Assembly Bill A11655

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  11655

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                              July 6, 2010
                               ___________

Introduced  by  COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Schroeder)
  -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education

AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to  establishing  the
  nurse practitioner loan repayment program

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Section 2807-m of the  public  health  law  is  amended  by
adding a new subdivision 5-b to read as follows:
  5-B.  NURSE PRACTITIONER LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM. (A) BEGINNING JANUARY
FIRST, TWO THOUSAND  ELEVEN,  THE  COMMISSIONER  IS  AUTHORIZED,  WITHIN
AMOUNTS  AVAILABLE  PURSUANT  TO  SUBDIVISION FIVE-A OF THIS SECTION, TO
MAKE LOAN REPAYMENT AWARDS:
  (I) TO NURSE PRACTITIONERS OR OTHER  NURSE  PRACTITIONER  SPECIALITIES
DETERMINED  BY THE COMMISSIONER TO BE IN SHORT SUPPLY, LICENSED TO PRAC-
TICE NURSING IN NEW YORK STATE, WHO AGREE TO PRACTICE FOR AT LEAST  FIVE
YEARS  IN  AN UNDERSERVED AREA, AS DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSIONER.  SUCH
NURSE PRACTITIONER SHALL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A LOAN REPAYMENT AWARD OF UP TO
ONE HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS OVER A FIVE YEAR  PERIOD  DISTRIBUTED
AS  FOLLOWS:  FIFTEEN  PERCENT  OF  TOTAL LOAN DEBT NOT TO EXCEED TWENTY
THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THE FIRST YEAR; FIFTEEN PERCENT OF TOTAL LOAN  DEBT
NOT  TO  EXCEED TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THE SECOND YEAR; TWENTY
PERCENT OF TOTAL LOAN DEBT NOT TO EXCEED  THIRTY-FIVE  THOUSAND  DOLLARS
FOR  THE  THIRD  YEAR; AND TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF TOTAL LOAN DEBT NOT TO
EXCEED THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS PER YEAR FOR THE  FOURTH  AND  FIFTH
YEARS OF PRACTICE IN SUCH AREA; AND
  (II)  TO GENERAL HOSPITALS AND OTHER HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS TO ADMINIS-
TER AS PART OF THEIR RECRUITMENT PACKAGES; PROVIDED THE  LOAN  REPAYMENT
AWARDS  SHALL  BE  ADMINISTERED  CONSISTENT  WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS
SUBDIVISION.
  (B) LOAN REPAYMENT AWARDS MADE TO A  NURSE  PRACTITIONER  PURSUANT  TO
PARAGRAPH  (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL NOT EXCEED THE TOTAL QUALIFYING
OUTSTANDING DEBT OF THE NURSE PRACTITIONER FROM STUDENT LOANS  TO  COVER
TUITION AND OTHER RELATED EDUCATIONAL EXPENSES, MADE BY OR GUARANTEED BY
THE  FEDERAL  OR  STATE  GOVERNMENT, OR MADE BY A LENDING OR EDUCATIONAL

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                           LBD17659-01-0

A. 11655                            2

INSTITUTION APPROVED UNDER TITLE IV OF THE FEDERAL HIGHER EDUCATION ACT.
LOAN REPAYMENT AWARDS SHALL BE USED SOLELY  TO  REPAY  SUCH  OUTSTANDING
DEBT.
  (C)  ANY RECIPIENT OF FUNDS PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION WHO PRACTICES
LESS THAN TWO YEARS IN AN UNDERSERVED AREA, AS DETERMINED BY THE COMMIS-
SIONER, SHALL REPAY ALL FUNDS PAID IN AMOUNTS TO BE  DETERMINED  BY  THE
COMMISSIONER PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION, AND SHALL NO LONGER BE ELIGI-
BLE  FOR  FUTURE  PAYMENTS  UNDER THIS SUBDIVISION. THE RATE OF INTEREST
APPLIED SHALL BE DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSIONER, BUT WILL  NOT  BE  LESS
THAN  THE  RATE  OF  INTEREST  SET  BY  THE COMMISSIONER OF TAXATION AND
FINANCE WITH RESPECT TO UNDERPAYMENTS OF PERSONAL INCOME TAX PURSUANT TO
SECTION SIX HUNDRED EIGHTY-FOUR OF THE TAX LAW.
  (D) THE COMMISSIONER IS AUTHORIZED TO APPLY ANY  FUNDS  AVAILABLE  FOR
PURPOSES  OF PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION FOR USE AS MATCHING FUNDS
FOR FEDERAL GRANTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF ASSISTING STATES IN OPERATING LOAN
REPAYMENT PROGRAMS PURSUANT TO SECTION THREE HUNDRED THIRTY-EIGHT  I  OF
THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT.
  (E)  THE  COMMISSIONER  MAY,  IN HIS OR HER SOLE DISCRETION, POSTPONE,
CHANGE OR WAIVE THE SERVICE OBLIGATION SET FORTH IN SUBPARAGRAPH (I)  OF
PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.