Illinois House Bill HB2988

Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/6/25
• Refer: 2/6/25
• Refer: 3/4/25
• Refer: 7/1/25

Caption

$ILSAC/DHS-SOCIAL WORK

Summary

HB2988 is an appropriations bill that directs a total of $6 million from the General Revenue Fund to support social work workforce development in Illinois. Of that amount, $2.5 million is allocated to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the School Social Work Shortage Loan Repayment Program, and another $2.5 million is allocated to ISAC for a scholarship program for individuals who have earned a master of social work and are seeking a school social work professional educator license. The bill also provides $1 million to the Department of Human Services for the Nonprofit Clinical Supervision Program grant. The bill is aimed at addressing shortages in school social work and strengthening the pipeline of licensed school social workers, while also supporting clinical supervision capacity in the nonprofit sector. It is effective July 1, 2025, and would operate through existing state agencies rather than creating a new program structure.

Impact

HB2988 would amend state spending authority by appropriating General Revenue Fund dollars to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission and the Department of Human Services for targeted workforce support programs. It would not change licensing standards or create new statutory duties, but it would materially expand funding for loan repayment, scholarship assistance, and clinical supervision support tied to social work and school-based mental health services. The affected parties include current and prospective school social workers, graduate social work students, school districts facing staffing shortages, and nonprofit organizations that rely on supervised clinical staff.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the bill appears to be framed positively as a workforce-support and mental health capacity measure. The appropriation targets widely recognized shortages in school social work and related clinical supervision, suggesting likely support from education, child welfare, and behavioral health advocates. No formal opposition or recorded controversy is available in the supplied context.

Contention

No committee transcripts, amendments, or vote records were provided, so there is no documented contention in the available materials. Potential points of debate, if raised, would likely concern the size of the appropriation, whether the funds are sufficient to address workforce shortages, and how the money is split between loan repayment, scholarships, and nonprofit supervision support. Any disagreement would likely center on budget priorities rather than the underlying policy goal.