Establishes the empire state professional nursing scholarship program to provide financial support to applicants to enter or continue in a registered nurse educational program and who agree to deliver nursing care in a specialty, setting or designated region of New York state having a shortage of nurses or to teach nursing students; establishes grants for nursing education to establish or expand training programs for nurses and to increase the opportunities for nursing education at community based sites.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A1546
SPONSOR: Pretlow (MS) TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the education law and the executive
law, in relation to establishing the empire state professional nursing
scholarship program and the council on professional career opportunity
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: To establish the Empire State
Professional nursing scholarship program and grants for nursing educa-
tion.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Article 2 of the Public Health Law is
amended by adding a new Title 5 entitled the Empire State Professional
Nursing Scholarship Program. Section 6911 authorizes the Commissioners
of Education and Health and President of Higher Education Services
Corporation (1) to establish a program to provide financial support to
applicants who enter or continue in a registered nurse education program
(2) identify shortage areas in relation to either nursing specialty,
setting or region of New York State. The award of scholarships to New
York State residents will be based on preferences and criteria specified
in the legislation in subdivisions four, five and six. A scholarship
award of up to $15,000 per year of study may be awarded to both full or
part-time study and are calculated based on the student's expenses to
attend nursing school. The legislation provides for a written agreement
by the award recipient to practice nursing for a period of no less than
eighteen months or serve as nursing faculty for no less than three
semesters. The legislation is specific as to the services and settings
that will qualify for the award. If the recipient fails to comply with
the identified conditions the legislation provides a formula to deter-
mine an amount the recipient will be required to repay. Recipients are
required to report annually to New York State Higher Education Services
Corporation regarding performance of the required services. Section 6912
authorizes the Commissioner of Education to make grants to colleges, or
universities within New York State to establish or expand training
programs for registered professional nurses, clinical nurses specialists
and nurse educators to increase the opportunities for nursing education
at community-based sites. The competitive grants will be awarded on the
basis of criteria established in subdivision three. The extent of the
program is to augment or increase training programs rather than offset
existing expenditures. Section 942 of the Executive Law is amended to
add a new subdivision that creates an advisory committee to the council
on professional career opportunity to assist the council in regard to
nursing education.
JUSTIFICATION: The bill is a legislative proposal to promote access
to nursing educa- tion within institutions of higher education in New
York State. The bill provides funding to support public and private
baccalaureate and graduate nursing education programs. It provides fund-
ing to enhance the recruitment and retention of nursing students. Recent
testimony by the New York State Nurses Association indicated that the
demand for registered nurses would outstrip supply by as much as 20% by
2010. The average age of a registered nurse in New York is 47. The aver-
age age of nursing faculty is 55. The majority of nurses will retire in
10-15 years, creating a significant shortage unless steps are taken to
successfully attract students into the profession and retain other nurs-
es. The legislation provides for a new scholarship program rather than
loan forgiveness as more appropriate particularly for older nursing
students who may have difficulty getting loans due to family obligations
and outstanding debt.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 2013-14 A4039 2009/2010 A2722 held for
consideration in higher education New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: $15,000 per year per student with an estimated
1,000 participants for the first year. $250,000 per institution with a
target of at least 12 institutions participating. These figures will
result in a $17 million program. State budget dollars are needed imme-
diately to increase supply of RNs. However, efforts to expand educa-
tional slots and provide nursing scholarships need to have ongoing
stable funding. Such funding should be included in the public goods
component of HCRA. This legislation is modeled after primary care prac-
titioner programs, PHL 905 and 906, previously funded through HCRA.
EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1546
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 12, 2015
___________
Introduced by M. of A. PRETLOW, SCHIMMINGER, ENGLEBRIGHT, LIFTON,
ABBATE, PAULIN -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. O'DONNELL -- read
once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law and the executive law, in relation to
establishing the empire state professional nursing scholarship program
and the council on professional career opportunity
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding two new sections
2 6912 and 6913 to read as follows:
3 § 6912. Empire state professional nursing scholarship program. 1. The
4 commissioner, in collaboration with the commissioner of health and the
5 president of the higher education services corporation, is authorized
6 and directed to establish the empire state professional nursing scholar-
7 ship program to provide financial support to applicants to enter or
8 continue in a registered nurse educational program and who agree to:
9 (a) deliver nursing care in a specialty, setting or region of New York
10 state designated by the commissioner, in consultation with the commis-
11 sioner of health, as having a shortage of registered nurses; or (b)
12 teach nursing students.
