Bill Text: CA AB160 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Registered nurses: education program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-02-02 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB160 Detail]
Download: California-2009-AB160-Introduced.html
BILL NUMBER: AB 160 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Hayashi
JANUARY 27, 2009
An act to amend Sections 128385 and 128390 of the Health and
Safety Code, relating to nurses.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 160, as introduced, Hayashi. Registered nurses: education
program.
Existing law establishes within the Health Professions Education
Foundation, a nonprofit public benefit corporation, the Registered
Nurse Education Program, which provides scholarships or loan
repayment for registered nursing students who agree in writing prior
to graduation to serve in an eligible county health facility, as
defined, an eligible state-operated health facility, as defined, a
health workforce shortage area, or a California nursing school, as
specified.
This bill would expand that program to include registered nursing
students who agree to serve in a kindergarten or grades 1 to 12,
inclusive, school. The bill would also make nonsubstantive, technical
changes.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 128385 of the Health and Safety Code is amended
to read:
128385. (a) There is hereby created the Registered Nurse
Education Program within the Health Professions Education Foundation.
Persons participating in this program shall be persons who agree in
writing prior to graduation to serve in an eligible county health
facility, an eligible state-operated health facility, a health
workforce shortage area, or a California nursing school, as
designated by the director of the office , or in a kindergarten
or grades 1 to 12, inclusive, school . Persons agreeing to
serve in eligible county health facilities, eligible state-operated
health facilities, or health workforce shortage
areas , or kindergarten or grades 1 to 12, inclusive, schools
, and master's or doctoral students agreeing to serve in a
California nursing school may apply for scholarship or loan
repayment. The Registered Nurse Education Program shall be
administered in accordance with Article 1 (commencing with Section
128330), except that all funds in the Registered Nurse Education Fund
shall be used only for the purpose of promoting the education of
registered nurses and related administrative costs. The Health
Professions Education Foundation shall make recommendations to the
director of the office concerning both of the following:
(1) A standard contractual agreement to be signed by the director
and any student who has received an award to work in an eligible
county health facility, an eligible state-operated health facility,
or in a health workforce shortage area , or a
kindergarten or grades 1 to 12, inclusive, school, that would
require a period of obligated professional service in the areas of
California designated by the California Healthcare Workforce Policy
Commission as deficient in primary care services. The obligated
professional service shall be in direct patient care. The agreement
shall include a clause entitling the state to recover the funds
awarded plus the maximum allowable interest for failure to begin or
complete the service obligation.
(2) Maximum allowable amounts for scholarships, educational loans,
and loan repayment programs in order to assure the most effective
use of these funds.
(b) Applicants may be persons licensed as registered nurses,
graduates of associate degree nursing programs prior to entering a
program granting a baccalaureate of science degree in nursing, or
students entering an entry-level master's degree program in
registered nursing or other registered nurse master's or doctoral
degree program approved by the Board of Registered Nursing. Priority
shall be given to applicants who hold associate degrees in nursing.
(c) Registered nurses and students shall commit to teaching
nursing in a California nursing school for five years in order to
receive a scholarship or loan repayment for a master's or doctoral
degree program.
(d) Not more than 5 percent of the funds available under the
Registered Nurse Education Program shall be available for a pilot
project designed to test whether it is possible to encourage
articulation from associate degree nursing programs to baccalaureate
of science degree nursing programs. Persons who otherwise meet the
standards of subdivision (a) shall be eligible for educational loans
when they are enrolled in associate degree nursing programs. If these
persons complete a baccalaureate of science degree nursing program
in California within five years of obtaining an associate degree in
nursing and meet the standards of this article, these loans shall be
completely forgiven.
(e) As used in this section, "eligible county health facility"
means a county health facility that has been determined by the office
to have a nursing vacancy rate greater than noncounty health
facilities located in the same health facility planning area.
(f) As used in this section, "eligible state-operated health
facility" means a state-operated health facility that has been
determined by the office to have a nursing vacancy rate greater than
noncounty health facilities located in the same health facility
planning area.
(g) The "direct patient care" requirement in paragraph (1) of
subdivision (a) shall not be construed to prohibit a school nurse, as
described in Section 49426 of the Education Code, from performing
services specified in that section, including, but not limited to,
teaching.
SEC. 2. Section 128390 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to
read:
128390. The funds made available pursuant to this article shall
be used as specified in Article 14 (commencing with Section
69795) of Chapter 2 of Part 42 of the Education Code
Article 1 (commencing with Section 128330) , except that the
funds shall be used only for the purpose of assisting students in
completing nursing programs meeting the standards specified in
subdivision (j) of Section 69799 of the Education Code
128350 .
