Bill Text: NY S05000 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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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: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO HEALTH [S05000 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S05000-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          5000
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                      April 3, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by Sens. PARKER, KAMINSKY -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and when printed to be committed 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,  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
    24  awards shall be administered consistent  with  the  provisions  of  this
    25  subdivision.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00899-01-9
        S. 5000                             2
     1    (b)  Loan  repayment awards made to a registered professional nurse or
     2  licensed practical nurse pursuant to paragraph (a) of  this  subdivision
     3  shall not exceed the total qualifying outstanding debt of the registered
     4  professional  nurse  or  licensed  practical nurse from student loans to
     5  cover tuition and other related educational expenses, made by or guaran-
     6  teed  by the federal or state government, or made by a lending or educa-
     7  tional institution approved under title IV of the federal higher  educa-
     8  tion  act.    Loan  repayment  awards shall be used solely to repay such
     9  outstanding debt.
    10    (c) Any recipient of funds pursuant to this subdivision who  practices
    11  less  than  two  years in an underserved area or nursing home, as deter-
    12  mined by the commissioner, shall repay all funds paid in amounts  to  be
    13  determined  by  the commissioner pursuant to this subdivision, and shall
    14  no longer be eligible for future payments under  this  subdivision.  The
    15  rate  of  interest  applied shall be determined by the commissioner, but
    16  will not be less than the rate of interest set by  the  commissioner  of
    17  taxation  and  finance  with respect to underpayments of personal income
    18  tax pursuant to section six hundred eighty-four of the tax law.
    19    (d) The commissioner is authorized to apply any  funds  available  for
    20  purposes  of paragraph (a) of this subdivision for use as matching funds
    21  for federal grants for the purpose of assisting states in operating loan
    22  repayment programs pursuant to section three hundred thirty-eight  I  of
    23  the public health service act.
    24    (e)  The  commissioner  may,  in his or her sole discretion, postpone,
    25  change or waive the service obligation set forth in subparagraph (i)  of
    26  paragraph (a) of this subdivision.
    27    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.