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PRINTER'S NO. 46
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
65
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY GREENLEAF, BREWSTER, YUDICHAK AND COSTA,
JANUARY 12, 2017
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, JANUARY 12, 2017
AN ACT
Establishing the Child Welfare Workers Loan Forgiveness Program
for Commonwealth residents who graduate from institutions of
higher education and who apply their degrees to careers in
child welfare work; and prescribing powers and duties of the
Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.
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 a 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
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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:
(1) holds a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree in
the field of social work, psychology or sociology;
(2) is employed by a public or private agency serving
dependent children or those children who have been referred
for child welfare services; and
(3) works in any of the following functional areas:
(i) family preservation;
(ii) family support;
(iii) children's protective services, including on-
call, investigative assessment and case planning and case
management; and
(iv) 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 this act.
"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
doctoral degree in the field of social work, psychology or
sociology at an accredited institution of higher education.
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(3) Has been hired as a full-time employee of a
certified child welfare employer.
(4) Has borrowed through and has a current outstanding
balance on a Federal Stafford, Graduate PLUS or Consolidation
Loan Programs 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 in PHEAA. 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 doctoral 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
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to qualified applicants.
(4) No qualified applicant may receive a larger amount
of forgiveness than the outstanding balance the applicant has
with the Guaranteed Stafford or Consolidation Loan Programs
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 a 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
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applicants, priority shall be given to renewal applicants.
Thereafter, PHEAA shall utilize a random lottery system for
determining which applicants receive loan forgiveness awards.
Section 7. Tax applicability.
Loan forgiveness repayments 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, 2018, 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 chairperson and minority chairperson of the
Appropriations Committee of the Senate, the chairperson and
minority chairperson of the Appropriations Committee of the
House of Representatives, the chairperson and minority
chairperson of the Education Committee of the Senate, the
chairperson and minority chairperson of the Education Committee
of the House of Representatives, the chairperson and minority
chairperson of the Public Health and Welfare Committee of the
Senate and the chairperson and minority chairperson of the Human
Services Committee of the House of Representatives.
Section 9. Responsibility of PHEAA.
PHEAA shall administer the program and shall adopt such
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regulations, policies, procedures and forms as are necessary and
not inconsistent with the provisions of this act.
Section 10. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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