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SB 1273

SB 1273 - Under this act, cities, counties, and school districts (defined as "political subdivisions") shall not adopt or enforce any ordinance, policy, resolution, deed restriction, property use restriction, or other such restriction that prevents property they sell, lease, or transfer from being used for any lawful educational purpose by a charter school. The act also prohibits any deed restriction or other such restriction that limits property to specific non-educational uses. Any existing restriction that bars property previously used for educational purposes from being used for future educational purposes is void. Any ordinance, policy, regulation, deed, use restriction, or contract made in violation of this act is void from its inception. Additionally, when a school district offers to sell or lease an unused school building or facility that is not being used for academic, extracurricular, administrative, or athletic purposes, and that either has no approved plan for future use or has a plan that has not been carried out within two years, the contract shall include a right of first refusal allowing a public entity to purchase or lease the property first. The term "public entity" includes the state of Missouri and any of its political subdivisions, such as cities, counties, boards, agencies, or authorities. If the school district accepts an offer to sell or lease the unused building or facility to a non-public entity, such district shall post a public notice on its website stating that the property is available. The public notice shall include the property's square footage, the district's contact information, and a statement that the right of first refusal expires 60 days after this notification. If no offer from a non-public entity exists, a public entity may initiate negotiations to buy or lease an unused school building or facility. The school district shall begin good-faith negotiations within 60 days of the public entity's engagement, and negotiations shall last up to 30 days. An independent mediator shall obtain appraisals to determine a fair market sale or lease price. If multiple public entities express interest in the unused building or facility, the school district shall decide which entity shall purchase or lease the property. During negotiations, the school district may choose whether to sell or lease the property, at fair market value or less. A lease shall allow reasonable access and use of shared common areas. If a public entity leases the entire facility and incurs debt to make improvements, the school district shall subordinate its lease interest to that debt. The public entity shall have six months from the date of its written offer to complete the purchase or lease. While leasing, the public entity shall be responsible for all direct expenses, including utilities, insurance, maintenance, property taxes, and repairs. If a public entity later decides to sell a facility it purchased from a school district, such public entity shall first offer the property back to that district, following the same procedures set forth in the act. This act is similar to SCS/HCS/HBs 2404 & 2172 (2026) and to provisions in SB 1496 (2026), HB 2866 (2026), SB 398 (2025), HB 447 (2025), HB 1044 (2025), SB 1006 (2024), SB 1123 (2024), HB 2088 (2024), HB 2178 (2024), SB 304 (2023), SB 650 (2022), HB 2087 (2022), SCS/SB 55, 25, & 23 (2021), SB 315 (2021), HCS/HB 137 (2021), HB 322 (2021), HB 729 (2021), SB 649 (2020), SB 603 (2020), HB 1917 (2020), SB 51 (2019), SCS/SB 271 (2019), SS#2/SCS/SB 292 (2019), SCS/HB 485 (2019), HCS/SS/SB 218 (2019), HCS/HB 581 (2019), and HCS/HB 924 (2019). OLIVIA SHANNON

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Curtis Trent

Expands the loan repayment program to include licensed occupational therapists and assistants, offering up to $15,000/year for up to 4 years to help repay education loans.

Second Read and Referred S Education Committee
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Bill Summary · SB 1273

Summary — SB 1273: Occupational Therapist Loan Repayment

Status: Introduced in 2025; enacted and signed (Governor: 5/27/2025); effective date: 9/1/2025. Companion: HB 4762.

Note: The provided document includes unrelated Arizona statutory text about deputy sheriff/detention officer salaries. That text is not part of the Illinois SB 1273 described below. This summary covers the Illinois measure titled “OCCU THERAPIST LOAN REPAYMENT” (amendment to the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Act).

Main purpose

To expand the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program by adding licensed occupational therapists (OTs) and licensed occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) to the list of behavioral health professionals eligible for state loan repayment grants.

Key provisions

  • Amends Section 25 of the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program Act (110 ILCS 996/25).
  • Adds “licensed occupational therapist” and “licensed occupational therapy assistant” to the list of professionals eligible for grants.
  • Eligible OTs and OTAs may receive a grant of up to $15,000 per year.
  • Grants may be awarded for a maximum of 4 years per qualified recipient.
  • Awards are subject to appropriation by the General Assembly (i.e., funding must be provided).
  • The Commission (Illinois Student Assistance Commission) is required to encourage recipients to use the grant for payments toward educational loans.
  • Existing grant amounts for other listed professionals remain in statute (examples: up to $40,000/year for psychiatrists; up to $20,000/year for certain advanced practice clinicians; other tiered amounts for psychologists, counselors, social workers, substance use professionals, etc.).
  • No less than 30% of annual grant funding must be reserved for applicants who are minorities (African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian, or Native American). If insufficient minority applicants apply by Jan 1 of a fiscal year, reserved funds may be reallocated to other qualified applicants.

Who is affected

  • Primary beneficiaries: licensed occupational therapists and licensed occupational therapy assistants working in community behavioral health settings in Illinois with student loan obligations.
  • Administering body: Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
  • Indirectly affected: community behavioral health employers (may gain improved recruitment/retention), state budget/fiscal planning (subject to appropriation).

Fiscal and procedural notes

  • The program expansion does not by itself appropriate funds; effect depends on future appropriations to the Commission.
  • Grants are limited in amount and duration (≤ $15,000/year; ≤ 4 years).
  • The 30% minority-reservation rule continues to shape allocation of limited grant funds.

If you want, I can extract the exact revised statutory text, estimate potential fiscal costs under several funding scenarios, or summarize the related companion bill (HB 4762).

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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