13 2. The commissioner is authorized to make scholarship awards pursuant
14 to this section, and in consultation with the commissioner of health, to
15 designate nursing practice specialties, health care settings and/or
16 regions in New York state that have a shortage of registered profes-
17 sional nurses. The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner
18 of health, shall establish a means to determine priority and relative
19 rankings for the purposes of awarding scholarships based on preferences
20 described in subdivisions four, five and six of this section.
21 3. A scholarship recipient shall be a resident of New York state who:
22 (a) attends or plans to attend a nursing education program in the state;
23 and (b) agrees to practice as a registered nurse in a designated
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05540-01-5
A. 1546 2
1 speciality, setting or region; or (c) agrees to practice as a nurse
2 educator. A scholarship recipient shall be entitled to an award of up to
3 fifteen thousand dollars per year of study. Scholarships may be awarded
4 for part-time study, and are calculated based on the student's expenses
5 to attend nursing school. Such expenses shall include, but not be limit-
6 ed to, cost of attendance at an undergraduate or graduate school of
7 nursing, such as tuition, laboratory and other fees, room and board,
8 transportation, supplies, uniforms, health insurance coverage, if
9 required, supplies, books, child care, and costs to support daily
10 living.
11 4. Scholarships shall be awarded competitively using selection crite-
12 ria listed in this subdivision. In selecting students to be awarded
13 scholarships, preference shall be given to students who are:
14 (a) first, entering or continuing in a program in New York state
15 approved or registered by the regents, leading to a bachelor's or gradu-
16 ate degree in nursing;
17 (b) second, entering or continuing in a program leading to a graduate
18 degree that qualifies the recipient to teach nursing students in a
19 program in New York state approved or registered by the regents;
20 (c) third, have evidence of academic merit;
21 (d) fourth, are members of a federally-recognized minority group;
22 (e) fifth, have evidence of financial need; and
23 (f) sixth, have previous work experience in health care settings.
24 5. After the first year of awards, highest preference shall be given
25 to recipients applying for second or subsequent years of funding.
26 6. In the event that there are more applicants who have the same
27 priority than there are remaining awards, or there are more awards
28 available than applicants who meet the above criteria, the commissioner,
29 in consultation with the commissioner of health, shall distribute the
30 remaining awards based upon considerations as may be deemed mutually
31 agreeable. The commissioner and the commissioner of health shall direct
32 that the awards are distributed to ensure appropriate geographical
33 distribution within areas of need.
34 7. Within such time as the commissioner shall by regulation provide, a
35 recipient of an award shall agree to practice nursing for a period of no
36 less than eighteen months, or serve as nursing faculty for no less than
37 three semesters, for each annual award to be received by the recipient.
38 The commissioner shall secure from each recipient a written agreement
39 to:
40 (a) provide professional nursing services in a designated specialty,
41 setting or region; and work in a practice site that serves (i) benefici-
42 aries of title XVIII of the federal social security act (medicare)
43 and/or (ii) individuals eligible for medical assistance pursuant to
44 title eleven of article five of the social services law and/or (iii)
45 individuals eligible for a state sponsored health insurance program
46 and/or (iv) individuals who are uninsured; and provide at least thirty
47 hours during each regular work week of direct patient care in a desig-
48 nated shortage specialty, setting or region; or
49 (b) teach nursing students.
