S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                  3721
                       2009-2010 Regular Sessions
                          I N  A S S E M B L Y
                            January 28, 2009
                               ___________
Introduced  by M. of A. PRETLOW -- read once and referred to the Commit-
  tee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to funding  of  physician
  loan forgiveness programs
  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
  Section 1. Subdivision 9 of  section  605  of  the  education  law  is
amended by adding a new paragraph g to read as follows:
  G.  USE  OF  EXCESS  FUNDS  FROM  THE REGENTS HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL
OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIPS. ANY FUNDS APPLIED  TOWARD  THIS  PROGRAM  FROM
UNUSED  ALLOCATIONS DIRECTED TOWARD THE REGENTS HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL
OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIPS, PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION TEN OF  THIS  SECTION,
SHALL  BE  DISTRIBUTED  IN ACCORDANCE WITH REGENTS RULES THAT SHALL GIVE
PRIORITY TO PHYSICIANS WHO ARE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED AND/OR MEMBERS
OF AN UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY GROUP. AWARDEES  SHALL  PROVIDE  SERVICE
PAYBACK  IN  AN  AREA DESIGNATED AS HAVING A SHORTAGE OF PHYSICIANS, BUT
NOT LIMITED TO, PRIMARY CARE SERVICES.
  S 2. The opening paragraph of subdivision 10 of  section  605  of  the
education law, as added by chapter 31 of the laws of 1985, is amended to
read as follows:
  Regents  health  care  professional  opportunity scholarships. Regents
health care professional opportunity scholarships shall be awarded annu-
ally to students who are beginning or engaged in an approved program  in
medicine  or  dentistry  and  who  are economically disadvantaged and/or
members of an underrepresented minority group, provided,  however,  that
to the extent that regents health care professional opportunity scholar-
ships  are  not  awarded, such [scholarships shall be awarded as regents
professional  opportunity  scholarships]  REMAINING  FUNDING  SHALL   BE
APPLIED  TO THE REGENTS PHYSICIAN LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM. These schol-
arships shall be classified and allocated  in  accordance  with  regents
rules.
 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD02159-01-9
              
             
                          
                
A. 3721                             2
  S  3. This act shall take effect immediately, provided that the amend-
ments to subdivisions 9 and 10 of section 605 of the education law, made
by sections one and two of this act, shall not affect the termination of
such subdivisions pursuant to section 17 of chapter 31 of  the  laws  of
1985, as amended, and shall terminate therewith.