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HB5460 Enrolled LRB104 19842 LNS 33292 b
1 AN ACT concerning education.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is
5 amended by changing Section 65.110 as follows:
6 (110 ILCS 947/65.110)
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, which may
13 also be known as School Social Work scholarships. A qualified
14 applicant to a person who:
15 (1) holds a valid Illinois-licensed clinical social
16 work license or social work license or is pursuing a
17 clinical social work license or social work license;
18 (2) has obtained a master's degree in social work from
19 an approved program or will obtain a master's degree in
20 social work from an approved program before enrolling in
21 the academic program that this scholarship would support;
22 (3) is a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen;
23 and
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1 (4) submits an application to the Commission for such
2 scholarship and agrees to take courses to obtain an
3 Illinois Professional Educator License with an endorsement
4 in School Social Work.
5 (b) If an appropriation for this Section for a given
6 fiscal year is insufficient to provide scholarships to all
7 qualified applicants, the Commission shall allocate the
8 appropriation as follows:
9 (1) first, to students who received a scholarship
10 under this Section in the prior academic year and who
11 remain eligible for a scholarship under this Section;
12 (2) (blank); and
13 (3) then, to new, qualified applicants in accordance
14 with this Section.
15 (c) Scholarships awarded under this Section shall be
16 issued pursuant to rules adopted by the Commission.
17 (d) Each scholarship shall be applied to the payment of
18 tuition and mandatory fees at a State public university or at a
19 private, not-for-profit institution of higher learning in this
20 State that prepares students to obtain an Illinois
21 Professional Educator License with an endorsement in School
22 Social Work the University of Illinois, Southern Illinois
23 University, Chicago State University, Eastern Illinois
24 University, Governors State University, Illinois State
25 University, Northeastern Illinois University, Northern
26 Illinois University, and Western Illinois University. Each
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1 scholarship may be applied to pay tuition and mandatory fees
2 required to obtain an Illinois Professional Educator License
3 with an endorsement in School Social Work. A scholarship for a
4 recipient attending a private, not-for-profit institution of
5 higher learning shall not exceed the maximum grant payable to
6 a student enrolled in the most expensive comparable program of
7 study at a public university in this State.
8 (e) The Commission shall make tuition and fee payments
9 directly to the qualified institution of higher learning that
10 the applicant attends.
11 (f) Any person who has accepted a scholarship under this
12 Section must, within one year after graduation or termination
13 of enrollment in a Post-Master of Social Work Professional
14 Education License with an endorsement in School Social Work
15 program, begin working as a school social worker at a public or
16 nonpublic not-for-profit preschool, elementary school, or
17 secondary school located in this State for at least 2 of the 5
18 years immediately following that graduation or termination,
19 excluding, however, from the computation of that 5-year
20 period: (i) any time up to 3 years spent in the military
21 service, whether such service occurs before or after the
22 person graduates; (ii) the time that person is a person with a
23 temporary total disability for a period of time not to exceed 3
24 years, as established by the sworn affidavit of a qualified
25 physician; and (iii) the time that person is seeking and
26 unable to find full-time employment as a school social worker
HB5460 Enrolled -4- LRB104 19842 LNS 33292 b
1 at a State public or nonpublic not-for-profit preschool,
2 elementary school, or secondary school.
3 (g) If a recipient of a scholarship under this Section
4 fails to fulfill the work obligation set forth in subsection
5 (f), the Commission shall require the recipient to repay the
6 amount of the scholarships received, prorated according to the
7 fraction of the obligation not completed, at a rate of
8 interest equal to 5%, and, if applicable, reasonable
9 collection fees. The Commission is authorized to establish
10 rules relating to its collection activities for repayment of
11 scholarships under this Section. All repayments collected
12 under this Section shall be forwarded to the State Comptroller
13 for deposit into this State's General Revenue Fund.
14 A recipient of a scholarship under this Section is not
15 considered to be in violation of the failure to fulfill the
16 work obligation under subsection (f) if the recipient (i)
17 enrolls on a full-time basis as a graduate student in a course
18 of study related to the field of social work at a qualified
19 Illinois institution of higher learning; (ii) is serving, not
20 in excess of 3 years, as a member of the armed services of the
21 United States; (iii) is a person with a temporary total
22 disability for a period of time not to exceed 3 years, as
23 established by the sworn affidavit of a qualified physician;
24 (iv) is seeking and unable to find full-time employment as a
25 school social worker at an Illinois public or nonpublic
26 not-for-profit preschool, elementary school, or secondary
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1 school that satisfies the criteria set forth in subsection (f)
2 and is able to provide evidence of that fact; or (v) becomes a
3 person with a permanent total disability, as established by
4 the sworn affidavit of a qualified physician.
5 (Source: P.A. 104-437, eff. 11-21-25.)
6 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
7 2026.Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.