. 1 3 1. A licensed social worker loan repayment program is 1 4 established, to be administered by the college student aid 1 5 commission for the purpose of increasing the number of social 1 6 workers serving in critical human service areas. 1 7 2. For purposes of this division: 1 8 a. "Critical human service area" includes but is not limited 1 9 to an area of the state with a shortage of social workers 1 10 providing health, mental health, substance abuse, aging, 1 11 HIV/AIDS, victim, or child welfare services, or communities 1 12 with multilingual needs. A critical human service area shall 1 13 be an area designated as a mental health professional shortage 1 14 area by the United States department of health and human 1 15 services health resources and services administration. 1 16 b. "Licensed social worker" means an individual holding a 1 17 license issued under chapter 154C who is employed in a critical 1 18 human service area. 1 19 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 261.118 Licensed social worker loan 1 20 repayment revolving fund. 1 21 1. a. A licensed social worker loan repayment revolving 1 22 fund is created in the state treasury as a separate fund under 1 23 the control of the commission. The commission shall deposit 1 24 moneys appropriated for purposes of the licensed social worker 1 25 loan repayment program, moneys repaid by loan repayment award 1 26 recipients who fail to meet the service area requirements, and 1 27 any other moneys obtained or accepted by the commission for 1 28 deposit into the fund. 1 29 b. Moneys in the fund shall be used for purposes of the 1 30 licensed social worker loan repayment program. Notwithstanding 1 31 section 8.33, moneys deposited in the fund shall not revert 1 32 to any fund of the state at the end of any fiscal year but 1 33 shall remain in the fund and be continuously available for the 1 34 program. 1 35 2. Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest 2 1 or earnings on moneys deposited in the fund shall be credited 2 2 to the fund. 2 3 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 261.119 Loan payment awards. 2 4 1. Each applicant for loan repayment shall, in accordance 2 5 with the rules of the commission, do the following: 2 6 a. Complete and file an application for licensed social 2 7 worker loan repayment. The individual shall be responsible 2 8 for the prompt submission of any information required by the 2 9 commission. 2 10 b. File a new application and submit information as 2 11 required by the commission annually on the basis of which the 2 12 applicant's eligibility for the renewed loan repayment will be 2 13 evaluated and determined. 2 14 c. Complete and return on a form approved by the commission 2 15 an affidavit of practice verifying that the applicant is a 2 16 licensed social worker in a critical human service area. 2 17 2. Loan repayment awards shall be made annually to 2 18 applicants in the following order of priority: 2 19 a. Applicants who have received payment of an award pursuant 2 20 to this section in a prior year and who have provided social 2 21 work services in a critical human service area in the year 2 22 prior to such application. 2 23 b. Applicants who have not received payment of an award 2 24 pursuant to this section in a prior year and who have provided 2 25 social work services in a critical human service area in the 2 26 year prior to such application. 2 27 c. Applicants from underrepresented racial, cultural, and 2 28 ethnic groups and individuals with disabilities. 2 29 3. The contract for the loan repayment shall stipulate the 2 30 time period the licensed social worker shall practice in a 2 31 critical human service area. In addition, the contract shall 2 32 stipulate that the licensed social worker shall repay any funds 2 33 paid on the person's loan by the commission if the person fails 2 34 to practice in a critical human service area for the required 2 35 period of time. 3 1 4. a. The annual amount of a licensed social worker loan 3 2 repayment award shall be six thousand five hundred dollars or 3 3 twenty percent of the licensed social worker's total federally 3 4 guaranteed Stafford loan amount under the federal family 3 5 education loan program or the federal direct loan program, 3 6 including principal and interest, whichever amount is less. A 3 7 recipient shall not receive loan repayment that exceeds the 3 8 total remaining balance of the recipient's student loan debt or 3 9 twenty=five thousand dollars, whichever is less. 3 10 b. Awards shall be within the amounts appropriated for such 3 11 purpose and shall be based on the availability of funds. 3 12 5. The commission shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A 3 13 to administer this division. 3 14 EXPLANATION 3 15 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 3 16 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly. 3 17 This bill creates a licensed social worker loan repayment 3 18 program administered by the college student aid commission. 3 19 Applicants for the program must enter into an agreement with 3 20 the commission, agreeing to work for a specific period of time 3 21 in a "critical human service area", defined as a geographic 3 22 area in Iowa with a shortage of social workers in health, 3 23 mental health, substance abuse, aging, HIV/AIDS, victim, or 3 24 child welfare concerns, or communities with multilingual needs. 3 25 The program provides a specific annual benefit, up to 3 26 $6,500, for licensed social workers who have worked in a 3 27 critical human service area in the previous year. No recipient 3 28 shall receive loan repayment that exceeds the total remaining 3 29 balance of the student loan debt and no recipient shall receive 3 30 cumulative awards in excess of $25,000. 3 31 The program is funded by a special revolving fund in 3 32 the state treasury, controlled by the college student aid 3 33 commission. The fund consists of moneys appropriated for 3 34 purposes of the program, repayments by participants who fail 3 35 to meet the service area requirements, and any other available 4 1 moneys. Moneys deposited in the fund do not revert to any 4 2 other fund at the end of any fiscal year but shall remain in the 4 3 fund and be continuously available for the program. Interest 4 4 or earnings on moneys deposited in the fund shall also be 4 5 credited to the fund. LSB 2315YH (2) 86 tr/nh
