Establishes the nurse loan repayment program; authorizes the commissioner to award loan repayment awards to nurses serving in underserved areas or nursing homes.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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7142
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 18, 2023
___________
Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- 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-four, 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.
LBD07991-01-3
S. 7142 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.
