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:
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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.
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