Bill Text: IA HF2549 | 2021-2022 | 89th General Assembly | Enrolled
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to the establishment of a mental health professional loan repayment program within the college student aid commission. (Formerly HF 2137, HSB 537.) Effective date: 07/01/2022.
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Passed) 2022-06-13 - Signed by Governor. H.J. 945. [HF2549 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2021-HF2549-Enrolled.html
House
File
2549
-
Enrolled
House
File
2549
AN
ACT
RELATING
TO
THE
ESTABLISHMENT
OF
A
MENTAL
HEALTH
PROFESSIONAL
LOAN
REPAYMENT
PROGRAM
WITHIN
THE
COLLEGE
STUDENT
AID
COMMISSION.
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
Section
1.
NEW
SECTION
.
261.117
Mental
health
professional
loan
repayment
program.
1.
Definitions.
For
purposes
of
this
section,
unless
the
context
otherwise
requires:
a.
“Commission”
means
the
college
student
aid
commission.
b.
“Eligible
institution”
means
an
institution
of
higher
learning
governed
by
the
state
board
of
regents
or
an
accredited
private
institution
as
defined
in
section
261.9.
c.
“Eligible
loan”
means
a
mental
health
professional’s
total
federally
guaranteed
Stafford
loan
amount
under
the
federal
family
education
loan
program
or
the
federal
direct
loan
program,
a
mental
health
professional’s
federal
grad
plus
loans,
or
a
mental
health
professional’s
federal
Perkins
loan,
including
principal
and
interest.
d.
“Eligible
practice
area”
means
a
city
in
Iowa
that
is
within
a
federal
mental
health
shortage
area,
as
designated
by
the
health
resources
and
services
administration
of
the
United
States
department
of
health
and
human
services.
e.
“Mental
health
professional”
means
a
nonprescribing
individual
who
meets
all
of
the
following
qualifications:
House
File
2549,
p.
2
(1)
The
individual
holds
at
least
a
master’s
degree
from
an
eligible
institution
in
a
mental
health
field,
including
psychology,
counseling
and
guidance,
social
work,
marriage
and
family
therapy,
or
mental
health
counseling.
(2)
The
individual
holds
a
current
Iowa
license
if
practicing
in
a
field
covered
by
an
Iowa
licensure
law.
(3)
The
individual
has
at
least
two
years
of
post-degree
clinical
experience,
supervised
by
another
individual
in
the
mental
health
field,
in
assessing
mental
health
needs
and
problems
and
in
providing
appropriate
mental
health
services.
(4)
The
individual
is
not
eligible
for
the
rural
Iowa
advanced
nurse
practitioner
and
physician
assistant
loan
repayment
program
established
pursuant
to
section
261.114.
f.
“Part-time
practice”
means
at
least
seventy
percent
of
a
forty-hour
workweek.
2.
Program
established.
A
mental
health
professional
loan
repayment
program
is
established
to
be
administered
by
the
commission
for
purposes
of
providing
loan
repayments
for
mental
health
professionals
who
agree
to
practice
in
an
eligible
practice
area
and
meet
the
requirements
of
this
section.
3.
Program
agreements.
a.
The
mental
health
professional
and
the
commission
shall
enter
into
a
program
agreement.
Under
the
agreement,
to
receive
loan
repayments
pursuant
to
subsection
5,
a
mental
health
professional
shall
agree
to
and
shall
engage
in
either
of
the
following:
(1)
Full-time
practice
as
a
mental
health
professional
in
an
eligible
practice
area
for
a
period
of
five
consecutive
years
after
entering
into
the
agreement.
(2)
Part-time
practice
as
a
mental
health
professional
in
an
eligible
practice
area
for
a
period
of
seven
consecutive
years
after
entering
into
the
agreement.
b.
A
mental
health
professional
who
entered
into
a
program
agreement
pursuant
to
paragraph
“a”
may
apply
to
the
commission
to
amend
the
agreement
to
allow
the
mental
health
professional
to
switch
to
part-time
practice
or
full-time
practice,
as
applicable.
The
commission
and
the
mental
health
professional
may
consent
to
amend
the
agreement
under
which
the
mental
health
professional
shall
engage
in
part-time
practice
in
an
House
File
2549,
p.
