Bill Text: IL SB0661 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Enrolled
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Reinserts the contents of the bill with the following changes. Adds provisions concerning the priority in the award of scholarships for a fiscal year in which the amount of an appropriation is insufficient to provide scholarships to all qualified candidates. Makes changes concerning priority consideration to those applicants who are members of a racial minority. Removes a reference to "private or parochial school". Requires the repayment of amounts received if a recipient fails to fulfill the work obligation required under the terms of the scholarship, with exceptions. Effective January 1, 2022.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-08-27 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 102-0621 [SB0661 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2021-SB0661-Enrolled.html
Bill Title: Reinserts the contents of the bill with the following changes. Adds provisions concerning the priority in the award of scholarships for a fiscal year in which the amount of an appropriation is insufficient to provide scholarships to all qualified candidates. Makes changes concerning priority consideration to those applicants who are members of a racial minority. Removes a reference to "private or parochial school". Requires the repayment of amounts received if a recipient fails to fulfill the work obligation required under the terms of the scholarship, with exceptions. Effective January 1, 2022.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-08-27 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 102-0621 [SB0661 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2021-SB0661-Enrolled.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 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | ||||||
5 | amended by adding Section 65.110 as follows:
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6 | (110 ILCS 947/65.110 new) | ||||||
7 | Sec. 65.110. Post-Master of Social Work School Social Work | ||||||
8 | Professional Educator License scholarship. | ||||||
9 | (a) Subject to appropriation, beginning with awards for | ||||||
10 | the 2022-2023 academic year, the Commission shall award | ||||||
11 | annually up to 250 Post-Master of Social Work School Social | ||||||
12 | Work Professional Educator License scholarships to a person | ||||||
13 | who: | ||||||
14 | (1) holds a valid Illinois-licensed clinical social | ||||||
15 | work license or social work license; | ||||||
16 | (2) has obtained a master's degree in social work from | ||||||
17 | an approved program; | ||||||
18 | (3) is a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen; | ||||||
19 | and | ||||||
20 | (4) submits an application to the Commission for such | ||||||
21 | scholarship and agrees to take courses to obtain an | ||||||
22 | Illinois Professional Educator License with an endorsement | ||||||
23 | in School Social Work. |
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1 | (b) If an appropriation for this Section for a given | ||||||
2 | fiscal year is insufficient to provide scholarships to all | ||||||
3 | qualified applicants, the Commission shall allocate the | ||||||
4 | appropriation in accordance with this subsection (b). If funds | ||||||
5 | are insufficient to provide all qualified applicants with a | ||||||
6 | scholarship as authorized by this Section, the Commission | ||||||
7 | shall allocate the available scholarship funds for that fiscal | ||||||
8 | year to qualified applicants who submit a complete application | ||||||
9 | on or before a date specified by the Commission, based on the | ||||||
10 | following order of priority: | ||||||
11 | (1) firstly, to students who received a scholarship | ||||||
12 | under this Section in the prior academic year and who | ||||||
13 | remain eligible for a scholarship under this Section; | ||||||
14 | (2) secondly, to new, qualified applicants who are | ||||||
15 | members of a racial minority, as defined in subsection | ||||||
16 | (c); and | ||||||
17 | (3) finally, to other new, qualified applicants in | ||||||
18 | accordance with this Section. | ||||||
19 | (c) Scholarships awarded under this Section shall be | ||||||
20 | issued pursuant to rules adopted by the Commission. In | ||||||
21 | awarding scholarships, the Commission shall give priority to | ||||||
22 | those applicants who are members of a racial minority. Racial | ||||||
23 | minorities are underrepresented as school social workers in | ||||||
24 | elementary and secondary schools in this State, and the | ||||||
25 | General Assembly finds that it is in the interest of this State | ||||||
26 | to provide them with priority consideration for programs that |
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1 | encourage their participation in this field and thereby foster | ||||||
2 | a profession that is more reflective of the diversity of | ||||||
3 | Illinois students and the parents they will serve. A more | ||||||
4 | reflective workforce in school social work allows improved | ||||||
5 | outcomes for students and a better utilization of services. | ||||||
6 | Therefore, the Commission shall give priority to those | ||||||
7 | applicants who are members of a racial minority. In this | ||||||
