Bill Text: NY A05246 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

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: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-3)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - referred to health [A05246 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A05246-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5246

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 12, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  GUNTHER,  STECK, COOK, McDONOUGH, MONTESANO,
          BRABENEC -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COLTON, PERRY -- read  once
          and referred to the Committee on Health

        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 twenty-two, 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 thirty-
    20  five thousand dollars per year for the fourth and fifth years  of  prac-
    21  tice in such area; and
    22    (ii)  to general hospitals and other health care providers to adminis-
    23  ter as part of their recruitment packages; provided the  loan  repayment

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02449-01-1
        A. 5246                             2

     1  awards  shall  be  administered  consistent  with the provisions of this
     2  subdivision.
     3    (b)  Loan  repayment awards made to a registered professional nurse or
     4  licensed practical nurse pursuant to paragraph (a) of  this  subdivision
     5  shall not exceed the total qualifying outstanding debt of the registered
     6  professional  nurse  or  licensed  practical nurse from student loans to
     7  cover tuition and other related educational expenses, made by or guaran-
     8  teed by the federal or state government, or made by a lending or  educa-
     9  tional  institution approved under title IV of the federal higher educa-
    10  tion act.  Loan repayment awards shall be  used  solely  to  repay  such
    11  outstanding debt.
    12    (c)  Any recipient of funds pursuant to this subdivision who practices
    13  less than two years in an underserved area or nursing  home,  as  deter-
    14  mined  by  the commissioner, shall repay all funds paid in amounts to be
    15  determined by the commissioner pursuant to this subdivision,  and  shall
    16  no  longer  be  eligible for future payments under this subdivision. The
    17  rate of interest applied shall be determined by  the  commissioner,  but
    18  will  not  be  less than the rate of interest set by the commissioner of
    19  taxation and finance with respect to underpayments  of  personal  income
    20  tax pursuant to section six hundred eighty-four of the tax law.
    21    (d)  The  commissioner  is authorized to apply any funds available for
    22  purposes of paragraph (a) of this subdivision for use as matching  funds
    23  for federal grants for the purpose of assisting states in operating loan
    24  repayment  programs  pursuant to section three hundred thirty-eight I of
    25  the public health service act.
    26    (e) The commissioner may, in his or  her  sole  discretion,  postpone,
    27  change  or waive the service obligation set forth in subparagraph (i) of
    28  paragraph (a) of this subdivision.
    29    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.