Bill Text: PA HB892 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Establishing the Child Welfare Workers Loan Forgiveness Program for Commonwealth residents who graduate from institutions of higher education and apply their degrees to careers in child welfare work.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 22-7)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-03-12 - Referred to EDUCATION [HB892 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2009-HB892-Introduced.html

---

PRINTER'S NO. 1011
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 892 Session of2009
INTRODUCED BY SIPTROTH, BELFANTI, BISHOP, CARROLL, COHEN, DeLUCA, FABRIZIO, GEIST, GRUCELA, HARHAI, HENNESSEY, HORNAMAN, JOHNSON, JOSEPHS, KORTZ, KOTIK, MANN, MURT, MYERS, PALLONE, READSHAW, REICHLEY, SCAVELLO, K. SMITH, J. TAYLOR, VULAKOVICH, WALKO AND YOUNGBLOOD, MARCH 12, 2009
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MARCH 12, 2009
AN ACT
Establishing the Child Welfare Workers Loan Forgiveness Program
for Commonwealth residents who graduate from institutions of
higher education and apply their degrees to careers in child
welfare work.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Child Welfare
Workers Loan Forgiveness Act.
Section 2. Declaration of purpose.
The primary purpose of the Child Welfare Loan Forgiveness
Program is to attract capable and promising students to the
child welfare profession and to increase employment and
retention of individuals who are working toward or who have
received either a bachelor's degree or a master's degree in
social work, psychology or sociology.
Section 3. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Certified child welfare employer." An agency certified by
the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency as employing
child welfare workers as provided for under section 4(c).
"Child welfare worker." A staff person who holds a
bachelor's, master's or doctorate degree in the field of social
work, psychology or sociology and is employed by a public or
private agency serving dependent children or those children who
have been referred for child welfare services and who works in
any of the following functional areas: family preservation,
family support, children's protective services, including on-
call, investigative assessment and case planning and case
management, and foster care and adoption, including placement of
children, recruitment of families, licensing and adoption
assessment.
"PHEAA." The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance
Agency.
"Program." The Child Welfare Workers Loan Forgiveness
Program established under section 4.
"Qualified applicant." A person who meets all of the
following criteria:
(1) Is a resident of this Commonwealth.
(2) Has successfully completed a bachelor's, master's or
doctorate degree in the field of social work, psychology or
sociology at an accredited institution of higher education.
(3) Has been hired as a full-time employee of a
certified child welfare employer.
(4) Has borrowed through and has a current outstanding
20090HB0892PN1011 - 2 -
balance on a Federal Stafford, Graduate PLUS or consolidation
loan program administered by the Pennsylvania Higher
Education Assistance Agency.
Section 4. Child Welfare Workers Loan Forgiveness Program.
(a) Establishment.--The Child Welfare Workers Loan
Forgiveness Program is established. PHEAA shall administer the
program.
(b) Nature of program.--For each year that a qualified
applicant is employed by a certified child welfare employer,
PHEAA may forgive a proportional part of the applicant's student
loan so that the loan may be partially or entirely forgiven.
(c) Employer eligibility.--Eligible certified child welfare
employers for purposes of the program shall include county
children and youth agencies charged with enforcing 23 Pa.C.S.
Ch. 63 (relating to child protective services) and private
providers who serve youth who have been adjudicated dependent or
delinquent and other entities as determined by PHEAA.
(d) Limitations.--
(1) For qualified applicants with an undergraduate
degree, no more than $2,500 shall be forgiven in any one
year, and no more than $10,000 shall be forgiven for any one
qualified applicant.
(2) For qualified applicants with both an undergraduate
degree and either a master's or doctorate degree, no more
than $5,000 shall be forgiven in any one year, and no more
than $20,000 shall be forgiven for any one qualified
applicant.
(3) PHEAA shall establish procedures for making payments
to qualified applicants.
(4) No qualified applicant may receive a larger amount
20090HB0892PN1011 - 3 -
of forgiveness than the outstanding balance the applicant has
with the Federal Stafford, Graduate PLUS and consolidation
loan program administered by PHEAA.
(e) Eligibility.--A qualified applicant shall be eligible
for loan forgiveness regardless of whether the applicant's
outstanding loan balance is acquired before or after the date of
the effective date of this section, and no loan forgiveness
shall be given for years of service before the date of this
section.
Section 5. Qualifications for loan forgiveness awards.
(a) Application.--PHEAA shall establish procedures for
qualified applicants to apply and be approved for participation
in the program.
(b) Employment.--Recipients of loan forgiveness awards must
be full-time employees of a certified child welfare employer who
maintain satisfactory employment with the organization and agree
to continue employment with a certified child welfare employer
for at least three years after the end of their participation in
the program.
(c) Documentation.--PHEAA may require qualified applicants
who are participating in the program to submit documentation in
order to maintain continued eligibility for the program.
Section 6. Funding.
Loan forgiveness awards under this act may be made to the
extent that funds are appropriated by the General Assembly or
available from other sources and are sufficient to cover the
administration of the program. In the event that funding is
insufficient to fully fund administration and all eligible
applicants, priority shall be given to renewal applicants.
Thereafter, PHEAA shall utilize a random lottery system for
20090HB0892PN1011 - 4 -
determining which applicants receive loan forgiveness awards.
Section 7. Tax applicability.
Loan forgiveness awards shall not be considered taxable
income for purposes of Article III of the act of March 4, 1971
(P.L.6, No.2), known as the Tax Reform Code of 1971.
Section 8. Annual report.
(a) Development of report.--PHEAA shall publish a report by
October 1, 2010, and every year thereafter for the immediately
preceding fiscal year. The report shall provide information
regarding the operation of the program, including:
(1) The number and amount of child welfare worker loan
forgiveness grants issued and renewed for qualified
applicants.
(2) The number and type of enforcement actions taken by
the agency.
(b) Submission.--The annual report shall be submitted to the
Governor, the chair and minority chair of the Appropriations
Committee of the Senate, the chair and minority chair of the
Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives, the
chair and minority chair of the Education Committee of the
Senate, the chair and minority chair of the Education Committee
of the House of Representatives, the chair and minority chair of
the Public Health and Welfare Committee of the Senate and the
chair and minority chair of the Health and Human Services
Committee of the House of Representatives.
Section 9. Responsibility of PHEAA.
PHEAA shall administer the program and shall adopt such
regulations, policies, procedures and forms as are necessary and
not inconsistent with the provisions of this act.
Section 10. Effective date.
20090HB0892PN1011 - 5 -
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
20090HB0892PN1011 - 6 -