Bill Text: IL SB3727 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Creates the School Social Work Shortage Loan Repayment grant program. Provides that the Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall, each year, receive and consider applications from eligible social workers who are employed by a public elementary or secondary school district in the State. Relative thereto, the grant program may encourage a grant recipient to use the financial assistance for the repayment of educational loans. Sets forth eligibility requirements. Effective July 1, 2021.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2021-01-13 - Session Sine Die [SB3727 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-SB3727-Introduced.html

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101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2019 and 2020 SB3727 Introduced 2/14/2020, by Sen. Ann Gillespie SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
110 ILCS 947/65.110 new
Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Creates the School Social Work Shortage Loan Repayment grant program. Provides that the Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall, each year, receive and consider applications from eligible social workers who are employed by a public elementary or secondary school district in the State. Relative thereto, the grant program may encourage a grant recipient to use the financial assistance for the repayment of educational loans. Sets forth eligibility requirements. Effective July 1, 2021.
LRB101 19838 CMG 69358 b
FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT
A BILL FOR
SB3727 LRB101 19838 CMG 69358 b
AN ACT concerning higher education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is
amended by adding Section 65.110 as follows:
(110 ILCS 947/65.110 new)
Sec. 65.110. School social work shortage loan repayment
grant program.
(a) To encourage Illinois students to work, and to continue
to work, as a school social worker in public and nonpublic
school districts in this State, the Commission shall, each
year, receive and consider applications for loan repayment
assistance under this Section. This program shall be known as
the Illinois School Social Work Shortage Loan Repayment
Program. The Commission shall administer the program and shall
adopt all necessary and proper rules to effectively implement
the program.
(b) Beginning July 1, 2021, subject to a separate
appropriation made for such purposes, the Commission shall
award a grant up to a maximum of $6,500 to each qualified
applicant. The Commission may encourage the recipient of a
grant under this Section to use the grant award for repayment
of the recipient's educational loan.

SB3727 - 2 - LRB101 19838 CMG 69358 b
(c) A person is a qualified applicant under this Section if
he or she meets all of the following qualifications:
(1) The person is a United States citizen or eligible
noncitizen.
(2) The person is a resident of this State.
(3) The person is a borrower with an outstanding
balance due on an educational loan related to obtaining a
degree in social work.
(4) The person has been employed as a school social
worker by a public elementary school or secondary school in
this State for at least 12 consecutive months.
(5) The person is currently employed as a school social
worker by a public elementary school or secondary school in
this State.
(d) An applicant shall submit an application, in a form
determined by the Commission, for grant assistance under this
Section to the Commission. An applicant is required to submit,
with the application, supporting documentation as the
Commission may deem necessary.
(e) The Commission shall give priority to an applicant who
is a member of an underrepresented community in the school
social work field in Illinois.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
2021.