50 8. If a recipient fails to comply fully with such conditions, the
51 president of the higher education services corporation shall be entitled
52 to receive from such recipient an amount to be determined by the formu-
53 la:
54 A = 2B (t-s)
55 --------
56 t
A. 1546 3
1 in which "A" is the amount the president is entitled to recover, "B" is
2 the sum of all awards made to the recipient and the interest on such
3 amount which would be payable if at the times such awards were paid they
4 were loans bearing interest at the maximum prevailing rate; "t" is the
5 total number of months in the recipient's period of obligated services;
6 and "s" is the number of months of service actually rendered by the
7 recipient. Any amount which the president is entitled to recover under
8 this paragraph shall be paid within the five-year period beginning on
9 the date that the recipient failed to comply with this service condi-
10 tion. Nothing in the written agreement shall affect the terms of employ-
11 ment of the individual who shall negotiate, separate and apart from the
12 program, his or her salary and other forms of employment with an agency,
13 institution or a program in which he or she shall be employed. Any obli-
14 gation to comply with such provisions as outlined in this section shall
15 be canceled upon the death of the recipient. The commissioner shall
16 promulgate regulations to provide for the waiver or suspension of any
17 financial obligation when compliance would involve extreme hardship.
18 Any obligation to comply with the provisions outlined in this section
19 shall be cancelled upon the death of the recipient.
20 9. A recipient of an award shall report annually to the New York state
21 higher education services corporation, on forms prescribed by the presi-
22 dent of the higher education services corporation, as to the performance
23 of the required services, commencing with the calendar year in which the
24 recipient has completed the educational course of study and continuing
25 until the recipient shall have completed, or until it is determined that
26 he or she shall not be obligated to complete, the required services. If
27 the recipient shall fail to file any report required hereunder within
28 thirty days of written notice to the recipient, mailed to the address
29 shown on the last application for an award or last report filed, which-
30 ever is later, the president of the corporation may impose a fine of up
31 to one thousand dollars. The president shall have the discretion to
32 waive the filing of a report, excuse a delay in filing or a failure to
33 file a report, or waive or reduce any fine imposed for good cause shown.
34 10. The commissioner is authorized to apply any funds appropriated to
35 implement this section as matching funds for any federal nursing educa-
36 tion programs grants that may be or become available whose criteria are
37 similar to those stated in this chapter.
38 § 6913. Grants for nursing education. 1. The commissioner, in collab-
39 oration with the commissioner of health, is authorized to make grants to
40 colleges, or universities within New York state to establish or expand
41 training programs for registered professional nurses, clinical nurse
42 specialists, and nurse educators and to increase the opportunities for
43 nursing education at community-based sites.
44 2. Grant funds may be used for administration, faculty recruitment and
45 development, start-up costs and costs incurred teaching nursing students
46 at community-based sites, including, but not limited to, personnel,
47 administration and student related expenses and other expenses judged
48 reasonable and necessary by the commissioner.
49 3. Grants shall be awarded on a competitive basis in amounts not to
50 exceed an aggregate of two hundred fifty thousand dollars through a
51 request for application process. In making awards, the commissioner
52 shall consider:
53 (a) the need for registered nurses, clinical nurse specialists and
54 nurse educators in the specialty and in the region in which the appli-
55 cant is located;
56 (b) the cost-effectiveness of the proposal; and
A. 1546 4
1 (c) the applicant's commitment to place graduates in nursing positions
2 in designated specialties, settings and/or regions.
3 4. The intent of the program is to augment or increase training
4 programs for registered professional nurses, both at entry level and
5 graduate levels including baccalaureate completion programs, specialty
6 certificate, master's and doctoral degrees. Grant funding shall not be
7 used to offset existing expenditures the institution or program has
8 obligated or intends to obligate for such training programs.
9 § 2. Section 942 of the executive law is amended by adding a new
10 subdivision 7 to read as follows:
11 7. For the purpose of advising and assisting the council in carrying
12 out its powers and duties in regard to nursing education there is hereby
13 established an advisory committee on nursing education comprised of
14 eleven members. The members and chairperson of the advisory committee
15 shall be selected by the chairperson of the council and shall include
16 representatives of public and independent institutions of higher educa-
17 tion offering an approved program in nursing and registered professional
18 nurses authorized or licensed to practice nursing within the state of
19 New York. The membership of the advisory committee shall include minori-
20 ty representation.
21 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
