Bill
SB 1510
Creates the Nurse Educator Scholarship Fund, funds scholarships with $1.5M yearly transfer and $6M set-aside, tying awards to nurse educator employment and repayment obligations.
Note on source materials
- The packet provided mixes texts from multiple jurisdictions (Arizona, Illinois, Hawaii) that use the bill number “SB 1510.” This summary focuses on the Nurse Educator Scholarship Fund provisions that match the title “NURSE EDUCATR‑SCHOLARSHIP FUND” (the Illinois provisions in the materials). Where legislative dates or procedural notes conflict across the documents, this summary flags that the record appears mixed.
Purpose and intent
- Create a dedicated funding stream to expand scholarships for nurse educators and increase the supply of faculty prepared to teach nursing students, thereby supporting the nursing workforce pipeline.
Key provisions
- Creates the Nurse Educator Scholarship Fund as a special fund in the State treasury.
- Directs that all money in the Fund be used, subject to appropriation, by the Department of Public Health to provide scholarships to nurse educators (amends the Nursing Education Scholarship Law).
- Fiscal transfers and set‑asides:
- Beginning July 1, 2025, the State Comptroller shall transfer $1,500,000 each fiscal year from the General Revenue Fund to the Nurse Educator Scholarship Fund to implement these scholarship provisions.
- Amends the Nurse Practice Act to increase the annual set‑aside from the Nursing Dedicated and Professional Fund: $6,000,000 (up from $4,000,000) of monies deposited each year shall be set aside and appropriated to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for nursing scholarships under the Nursing Education Scholarship Law.
- Scholarship eligibility and obligations (existing program text amended/retained):
- Applicant requirements include one year state residency and U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency; enrollment/acceptance in a graduate nursing program at an approved institution; and agreement to a nurse educator employment obligation.
- Scholarship recipients must begin fulfilling the educator employment obligation within 12 months after graduation (with specified deferments allowed for military service or further study).
- Failure to meet the educator obligation triggers repayment equal to scholarship funds received per year of unfulfilled obligation, with interest at 7% annually; repayment terms and limited deferral/excusal (e.g., for death, disability) are defined.
- The Department shall maintain a database of available nurse educator positions to help recipients find qualifying employment.
- Rulemaking and procedural language: rulemaking authority is conditioned on compliance with the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act and Joint Committee on Administrative Rules.
Who is affected
- Prospective and current graduate nursing students intending to become nurse educators (potential scholarship recipients).
- Approved nursing education institutions and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (administration/disbursement responsibilities).
- State budgets: General Revenue Fund (annual $1.5M transfer) and the Nursing Dedicated and Professional Fund (annual $6M set‑aside).
Fiscal and timeline aspects
- Implementation funding begins FY 2026 (transfers starting July 1, 2025).
- The bill increases annual dedicated funding for nursing scholarships by at least $1.5M (General Revenue transfer) plus the higher $6M set‑aside from the dedicated fund (previously $4M).
- Effective date: the Illinois text states “Effective immediately.”
Procedural status (notes)
- The provided legislative action history mixes multiple states and is internally inconsistent. The materials include dates of introduction (February 2025) and various committee and floor actions. If you need the current procedural status for a specific state (e.g., Illinois), I can retrieve and confirm the up‑to‑date progress and final outcome from that state’s legislative website.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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