Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois Senate Bill SB1322 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1322 Introduced 1/28/2025, by Sen. Javier L. Cervantes SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: New Act Creates the Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to create the Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship Program to award scholarships to Illinois students pursuing a mental health professional career in order to increase diversity rates by recruiting individuals to work in mental health fields in the public sector or mental health jobs that have a high demand for new employees and retain those individuals. Sets forth provisions concerning the selection of recipients, the amount of assistance, applications for assistance, the payment of assistance, administering the scholarship program, and rulemaking. LRB104 07394 LNS 17435 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1322 Introduced 1/28/2025, by Sen. Javier L. Cervantes SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: New Act New Act Creates the Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to create the Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship Program to award scholarships to Illinois students pursuing a mental health professional career in order to increase diversity rates by recruiting individuals to work in mental health fields in the public sector or mental health jobs that have a high demand for new employees and retain those individuals. Sets forth provisions concerning the selection of recipients, the amount of assistance, applications for assistance, the payment of assistance, administering the scholarship program, and rulemaking. LRB104 07394 LNS 17435 b LRB104 07394 LNS 17435 b A BILL FOR
2	2	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1322 Introduced 1/28/2025, by Sen. Javier L. Cervantes SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
3	3	New Act New Act
4	4	New Act
5	5	Creates the Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to create the Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship Program to award scholarships to Illinois students pursuing a mental health professional career in order to increase diversity rates by recruiting individuals to work in mental health fields in the public sector or mental health jobs that have a high demand for new employees and retain those individuals. Sets forth provisions concerning the selection of recipients, the amount of assistance, applications for assistance, the payment of assistance, administering the scholarship program, and rulemaking.
6	6	LRB104 07394 LNS 17435 b LRB104 07394 LNS 17435 b
7	7	LRB104 07394 LNS 17435 b
8	8	A BILL FOR
9	9	SB1322LRB104 07394 LNS 17435 b SB1322 LRB104 07394 LNS 17435 b
10	10	SB1322 LRB104 07394 LNS 17435 b
11	11	1 AN ACT concerning education.
12	12	2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
13	13	3 represented in the General Assembly:
14	14	4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Mental
15	15	5 Health Professional Career Scholarship Act.
16	16	6 Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
17	17	7 "Eligible noncitizen" means an individual who is not a
18	18	8 permanent resident of the United States and does not meet the
19	19	9 eligibility criteria for federal student assistance but who
20	20	10 does meet all of the following criteria:
21	21	11 (1) the individual resided with the individual's
22	22	12 parent or guardian while attending a public or nonpublic
23	23	13 high school in this State;
24	24	14 (2) the individual graduated from a public or
25	25	15 nonpublic high school in this State or received a State of
26	26	16 Illinois High School Diploma;
27	27	17 (3) the individual attended school in this State for
28	28	18 at least 3 years as of the date the individual graduated
29	29	19 from high school in this State or received a State of
30	30	20 Illinois High School Diploma;
31	31	21 (4) the individual provides an affidavit stating that
32	32	22 the individual will file an application to become a
33	33	23 permanent resident of the United States at the earliest
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37	37	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1322 Introduced 1/28/2025, by Sen. Javier L. Cervantes SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
38	38	New Act New Act
39	39	New Act
40	40	Creates the Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to create the Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship Program to award scholarships to Illinois students pursuing a mental health professional career in order to increase diversity rates by recruiting individuals to work in mental health fields in the public sector or mental health jobs that have a high demand for new employees and retain those individuals. Sets forth provisions concerning the selection of recipients, the amount of assistance, applications for assistance, the payment of assistance, administering the scholarship program, and rulemaking.
41	41	LRB104 07394 LNS 17435 b LRB104 07394 LNS 17435 b
42	42	LRB104 07394 LNS 17435 b
43	43	A BILL FOR
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49	49	New Act
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68	68	1 opportunity the individual is eligible to do so; and
69	69	2 (5) the individual has not established a residence
70	70	3 outside of this State.
