Senate
Study
Bill
1186
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
_____
BY
(PROPOSED
COMMITTEE
ON
HUMAN
RESOURCES
BILL
BY
CHAIRPERSON
RAGAN)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
creating
a
licensed
social
worker
loan
repayment
program
1
and
revolving
fund.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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_____
Section
1.
NEW
SECTION
.
261.115
Licensed
social
worker
loan
1
repayment
program
——
definitions.
2
1.
A
licensed
social
worker
loan
repayment
program
is
3
established,
to
be
administered
by
the
college
student
aid
4
commission
for
the
purpose
of
increasing
the
number
of
social
5
workers
serving
in
critical
human
service
areas.
6
2.
For
purposes
of
this
division:
7
a.
“Critical
human
service
area”
includes
but
is
not
limited
8
to
an
area
of
the
state
with
a
shortage
of
social
workers
9
providing
health,
mental
health,
substance
abuse,
aging,
10
HIV/AIDS,
victim,
or
child
welfare
services,
or
communities
11
with
multilingual
needs.
A
critical
human
service
area
shall
12
be
an
area
designated
as
a
mental
health
professional
shortage
13
area
by
the
United
States
department
of
health
and
human
14
services
health
resources
and
services
administration.
15
b.
“Licensed
social
worker”
means
an
individual
holding
a
16
license
issued
under
chapter
154C
who
is
employed
in
a
critical
17
human
service
area.
18
Sec.
2.
NEW
SECTION
.
261.116
Licensed
social
worker
loan
19
repayment
revolving
fund.
20
1.
a.
A
licensed
social
worker
loan
repayment
revolving
21
fund
is
created
in
the
state
treasury
as
a
separate
fund
under
22
the
control
of
the
commission.
The
commission
shall
deposit
23
moneys
appropriated
for
purposes
of
the
licensed
social
worker
24
loan
repayment
program,
moneys
repaid
by
loan
repayment
award
25
recipients
who
fail
to
meet
the
service
area
requirements,
and
26
any
other
moneys
obtained
or
accepted
by
the
commission
for
27
deposit
into
the
fund.
28
b.
Moneys
in
the
fund
shall
be
used
for
purposes
of
the
29
licensed
social
worker
loan
repayment
program.
Notwithstanding
30
section
8.33,
moneys
deposited
in
the
fund
shall
not
revert
31
to
any
fund
of
the
state
at
the
end
of
any
fiscal
year
but
32
shall
remain
in
the
fund
and
be
continuously
available
for
the
33
program.
34
2.
Notwithstanding
section
12C.7,
subsection
2,
interest
35
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_____
or
earnings
on
moneys
deposited
in
the
fund
shall
be
credited
1
to
the
fund.
2
Sec.
3.
NEW
SECTION
.
261.117
Loan
payment
awards.
3
1.
Each
applicant
for
loan
repayment
shall,
in
accordance
4
with
the
rules
of
the
commission,
do
the
following:
5
a.
Complete
and
file
an
application
for
licensed
social
6
worker
loan
repayment.
The
individual
shall
be
responsible
7
for
the
prompt
submission
of
any
information
required
by
the
8
commission.
9
b.
File
a
new
application
and
submit
information
as
10
required
by
the
commission
annually
on
the
basis
of
which
the
11
applicant’s
eligibility
for
the
renewed
loan
repayment
will
be
12
evaluated
and
determined.
13
c.
Complete
and
return
on
a
form
approved
by
the
commission
14
an
affidavit
of
practice
verifying
that
the
applicant
is
a
15
licensed
social
worker
in
a
critical
human
service
area.
16
2.
Loan
repayment
awards
shall
be
made
annually
to
17
applicants
in
the
following
order
of
priority:
18
a.
Applicants
who
have
received
payment
of
an
award
pursuant
19
to
this
section
in
a
prior
year
and
who
have
provided
social
20
work
services
in
a
critical
human
service
area
in
the
year
21
prior
to
such
application.
22
b.
Applicants
who
have
not
received
payment
of
an
award
23
pursuant
to
this
section
in
a
prior
year
and
who
have
provided
24
social
work
services
in
a
critical
human
service
area
in
the
25
year
prior
to
such
application.
26
c.
Applicants
from
underrepresented
racial,
cultural,
and
27
ethnic
groups
and
individuals
with
disabilities.
28
3.
The
contract
for
the
loan
repayment
shall
stipulate
the
29
time
period
the
licensed
social
worker
shall
practice
in
a
30
critical
human
service
area.
In
addition,
the
contract
shall
31
stipulate
that
the
licensed
social
worker
shall
repay
any
funds
32
paid
on
the
person’s
loan
by
the
commission
if
the
person
fails
33
to
practice
in
a
critical
human
service
area
for
the
required
34
period
of
time.
35
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_____
4.
a.
The
annual
amount
of
a
licensed
social
worker
loan
1
repayment
award
shall
be
six
thousand
five
hundred
dollars
or
2
twenty
percent
of
the
licensed
social
worker’s
total
federally
3
guaranteed
Stafford
loan
amount
under
the
federal
family
4
education
loan
program
or
the
federal
direct
loan
program,
5
including
principal
and
interest,
whichever
amount
is
less.
A
6
recipient
shall
not
receive
loan
repayment
that
exceeds
the
7
total
remaining
balance
of
the
recipient’s
student
loan
debt
or
8
twenty-five
thousand
dollars,
whichever
is
less.
9
b.
Awards
shall
be
within
the
amounts
appropriated
for
such
10
purpose
and
shall
be
based
on
the
availability
of
funds.
11
5.
The
commission
shall
adopt
rules
pursuant
to
chapter
17A
12
to
administer
this
division.
13
EXPLANATION
14
This
bill
creates
a
licensed
social
worker
loan
repayment
15
program
administered
by
the
college
student
aid
commission.
16
Applicants
for
the
program
must
enter
into
an
agreement
with
17
the
commission,
agreeing
to
work
for
a
specific
period
of
time
18
in
a
“critical
human
service
area”,
defined
as
a
geographic
19
area
in
Iowa
with
a
shortage
of
social
workers
in
health,
20
mental
health,
substance
abuse,
aging,
HIV/AIDS,
victim,
or
21
child
welfare
concerns,
or
communities
with
multilingual
needs.
22
The
program
provides
a
specific
annual
benefit,
up
to
23
$6,500,
for
licensed
social
workers
who
have
worked
in
a
24
critical
human
service
area
in
the
previous
year.
No
recipient
25
shall
receive
loan
repayment
that
exceeds
the
total
remaining
26
balance
of
the
student
loan
debt
and
no
recipient
shall
receive
27
cumulative
awards
in
excess
of
$25,000.
28
The
program
is
funded
by
a
special
revolving
fund
in
29
the
state
treasury,
controlled
by
the
college
student
aid
30
commission.
The
fund
consists
of
moneys
appropriated
for
31
purposes
of
the
program,
repayments
by
participants
who
fail
32
to
meet
the
service
area
requirements,
and
any
other
available
33
moneys.
Moneys
deposited
in
the
fund
do
not
revert
to
any
34
other
fund
at
the
end
of
any
fiscal
year
but
shall
remain
in
the
35
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S.F.
_____
fund
and
be
continuously
available
for
the
program.
Interest
1
or
earnings
on
moneys
deposited
in
the
fund
shall
also
be
2
credited
to
the
fund.
3
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1987SC
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