S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                 1491--A

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                            January 13, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Health --  recommitted  to
  the  Committee  on  Health in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 --
  committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as  amended  and
  recommitted to said committee

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:

  Section  1.  Section  2807-m  of  the  public health law is amended by
adding a new subdivision 5-c to read as follows:
  5-C. REGISTERED NURSE LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.  (A)  BEGINNING  JANUARY
FIRST,  TWO  THOUSAND  SEVENTEEN, THE COMMISSIONER IS AUTHORIZED, WITHIN
AMOUNTS AVAILABLE PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION FIVE-A  OF  THIS  SECTION,  TO
MAKE LOAN REPAYMENT AWARDS:
  (I)  TO  REGISTERED  PROFESSIONAL  NURSES  OR OTHER LICENSED PRACTICAL
NURSES SPECIALITIES DETERMINED  BY  THE  COMMISSIONER  TO  BE  IN  SHORT
SUPPLY,  LICENSED  TO  PRACTICE  NURSING PURSUANT TO ARTICLE ONE HUNDRED
THIRTY-NINE OF THE EDUCATION LAW, WHO AGREE TO  PRACTICE  FOR  AT  LEAST
FIVE  YEARS IN AN UNDERSERVED AREA OR NURSING HOME, AS DETERMINED BY THE
COMMISSIONER.  SUCH REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL NURSE OR LICENSED  PRACTICAL
NURSE  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

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD01655-02-6

              

S. 1491--A                          2

  (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 REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL NURSE OR
LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (A) OF  THIS  SUBDIVISION
SHALL NOT EXCEED THE TOTAL QUALIFYING OUTSTANDING DEBT OF THE REGISTERED
PROFESSIONAL  NURSE  OR  LICENSED  PRACTICAL NURSE FROM STUDENT LOANS TO
COVER TUITION AND OTHER RELATED EDUCATIONAL EXPENSES, MADE BY OR GUARAN-
TEED BY THE FEDERAL OR STATE GOVERNMENT, OR MADE BY A LENDING OR  EDUCA-
TIONAL  INSTITUTION APPROVED UNDER TITLE IV OF THE FEDERAL HIGHER EDUCA-
TION 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 OR NURSING  HOME,  AS  DETER-
MINED  BY  THE COMMISSIONER, SHALL REPAY ALL FUNDS PAID IN AMOUNTS TO BE
DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSIONER PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION,  AND  SHALL
NO  LONGER  BE  ELIGIBLE 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.