71	71	4 "Qualifying degree" means a degree with a focus on
72	72	5 professional counseling, professional therapy, social work,
73	73	6 psychology, or psychiatry or a degree to become a mental
74	74	7 health nurse practitioner or psychiatric pharmacist.
75	75	8 Section 10. Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship
76	76	9 Program.
77	77	10 (a) In addition to scholarships awarded under the Equity
78	78	11 and Representation in Health Care Act and the Mental Health
79	79	12 Graduate Education Scholarship Act, the Commission shall
80	80	13 create the Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship
81	81	14 Program to award scholarships to Illinois students pursuing a
82	82	15 mental health professional career in order to increase
83	83	16 diversity rates by recruiting individuals to work in mental
84	84	17 health fields in the public sector or mental health jobs that
85	85	18 have a high demand for new employees and retain those
86	86	19 individuals.
87	87	20 (b) Beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year, the
88	88	21 Commission shall, each year, receive and consider applications
89	89	22 for scholarship assistance under this Act. An applicant is
90	90	23 eligible for a scholarship under this Act if the Commission
91	91	24 finds that the applicant meets all of the following
92	92	25 qualifications:
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103	103	1 (1) The applicant is a United States citizen or
104	104	2 eligible noncitizen and a resident of this State.
105	105	3 (2) The applicant has graduated from an approved high
106	106	4 school, as defined in the Higher Education Student
107	107	5 Assistance Act, or has received a State of Illinois High
108	108	6 School Diploma.
109	109	7 (3) The applicant is enrolled in an institution of
110	110	8 higher learning, as defined in the Higher Education
111	111	9 Student Assistance Act, is pursuing a qualifying degree,
112	112	10 and is maintaining a cumulative grade point average of at
113	113	11 least a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent as determined
114	114	12 by the Commission.
115	115	13 (c) Scholarship recipients shall be selected from among
116	116	14 qualified applicants. However, preference may be given to the
117	117	15 following:
118	118	16 (1) applicants who demonstrate academic excellence;
119	119	17 (2) applicants who demonstrate financial need;
120	120	18 (3) an applicant who is a minority student, as defined
121	121	19 in Section 50 of Higher Education Student Assistance Act;
122	122	20 and
123	123	21 (4) previous recipients of assistance under this Act,
124	124	22 provided they continue to maintain eligibility and
125	125	23 satisfactory academic progress, as determined by the
126	126	24 institution of higher learning at which they are enrolled.
127	127	25 Section 15. Amount of assistance.
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138	138	1 (a) The total amount of scholarship assistance awarded by
139	139	2 the Commission under this Act to an individual in any given
140	140	3 fiscal year, when added to other financial assistance awarded
141	141	4 to that individual for that year, shall not exceed the cost of
142	142	5 attendance at the institution of higher learning at which the
143	143	6 student is enrolled.
144	144	7 (b) A recipient may receive up to 8 semesters of
145	145	8 scholarship assistance under this Act.
146	146	9 Section 20. Applications for assistance. All applications
147	147	10 for scholarship assistance to be awarded under this Act shall
148	148	11 be made to the Commission in a form as set forth by the
149	149	12 Commission. The form of application and the information
150	150	13 required to be set forth in the application shall be
151	151	14 determined by the Commission, and the Commission shall require
152	152	15 eligible applicants to submit with their applications such
153	153	16 supporting documents as the Commission deems necessary.
154	154	17 Section 25. Payment of assistance. Subject to a separate
155	155	18 appropriation made for such purposes, payment of any
156	156	19 scholarship awarded under this Act shall be determined by the
157	157	20 Commission. All scholarship funds distributed in accordance
158	158	21 with this Act shall be paid to the institution of higher
159	159	22 learning on behalf of the recipients. Scholarship funds are
160	160	23 applicable toward 2 semesters of enrollment within an academic
161	161	24 year.
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