Bill Text: CA AB1635 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Suicide prevention: mental health provider educational loan repayment.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-05-19 - In committee: Held under submission. [AB1635 Detail]
Download: California-2021-AB1635-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 1635
| Introduced by Assembly Member Nguyen |
January 12, 2022 |
An act to add Section 128457 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to suicide prevention.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1635, as introduced, Nguyen.
Suicide prevention: mental health provider educational loan repayment.
Existing law authorizes a licensed mental health service provider, as defined, including a marriage and family therapist, associate marriage and family therapist, licensed clinical social worker, and associate clinical social worker, who provides direct patient care in a publicly funded facility or a mental health professional shortage area, as defined, to apply for grants under the Licensed Mental Health Service Provider Education Program to reimburse the provider’s educational loans related to a career as a licensed mental health service provider. Existing law establishes the Mental Health Practitioner Education Fund and provides that moneys in that fund are available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for purposes of the Licensed Mental Health Service Provider Education Program.
This bill would create an account within the Mental Health
Practitioner Education Fund and, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature, require the use of moneys in that account to fund grants to repay educational loans for specified mental health practitioners who commit to providing direct patient care for at least 24 months in a facility that provides mental health services to individuals who have been referred to that facility by a suicide prevention hotline.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 128457 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:128457.
An account shall be created within the Mental Health Practitioner Education Fund and, upon appropriation by the Legislature, moneys in that account shall be used solely to fund grants, consistent with this article, to repay educational loans for an applicant who meets both of the following requirements:(a) Commits to provide direct patient care for at least 24 months in a publicly or privately funded facility or organization that provides mental health services to individuals who have been referred to that facility or organization by either a national, state, regional, or local suicide prevention hotline.
(b) Is a marriage and family therapist, associate marriage and family therapist, licensed clinical
social worker, associate clinical social worker, licensed professional clinical counselor, or associate professional clinical counselor.
