Bill Text: NY A01720 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Amended

---

Bill Title: Establishes the nurse loan repayment program; authorizes the commissioner to award loan repayment awards to nurses serving in underserved areas or nursing homes.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-24 - print number 1720a [A01720 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-A01720-Amended.html

---

                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                        1720--A
                              2013-2014 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                      (PREFILED)
                                    January 9, 2013
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M.  of A. GUNTHER, GRAF, STECK, RAIA, McDONOUGH, CROUCH,
         MONTESANO, COOK -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M.  of  A.  CERETTO,  COLTON,
         DUPREY,  MOYA,  PERRY  --  read  once and referred to the Committee on
         Health -- recommitted to the Committee on Health  in  accordance  with
         Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
         reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
       AN  ACT  to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing the
         nurse loan repayment program
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1.  Section  2807-m  of  the  public health law is amended by
    2  adding a new subdivision 5-c to read as follows:
    3    5-C. REGISTERED NURSE LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.  (A)  BEGINNING  JANUARY
    4  FIRST,  TWO  THOUSAND  FIFTEEN,  THE  COMMISSIONER IS AUTHORIZED, WITHIN
    5  AMOUNTS AVAILABLE PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION FIVE-A  OF  THIS  SECTION,  TO
    6  MAKE LOAN REPAYMENT AWARDS:
    7    (I)  TO  REGISTERED  PROFESSIONAL  NURSES  OR OTHER LICENSED PRACTICAL
    8  NURSES SPECIALITIES DETERMINED  BY  THE  COMMISSIONER  TO  BE  IN  SHORT
    9  SUPPLY,  LICENSED  TO  PRACTICE  NURSING PURSUANT TO ARTICLE ONE HUNDRED
   10  THIRTY-NINE OF THE EDUCATION LAW, WHO AGREE TO  PRACTICE  FOR  AT  LEAST
   11  FIVE  YEARS IN AN UNDERSERVED AREA OR NURSING HOME, AS DETERMINED BY THE
   12  COMMISSIONER.  SUCH REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL NURSE OR LICENSED  PRACTICAL
   13  NURSE  SHALL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A LOAN REPAYMENT AWARD OF UP TO ONE HUNDRED
   14  FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS OVER A FIVE YEAR PERIOD DISTRIBUTED  AS  FOLLOWS:
   15  FIFTEEN PERCENT OF TOTAL LOAN DEBT NOT TO EXCEED TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS
   16  FOR  THE  FIRST  YEAR;  FIFTEEN PERCENT OF TOTAL LOAN DEBT NOT TO EXCEED
   17  TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THE  SECOND  YEAR;  TWENTY  PERCENT  OF
   18  TOTAL LOAN DEBT NOT TO EXCEED THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THE THIRD
   19  YEAR;  AND  TWENTY-FIVE  PERCENT  OF  TOTAL  LOAN  DEBT  NOT  TO  EXCEED
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD02843-03-4
       A. 1720--A                          2
    1  THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS PER YEAR FOR THE FOURTH AND FIFTH YEARS  OF
    2  PRACTICE IN SUCH AREA; AND
    3    (II)  TO GENERAL HOSPITALS AND OTHER HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS TO ADMINIS-
    4  TER AS PART OF THEIR RECRUITMENT PACKAGES; PROVIDED THE  LOAN  REPAYMENT
    5  AWARDS  SHALL  BE  ADMINISTERED  CONSISTENT  WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS
    6  SUBDIVISION.
    7    (B) LOAN REPAYMENT AWARDS MADE TO A REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL  NURSE  OR
    8  LICENSED  PRACTICAL  NURSE PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION
    9  SHALL NOT EXCEED THE TOTAL QUALIFYING OUTSTANDING DEBT OF THE REGISTERED
   10  PROFESSIONAL NURSE OR LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE  FROM  STUDENT  LOANS  TO
   11  COVER TUITION AND OTHER RELATED EDUCATIONAL EXPENSES, MADE BY OR GUARAN-
   12  TEED  BY THE FEDERAL OR STATE GOVERNMENT, OR MADE BY A LENDING OR EDUCA-
   13  TIONAL INSTITUTION APPROVED UNDER TITLE IV OF THE FEDERAL HIGHER  EDUCA-
   14  TION  ACT.    LOAN  REPAYMENT  AWARDS SHALL BE USED SOLELY TO REPAY SUCH
   15  OUTSTANDING DEBT.
   16    (C) ANY RECIPIENT OF FUNDS PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION WHO  PRACTICES
   17  LESS  THAN  TWO  YEARS IN AN UNDERSERVED AREA OR NURSING HOME, AS DETER-
   18  MINED BY THE COMMISSIONER, SHALL REPAY ALL FUNDS PAID IN AMOUNTS  TO  BE
   19  DETERMINED  BY  THE COMMISSIONER PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION, AND SHALL
   20  NO LONGER BE ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE PAYMENTS UNDER  THIS  SUBDIVISION.  THE
   21  RATE  OF  INTEREST  APPLIED SHALL BE DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSIONER, BUT
   22  WILL NOT BE LESS THAN THE RATE OF INTEREST SET BY  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF
   23  TAXATION  AND  FINANCE  WITH RESPECT TO UNDERPAYMENTS OF PERSONAL INCOME
   24  TAX PURSUANT TO SECTION SIX HUNDRED EIGHTY-FOUR OF THE TAX LAW.
   25    (D) THE COMMISSIONER IS AUTHORIZED TO APPLY ANY  FUNDS  AVAILABLE  FOR
   26  PURPOSES  OF PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION FOR USE AS MATCHING FUNDS
   27  FOR FEDERAL GRANTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF ASSISTING STATES IN OPERATING LOAN
   28  REPAYMENT PROGRAMS PURSUANT TO SECTION THREE HUNDRED THIRTY-EIGHT  I  OF
   29  THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT.
   30    (E)  THE  COMMISSIONER  MAY,  IN HIS OR HER SOLE DISCRETION, POSTPONE,
   31  CHANGE OR WAIVE THE SERVICE OBLIGATION SET FORTH IN SUBPARAGRAPH (I)  OF
   32  PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
   33    S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.