3
eligible
practice
area
for
an
extended
period
of
part-time
practice
determined
by
the
commission
to
be
proportional
to
the
amount
of
full-time
practice
remaining
under
the
original
agreement.
c.
The
commission
shall
give
priority
to
mental
health
professionals
who
are
residents
of
Iowa
and,
if
requested
by
the
adjutant
general,
to
mental
health
professionals
who
are
members
of
the
Iowa
national
guard.
4.
Satisfaction
of
practice
obligation.
a.
An
obligation
to
engage
in
full-time
or
part-time
practice
under
a
program
agreement
entered
into
pursuant
to
subsection
3
shall
be
considered
satisfied
when
any
of
the
following
conditions
is
met:
(1)
The
terms
of
the
agreement
are
completed.
(2)
The
individual
who
entered
into
the
agreement
dies.
(3)
The
individual
who
entered
into
the
agreement,
due
to
a
permanent
disability,
is
unable
to
practice
as
a
mental
health
professional.
b.
If
a
mental
health
professional
fails
to
fulfill
the
obligation
to
engage
in
practice
in
accordance
with
subsection
3,
the
mental
health
professional
shall
be
subject
to
repayment
to
the
commission
of
loan
repayment
amounts
the
commission
paid
to
the
mental
health
professional
pursuant
to
subsection
5
plus
interest
as
specified
by
rule.
5.
Loan
repayment
amounts.
The
annual
amount
of
loan
repayment
the
commission
may
make
to
a
mental
health
professional
who
enters
into
a
program
agreement
pursuant
to
subsection
3,
if
the
mental
health
professional
is
in
compliance
with
obligations
under
the
agreement,
shall
be
eight
thousand
dollars
for
an
eligible
loan.
The
total
amount
of
loan
repayments
from
the
commission
to
a
mental
health
professional
under
this
subsection
shall
not
exceed
forty
thousand
dollars.
6.
Refinanced
loans.
A
mental
health
professional
who
receives
a
loan
repayment
pursuant
to
subsection
5
and
who
refinances
an
eligible
loan
by
obtaining
a
private
educational
loan
may
continue
to
receive
loan
repayment
under
this
section
if
the
amount
of
loan
repayment
does
not
exceed
the
lesser
of
the
amount
specified
in
subsection
5
or
the
balance
of
the
loan
House
File
2549,
p.
4
repayment
amount
the
mental
health
professional
qualified
to
receive
with
the
eligible
loan.
7.
Mental
health
professional
loan
repayment
fund.
A
mental
health
professional
loan
repayment
fund
is
created
for
deposit
of
moneys
appropriated
to
or
received
by
the
commission
for
use
under
the
mental
health
professional
loan
repayment
program.
Notwithstanding
section
8.33,
moneys
deposited
in
the
mental
health
professional
loan
repayment
fund
shall
not
revert
to
any
fund
of
the
state
at
the
end
of
any
fiscal
year
but
shall
remain
in
the
mental
health
professional
loan
repayment
fund
and
be
continuously
available
for
loan
repayment
under
the
program.
Notwithstanding
section
12C.7,
subsection
2,
interest
or
earnings
on
moneys
deposited
in
the
mental
health
professional
loan
repayment
fund
shall
be
credited
to
the
fund.
8.
Report.
The
commission
shall
submit
in
a
report
to
the
general
assembly
by
January
1,
annually,
the
number
of
mental
health
professionals
who
received
loan
repayment
pursuant
to
this
section,
where
the
mental
health
professionals
practiced,
the
amount
paid
to
each
mental
health
professional,
and
other
information
identified
by
the
commission
as
indicators
of
outcomes
of
the
program.
9.
Rules.
The
commission
shall
adopt
rules
pursuant
to
chapter
17A
to
administer
this
section.
______________________________
PAT
GRASSLEY
Speaker
of
the
House
______________________________
JAKE
CHAPMAN
President
of
the
Senate
I
hereby
certify
that
this
bill
originated
in
the
House
and
is
known
as
House
File
2549,
Eighty-ninth
General
Assembly.
______________________________
MEGHAN
NELSON
Chief
Clerk
of
the
House
Approved
_______________,
2022
______________________________
KIM
REYNOLDS
Governor