8 | subsection (c), "racial minority" means a person who is a | ||||||
9 | citizen of the United States or a lawful permanent resident | ||||||
10 | alien of the United States and who is: | ||||||
11 | (1) Black (a person having origins in any of the black | ||||||
12 | racial groups in Africa); | ||||||
13 | (2) Hispanic (a person of Spanish or Portuguese | ||||||
14 | culture with origins in Mexico, South or Central America, | ||||||
15 | or the Caribbean Islands, regardless of race); | ||||||
16 | (3) Asian American (a person having origins in any of | ||||||
17 | the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the | ||||||
18 | Indian Subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands); or | ||||||
19 | (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native (a person having | ||||||
20 | origins in any of the original peoples of North America). | ||||||
21 | (d) Each scholarship shall be applied to the payment of | ||||||
22 | tuition and mandatory fees at the University of Illinois, | ||||||
23 | Southern Illinois University, Chicago State University, | ||||||
24 | Eastern Illinois University, Governors State University, | ||||||
25 | Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University, | ||||||
26 | Northern Illinois University, and Western Illinois University. |
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1 | Each scholarship may be applied to pay tuition and mandatory | ||||||
2 | fees required to obtain an Illinois Professional Educator | ||||||
3 | License with an endorsement in School Social Work. | ||||||
4 | (e) The Commission shall make tuition and fee payments | ||||||
5 | directly to the qualified institution of higher learning that | ||||||
6 | the applicant attends. | ||||||
7 | (f) Any person who has accepted a scholarship under this | ||||||
8 | Section must, within one year after graduation or termination | ||||||
9 | of enrollment in a Post-Master of Social Work Professional | ||||||
10 | Education License with an endorsement in School Social Work | ||||||
11 | program, begin working as a school social worker at a public or | ||||||
12 | nonpublic not-for-profit preschool, elementary school, or | ||||||
13 | secondary school located in this State for at least 2 of the 5 | ||||||
14 | years immediately following that graduation or termination, | ||||||
15 | excluding, however, from the computation of that 5-year | ||||||
16 | period: (i) any time up to 3 years spent in the military | ||||||
17 | service, whether such service occurs before or after the | ||||||
18 | person graduates; (ii) the time that person is a person with a | ||||||
19 | temporary total disability for a period of time not to exceed 3 | ||||||
20 | years, as established by the sworn affidavit of a qualified | ||||||
21 | physician; and (iii) the time that person is seeking and | ||||||
22 | unable to find full-time employment as a school social worker | ||||||
23 | at a State public or nonpublic not-for-profit preschool, | ||||||
24 | elementary school, or secondary school. | ||||||
25 | (g) If a recipient of a scholarship under this Section | ||||||
26 | fails to fulfill the work obligation set forth in subsection |
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1 | (f), the Commission shall require the recipient to repay the | ||||||
2 | amount of the scholarships received, prorated according to the | ||||||
3 | fraction of the obligation not completed, at a rate of | ||||||
4 | interest equal to 5%, and, if applicable, reasonable | ||||||
5 | collection fees. The Commission is authorized to establish | ||||||
6 | rules relating to its collection activities for repayment of | ||||||
7 | scholarships under this Section. All repayments collected | ||||||
8 | under this Section shall be forwarded to the State Comptroller | ||||||
9 | for deposit into this State's General Revenue Fund. | ||||||
10 | A recipient of a scholarship under this Section is not | ||||||
11 | considered to be in violation of the failure to fulfill the | ||||||
12 | work obligation under subsection (f) if the recipient (i) | ||||||
13 | enrolls on a full-time basis as a graduate student in a course | ||||||
14 | of study related to the field of social work at a qualified | ||||||
15 | Illinois institution of higher learning; (ii) is serving, not | ||||||
16 | in excess of 3 years, as a member of the armed services of the | ||||||
17 | United States; (iii) is a person with a temporary total | ||||||
18 | disability for a period of time not to exceed 3 years, as | ||||||
19 | established by the sworn affidavit of a qualified physician; | ||||||
20 | (iv) is seeking and unable to find full-time employment as a | ||||||
21 | school social worker at an Illinois public or nonpublic | ||||||
22 | not-for-profit preschool, elementary school, or secondary | ||||||
23 | school that satisfies the criteria set forth in subsection (f) | ||||||
24 | and is able to provide evidence of that fact; or (v) becomes a | ||||||
25 | person with a permanent total disability, as established by | ||||||
26 | the sworn affidavit of a qualified physician.
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1 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January | ||||||
2 | 1, 2022.
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