Bill Text: IL HB0024 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Creates the Not-For-Profit Organization Minority Employee Assistance Act. Defines terms. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to establish and administer the Not-For-Profit Organization Minority Employee Loan Repayment Assistance Program for the primary purpose of providing loan repayment assistance to minority employees to encourage minorities to pursue careers with not-for-profit organizations; provides for the Program's eligibility requirements. Provides that the maximum amount of loan repayment assistance for each Program participant shall be $5,000 per year, up to a maximum of $25,000 during the participant's career; provides for the manner of fund distribution. Provides that if a Program participant becomes ineligible during the term of a loan, he or she must repay the outstanding amount of any loan received from the Commission. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Not-For-Profit Organization Minority Employee Loan Repayment Assistance Fund as a special fund in the State treasury.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-29 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB0024 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2019-HB0024-Introduced.html
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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 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Not-For-Profit Organization Minority Employee Assistance Act.
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6 | Section 5. Definitions. In this Act: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | "Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | Commission. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | "Eligible debt" means outstanding principal, interest, and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | related fees from loans obtained for undergraduate or graduate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | educational expenses made by government or commercial lending | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | institutions or educational institutions. "Eligible debt" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | excludes loans made by a private individual or family member. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | "Minority employee" means a person employed by a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | not-for-profit organization who is a citizen or lawful | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | permanent resident of the United States and who is any of the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | following: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | (1) American Indian or Alaska Native (a person having | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | origins in any of the original peoples of North and South | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | America, including Central America, and who maintains | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | tribal affiliation or community attachment). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | (2) Asian (a person having origins in any of the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the |
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1 | Indian subcontinent, including, but not limited to, | ||||||
2 | Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, | ||||||
3 | the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam). | ||||||
4 | (3) Black or African American (a person having origins | ||||||
5 | in any of the black racial groups of Africa). Terms such as | ||||||
6 | "Haitian" or "Negro" can be used in addition to "Black or | ||||||
7 | African American". | ||||||
8 | (4) Hispanic or Latino (a person of Cuban, Mexican, | ||||||
9 | Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish | ||||||
10 | culture or origin, regardless of race). | ||||||
11 | (5) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (a person | ||||||
12 | having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, | ||||||
13 | Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands). | ||||||
14 | "Not-for-profit organization" means an organization | ||||||
15 | organized and conducted on a not-for-profit basis with no | ||||||
16 | personal profit inuring to anyone as a result of the operation. | ||||||
17 | "Program" means the Not-For-Profit Organization Minority | ||||||
18 | Employee Loan Repayment Assistance Program created under this | ||||||
19 | Act. | ||||||
20 | "Organization" means a corporation, agency, partnership, | ||||||
21 | association, firm, business, or other entity consisting of 2 or | ||||||
22 | more persons joined by a common interest or purpose.
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23 | Section 10. Not-For-Profit Organization Minority Employee | ||||||
24 | Loan Repayment Assistance Program. | ||||||
25 | (a) The Commission shall establish and administer the |
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1 | Program for the primary purpose of providing loan repayment | ||||||
2 | assistance to minority employees to encourage minorities to | ||||||
3 | pursue careers with not-for-profit organizations. | ||||||
4 | (b) Subject to appropriation and any requirements under | ||||||
5 | this Act, the Commission shall distribute funds to eligible | ||||||
6 | applicants. The Commission shall, each year, consider | ||||||
7 | applications made by eligible minority employees for loan | ||||||
8 | repayment assistance under the Program. The Commission shall | ||||||
9 | distribute funds to an applicant if the Commission finds that | ||||||
10 | the applicant satisfies all of the following criteria: | ||||||
11 | (1) He or she has eligible debt in grace or repayment | ||||||
12 | status. | ||||||
13 | (2) He or she is a minority employee in this State. | ||||||
14 | The Commission shall develop criteria for prioritization | ||||||
15 | among eligible applicants if there are insufficient funds | ||||||
16 | available to make payments to all eligible applicants under | ||||||
17 | this Act. The prioritization criteria shall include the | ||||||
18 | timeliness of the application, the applicant's salary level, | ||||||
19 | the amount of the applicant's eligible debt, the availability | ||||||
20 | of other loan repayment assistance to the applicant, the | ||||||
21 | applicant's length of service as a minority employee, and the | ||||||
22 | applicant's prior participation in the Program. | ||||||
23 | (c) The maximum amount of loan repayment assistance for | ||||||
24 | each Program participant shall be $5,000 per year, up to a | ||||||
25 | maximum of $25,000 during the participant's career. The | ||||||
26 | distribution of funds available after administrative costs |
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1 | must be made by the Commission to eligible minority employees | ||||||
2 | in the following manner: | ||||||
3 | (1) Loan repayment assistance must be in the form of a | ||||||
4 | forgivable loan. | ||||||
5 | (2) To have the loan forgiven, the participant shall | ||||||
6 | (i) complete a year of employment with a not-for-profit | ||||||
7 | organization and (ii) make eligible debt payments | ||||||
8 | (interest or principal or both) that equal at least the | ||||||
9 | amount of assistance received under the Program during the | ||||||
10 | assistance year. | ||||||
11 | (3) Each loan must be documented by means of a | ||||||
12 | promissory note executed by the borrower in a form provided | ||||||
13 | by the Commission and shall be forgiven when an eligible | ||||||
14 | participant meets the requirements set forth by the | ||||||
15 | Commission. | ||||||
16 | (d) The Not-For-Profit Organization Minority Employee Loan | ||||||
17 | Repayment Assistance Fund is created as a special fund in the | ||||||
18 | State treasury. The Fund shall consist of all moneys remitted | ||||||
19 | to the Commission under the terms of this Act. All money in the | ||||||
20 | Fund shall be used, subject to appropriation, by the Commission | ||||||
21 | for the purposes of this Act. | ||||||
22 | (e) The Commission may adopt any rules necessary to | ||||||
23 | implement this Act.
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24 | Section 15. Ineligibility and termination of funds; | ||||||
25 | procedures. |
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1 | (a) If a Program participant becomes ineligible during the | ||||||
2 | term of a loan, he or she must repay the outstanding amount of | ||||||
3 | any loan received from the Commission. | ||||||
4 | (b) The Commission may in its discretion forgive the loan | ||||||
5 | of a Program participant in whole or in part in certain | ||||||
6 | circumstances as set forth in its written policies and | ||||||
7 | guidelines.
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8 | Section 20. Other powers. The Commission may make, enter | ||||||
9 | into, and execute contracts, agreements, leases, and other | ||||||
10 | instruments with any person, including, but not limited to, any | ||||||
11 | federal, State, or local governmental agency, and may take | ||||||
12 | other actions that may be necessary or convenient to accomplish | ||||||
13 | any purpose authorized by this Act.
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14 | Section 95. The State Finance Act is amended by adding | ||||||
15 | Section 5.891 as follows:
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16 | (30 ILCS 105/5.891 new) | ||||||
17 | Sec. 5.891. The Not-For-Profit Organization Minority | ||||||
18 | Employee Loan Repayment Assistance Fund.
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