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108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 409
To provide loan forgiveness to social workers who work for child
protective agencies.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 13, 2003
Mr. DeWine (for himself and Mr. Rockefeller) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide loan forgiveness to social workers who work for child
protective agencies.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Approximately 3,000,000 reports of child abuse and
neglect must be investigated each year.
(2) Approximately 1,000,000 of these reports are confirmed
and require ongoing intervention.
(3) On any given day in the United States, more than
500,000 children are being served outside their homes by the
child welfare system.
(4) These children are served in more than 150,000 foster
homes and more than 5,000 residential programs.
(5) The child welfare workforce crisis has developed as the
result of the following 3 major factors:
(A) Overall low levels of unemployment and the
resulting increase in competition for workers in all
sectors of the economy.
(B) The increasing numbers of children and families
needing service coupled with the decreasing numbers of
workers in the employment pool.
(C) The relatively low pay and difficult working
conditions that exist in many child welfare agencies.
(6) The vacancy rate in State child welfare agencies is 8.1
percent, and 14.3 percent for private agencies.
(7) The overall turnover rate in child welfare agencies has
doubled since 1991, to 13.9 percent in public agencies and to
46.5 percent in private agencies.
(8) The child welfare workforce crisis is real and is
already compromising the ability of the child welfare system to
effectively provide essential services to its children and
families. In addition, analysis of trends indicates that the
situation will worsen over the next decade. It is clear that
steps must be taken now to encourage more workers to enter the
child welfare services field and to improve the salaries,
working conditions, and training of workers who provide these
critically important services.
SEC. 2. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR CHILD WELFARE WORKERS.
(a) Guaranteed Student Loans.--Part B of title IV of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 is amended by inserting after section 428K (20
U.S.C. 1078-11) the following:
``SEC. 428L. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR CHILD WELFARE WORKERS.
``(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this section--
``(1) to bring more highly trained individuals into the
child welfare profession; and
``(2) to keep more highly trained child welfare workers in
the child welfare field for longer periods of time.
``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Child welfare services.--The term `child welfare
services' has the meaning given the term in section 425 of the
Social Security Act.
``(2) Child welfare agency.--The term `child welfare
agency' means the State agency responsible for administering
subpart 1 of part B of title IV of the Social Security Act and
any public or private agency under contract with the State
agency to provide child welfare services.
``(3) Institution of higher education.--The term
`institution of higher education' has the meaning given the
term in section 101.
``(4) State.--The term `State' has the meaning given the
term in section 1101(a)(1) of the Social Security Act for
purposes of title IV of such Act, and includes an Indian tribe.
``(c) Demonstration Program.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may carry out a
demonstration program of assuming the obligation to repay,
pursuant to subsection (d), a loan made, insured, or guaranteed
under this part or part D (excluding loans made under sections
428B and 428C, or comparable loans made under part D) for any
new borrower after the date of enactment of this section, who--
``(A) obtains a bachelor's or master's degree in
social work;
``(B) obtains employment in public or private child
welfare services; and
``(C) has worked full time as a social worker for 2
consecutive years preceding the year for which the
determination is made.
``(2) Award basis; priority.--
``(A) Award basis.--Subject to subparagraph (B),
loan repayment under this section shall be on a first-
come, first-served basis and subject to the
availability of appropriations.
``(B) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority
in providing loan repayment under this section for a
fiscal year to student borrowers who received loan
repayment under this section for the preceding fiscal
year.
``(3) Outreach.--The Secretary shall post a notice on a
Department Internet web site regarding the availability of loan
repayment under this section, and shall notify institutions of
higher education regarding the availability of loan repayment
under this section.
``(4) Regulations.--The Secretary is authorized to
prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the
provisions of this section.
``(d) Loan Repayment.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall assume the
obligation to repay--
``(A) after the third consecutive year of
employment described in subsection (c)(1)(C), 20
percent of the total amount of all loans made under
this part or part D (excluding loans made under section
428B or 428C, or comparable loans made under part D)
for any new borrower after the date of enactment of
this section;
``(B) after the fourth consecutive year of such
employment, 30 percent of the total amount of such
loans; and
``(C) after the fifth consecutive year of such
employment, 50 percent of the total amount of such
loans.
``(2) Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to authorize the refunding of any repayment of a loan
made under this part or part D.
``(3) Interest.--If a portion of a loan is repaid by the
Secretary under this section for any year, the proportionate
amount of interest on such loan which accrues for such year
shall be repaid by the Secretary.
``(4) Special rule.--In the case of a student borrower not
participating in loan repayment pursuant to this section who
returns to an institution of higher education after graduation
from an institution of higher education for the purpose of
obtaining a degree described in subsection (c)(1)(A), the
Secretary is authorized to assume the obligation to repay the
total amount of loans made under this part or part D incurred
for a maximum of 2 academic years in returning to an
institution of higher education for the purpose of obtaining
such a degree. Such loans shall only be repaid for borrowers
who qualify for loan repayment pursuant to the provisions of
this section, and shall be repaid in accordance with the
provisions of paragraph (1).
``(5) Ineligibility of national service award recipients.--
No student borrower may, for the same service, receive a
benefit under both this section and subtitle D of title I of
the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12601
et seq.).
``(e) Repayment to Eligible Lenders.--The Secretary shall pay to
each eligible lender or holder for each fiscal year an amount equal to
the aggregate amount of loans which are subject to repayment pursuant
to this section for such year.
``(f) Application for Repayment.--
``(1) In general.--Each eligible individual desiring loan
repayment under this section shall submit a complete and
accurate application to the Secretary at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may
require.
``(2) Conditions.--An eligible individual may apply for
loan repayment under this section after completing each year of
qualifying employment. The borrower shall receive forbearance
while engaged in qualifying employment unless the borrower is
in deferment while so engaged.
``(g) Evaluation.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall conduct, by grant or
contract, an independent national evaluation of the impact of
the demonstration program assisted under this section on the
field of child welfare services.
``(2) Competitive basis.--The grant or contract described
in paragraph (1) shall be awarded on a competitive basis.
``(3) Contents.--The evaluation described in this
subsection shall determine--
``(A) whether the loan forgiveness program has
increased child welfare workers' education in the areas
covered by loan forgiveness;
``(B) whether the loan forgiveness program has
contributed to increased time on the job for child
welfare workers as measured by--
``(i) the length of time child welfare
workers receiving loan forgiveness have worked
in the child welfare field; and
``(ii) the length of time such workers
continue to work in such field after the
workers meet the requirements for loan
forgiveness under this section; and
``(C) whether the loan forgiveness program has
increased the experience and the quality of child
welfare workers and has contributed to increased
performance in the outcomes of child welfare services
in terms of child well-being, permanency, and safety,
as determined after consultation with the Secretary of
Health and Human Services.
``(4) Interim and final evaluation reports.--The Secretary
shall prepare and submit to the President and Congress such
interim reports regarding the evaluation described in this
subsection as the Secretary determines appropriate, and shall
prepare and so submit a final report regarding the evaluation
by September 30, 2005.
``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000 for fiscal year
2004, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding
fiscal years.''.
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