NY State Senate Bill 2023-S8350

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 19, 2024	referred to higher education

2023-S8350 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Higher Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §605, Ed L

2023-S8350 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes a school-based mental health loan repayment program to aid youth mental health practitioners; provides for awards up to thirty thousand dollars to eligible applicants who agree to four years of service in underserved schools.

2023-S8350 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8350

SPONSOR: BROUK
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to creating the school-
based mental health loan repayment program

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To establish a School-based Mental Health Loan Repayment Program for
mental health professionals working in schools with ratios not meeting a
ratio of students to professionals per the recommendation of the depart-
ment of education.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Legislative Findings.

Section 2. Amends section 605 of the education law adding a new subdivi-
sion 13 to establish the School-based Mental Health Loan Repayment
Program and establish eligibility for receiving an award under this

section.

Section 3. Establishes the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Across the United States, there is currently a shortage of school-based
mental health professionals, and New York is not immune to this short-
age. The New York State Boards Association indicates that twenty-nine
percent of school superintendents in New York State said their school
districts lack enough school psychologists to meet students' needs. This
inadequacy has detrimental effects upon the mental health of our youth
who are struggling with depression, feelings of persistent sadness,
hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts.

According to an April 2022 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), youth who did not
feel close to persons at school reported higher rates of the following:
poor mental health during the last 30 days and during the pandemic,
persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and having seriously
considered attempting or having attempted suicide. Ensuring that
students have access to the proper mental health professionals is just
one solution. If there is going to be progress in dealing with students'
ongoing trauma, the state needs to take a public health approach to
establish school-based professionals that are available to help.

In a recent report compiled by the Office of Mental Health and Office of
Children Family Services, youth offered recommendations including the
need to increase mental health resources in schools by hiring additional
well-trained mental health providers and school psychologists.
Nationally, It would take an estimated 77,000 more school counselors,
63,000 more school psychologists and probably tens of thousands of
school social workers to reach levels recommended by professional groups
before the pandemic hit.

The National Association of School Psychologists recommends one school
psychologist per 500 students in order to provide comprehensive school
psychological services. With the national average of 1 school psychol-
ogist per 1,127 students, and variation throughout states, this bill is
aims to incentivise trained mental health providers and school psychol-
ogists to enter and practice in a field that is currently facing attri-
tion.

Access to mental health services throughout New York is not equitable;
some counties experience greater shortages than others. In fact, 40 of
New York's 62 counties are identified as a Mental Health Professional
Shortage Area. In communities that are more greatly disadvantaged and
face socio-economic disparities and hardships, these shortages have even
more profound ramifications.

Offering school-based mental health professionals student loan forgive-
ness during the duration of their tenure at these schools could help
address the workforce shortage and help combat the public health crisis
we are facing.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-24: New Bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2023-S8350 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8350
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 19, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  BROUK  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to creating  the  school-
   based mental health loan repayment program
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. Legislative findings.  The  legislature  acknowledges  that
 there  is a mental health crisis among our youth, especially in our most
 vulnerable communities. The legislature also acknowledges that there  is
 a  shortage of mental health professionals working in schools across the
 state. In order to combat the youth mental health crisis,  the  legisla-
 ture  acknowledges  the  benefits  of  a  loan repayment program for the
 professionals working in the most underserved schools.
   § 2. Section 605 of the education law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 subdivision 13 to read as follows:
   13.  NEW YORK STATE SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.
 A. PURPOSE. THE PRESIDENT SHALL GRANT  LOAN  REPAYMENT  AWARDS  FOR  THE
 PURPOSE  OF  INCREASING  THE NUMBER OF YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
 EMPLOYED IN UNDERSERVED SCHOOLS ACROSS NEW YORK STATE. SUCH AWARDS SHALL
 BE MADE ON A COMPETITIVE BASIS TO APPLICANTS WHO HAVE GRADUATED FROM  AN
 INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION APPROVED OR REGISTERED BY THE REGENTS.
   B.  ELIGIBILITY.  (1)  TO  BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE AN AWARD PURSUANT TO
 THIS SUBDIVISION, AN APPLICANT MUST BE A RESIDENT OF NEW YORK STATE  WHO
 HAS  GRADUATED  FROM  AN  INSTITUTION  OF  HIGHER  EDUCATION  AND HAS AN
 OUTSTANDING STUDENT LOAN DEBT.
   (2) FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, A YOUTH  MENTAL  HEALTH  PROFES-
 SIONAL  CAN BE A CERTIFIED OR LICENSED SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST, SCHOOL COUN-
 SELOR, OR SOCIAL WORKER.
   (3) UNDERSERVED SCHOOLS SHALL BE SCHOOLS WITH STUDENT TO MENTAL HEALTH
 PROFESSIONAL RATIOS BELOW THE  RECOMMENDED  LEVELS  PROMULGATED  BY  THE
 PRESIDENT  IN  CONJUNCTION  WITH  THE  COMMISSIONER FOR PURPOSES OF THIS
 SUBDIVISION.
   (4) SUCH AWARD SHALL BE MADE  ANNUALLY  TO  ELIGIBLE  APPLICANTS  WHO,
 PRIOR  TO  ACCEPTING SUCH AWARD, ARE COMMITTED TO AT LEAST FOUR YEARS OF
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD13953-02-4
 S. 8350                             2
 
 SERVICE AS A YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL IN AN UNDERSERVED  SCHOOL,
 AND  SUCH  AWARD  SHALL  NOT EXCEED THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS PER YEAR AND
 SHALL BE MADE TO APPLICANTS PURSUANT TO THE FOLLOWING SCHEDULE:
   (I) THIRTY PERCENT OF THE TOTAL AWARD FOR THE FIRST YEAR;
   (II) THIRTY PERCENT FOR THE SECOND YEAR; AND
   (III)  ANY UNPAID BALANCE OF THE TOTAL AWARD NOT TO EXCEED THE MAXIMUM
 AWARD AMOUNT FOR THE THIRD YEAR.
   (5) RECIPIENTS OF SUCH AWARDS SHALL BE ELIGIBLE  TO  APPLY  FOR  OTHER
 AWARDS ESTABLISHED UNDER THIS CHAPTER.
   C.  DURATION. SUCH AWARD SHALL BE MADE ANNUALLY, FOR NO MORE THAN FOUR
 YEARS, TO APPLICANTS WHO REMAIN ELIGIBLE UNDER THIS SUBDIVISION AND  WHO
 ARE CERTIFIED AS SUCH BY THE CORPORATION.
   D.  AMOUNT.  THE CORPORATION SHALL GRANT SUCH AWARDS WITHIN THE AMOUNT
 APPROPRIATED FOR SUCH PURPOSE AND BASED ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS  IN  AN
 AMOUNT  NOT  TO  EXCEED  THE TOTAL COST OF THE COMPLETION OF SUCH DEGREE
 PROGRAMS. COST OF COMPLETION OF SUCH DEGREES SHALL INCLUDE TUITION AT AN
 INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION APPROVED OR REGISTERED  BY  THE  REGENTS
 AND OTHER REQUIRED OR REASONABLE STUDENT FEES.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S8350

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

2023-S8350 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S8350 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S8350 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S8350 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S8350

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Sponsored By

Samra G. Brouk

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

2023-S8350 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S8350 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S8350 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S8350 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments