Bill Text: CA AB2551 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Health workforce planning.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2010-08-30 - Read third time. Urgency clause refused adoption. (Ayes 23. Noes 14. Page 5028.) [AB2551 Detail]

Download: California-2009-AB2551-Amended.html

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BILL NUMBER: AB 2551	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 26, 2010

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Hernandez

                        FEBRUARY 19, 2010

    An act relating to public health.   An act
to amend Section 128345 of, and to add Article 6 (commencing with
Section 128560) to Chapter 5 of Part 3 of Division 107 of, the Health
and Safety Code, relating to pharm   acy technicians. 


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 2551, as amended, Hernandez.  Health professions
development: loan repayment.   Pharmacy technicians:
scholarship and loan repayment program.  
   Existing law establishes the California Pharmacist Scholarship and
Loan Repayment Program, administered by the Office of Statewide
Health Planning and Development, to provide for the educational
expenses of pharmacy students and to repay qualifying educational
loans of pharmacists who agree to serve in areas of the state where
unmet priority needs exist, as specified. Existing law establishes
the California Pharmacist Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program Fund
in the State Treasury, which is funded by voluntary contributions
made by pharmacies or pharmacists upon renewal of their license, and
requires that the moneys in the fund be available for the purpose of
implementing the above program, upon appropriation by the
Legislature.  
   Existing law also authorizes the Health Professions Education
Foundation to implement various loan repayment programs for nurses,
mental health service providers, and physicians.  
   This bill would establish the California Pharmacy Technician
Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program, to be administered by the
Health Professions Education Foundation, to pay for educational
expenses of pharmacy technician students and to repay qualifying
educational loans of pharmacy technicians who agree to serve in areas
of the state where unmet priority needs exist, as specified. This
bill would authorize the foundation to solicit and receive funds from
specified sources for the purpose of providing financial assistance
through the California Pharmacy Technician Scholarship and Loan
Repayment Program. This bill would require that private or public
funds made available for purposes of the program to be deposited in
the California Pharmacy Technician Scholarship and Loan Repayment
Fund established by the bill.  
   The bill would require, upon accumulation of sufficient moneys in
the fund to implement the program, as determined by the foundation,
and upon appropriation by the Legislature, that the moneys in the
fund be available for the purpose of implementing the program. 

   Existing law establishes various health professions development
programs, including, but not limited to, the Song-Brown Health Care
Workforce Training Act, the Health Professions Education Foundation
Programs, and the Steven M. Thompson Physician Corps Loan Repayment
Program.  
   This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact
legislation that would establish a new fee structure for loan
repayment of health professions development programs. 
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  no
  yes  . State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   SECTION 1.    Section 128345 of the   Health
and Safety Code   is amended to read: 
   128345.  The Health Professions Education Foundation may do any of
the following:
   (a) Solicit and receive funds from business, industry,
foundations, and other private or public sources for the purpose of
providing financial assistance in the form of scholarships or loans
to  African-American   African American 
students, Native American students,  Hispanic-American
  Hispanic American  students, and other students
from underrepresented groups. These funds shall be expended by the
office after transfer to the Health Professions Education Fund,
created pursuant to Section 128355.
   (b) Recommend to the director the disbursement of private sector
moneys deposited in the Health Professions Education Fund to students
from underrepresented groups accepted to or enrolled in schools of
medicine, dentistry, nursing, or other health professions in the form
of loans or scholarships.
   (c) Recommend to the director a standard contractual agreement to
be signed by the director and any participating student, that would
require a period of obligated professional service in the areas in
California designated by the commission as deficient in primary care
services. The agreement shall include a clause entitling the state to
recover the funds awarded plus the maximum allowable interest for
failure to begin or complete the service obligation.
   (d) Develop criteria for evaluating the likelihood that applicants
for scholarships or loans would remain to practice their profession
in designated areas deficient in primary care services.
   (e) Develop application forms, which shall be disseminated to
students from underrepresented groups interested in applying for
scholarships or loans.
   (f) Encourage private sector institutions, including hospitals,
community clinics, and other health agencies to identify and provide
educational experiences to students from underrepresented groups who
are potential applicants to schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing,
or other health professions.
   (g) Prepare and submit an annual report to the office documenting
the amount of money solicited from the private sector, the number of
scholarships and loans awarded, the enrollment levels of students
from underrepresented groups in schools of medicine, dentistry,
nursing, and other health professions, and the projected need for
scholarships and loans in the future.
   (h) Recommend to the director that a portion of the funds
solicited from the private sector be used for the administrative
requirements of the foundation.
   (i) Implement the Steven M. Thompson Physician Corps Loan
Repayment Program and the Volunteer Physician Program, as provided
under Article 5 (commencing with Section 128550). 
   (j) Solicit and receive funds from business, industry,
foundations, and other private and public sources for the purpose of
providing financial assistance in the form of scholarships and loans
through the California Pharmacy Technician Scholarship and Loan
Repayment Program, pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with Section
128560).  
   (k) Administer the California Pharmacy Technician Scholarship and
Loan Repayment Program, pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with
Section 128560). 
   SEC. 2.    Article 6 (commencing with Section 128560)
is added to Chapter 5 of Part 3 of Division 107 of the Health and
Safety Code, to read:  

      Article 6.  California Pharmacy Technician Scholarship and Loan
Repayment Program


   128560.  (a) (1) There is hereby established within the Health
Professions Education Foundation the California Pharmacy Technician
Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program.
   (2) The program shall provide scholarships to pay for the
educational expenses of pharmacy technician school students and to
repay qualifying educational loans of pharmacy technicians who agree
to participate in designated medically underserved areas as provided
in this section.
   (b) The Health Professions Education Foundation shall administer
the California Pharmacy Technician Scholarship and Loan Repayment
Program utilizing the same general guidelines applicable to the
federal National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program established
pursuant to Section 254 l  of Title 42 of the United States
Code and the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program
established pursuant to Section 254  l  -1 of Title 42 of
the United States Code, except as follows:
   (1) A pharmacy technician or pharmacy technician student shall be
eligible to participate in the program if he or she agrees to provide
pharmacy technician services in a practice site located in an area
of the state where unmet priority needs for primary care family
physicians exist as determined by the Health Workforce Policy
Commission.
   (2) No matching funds shall be required from any entity in the
practice site area.
   (c) This section shall be implemented only to the extent that
sufficient moneys are available in the California Pharmacy Technician
Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program Fund to administer the
program.
   128561.  The California Pharmacy Technician Scholarship and Loan
Repayment Program Fund is hereby established in the State Treasury.
Any private or public funds made available for purposes of the
California Pharmacy Technician Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program
shall be deposited into the fund. Upon accumulation of sufficient
moneys in the fund to implement the program, as determined by the
foundation, and upon appropriation by the Legislature, moneys in the
fund shall be available for expenditure by the Health Professions
Education Foundation for purposes of implementing the California
Pharmacy Technician Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program pursuant
to this article. The Health Professions Education Foundation shall be
under no obligation to administer a program under this article until
sufficient moneys have been accumulated in the fund and appropriated
to the foundation by the Legislature. 
  SECTION 1.    It is the intent of the Legislature
to enact legislation that would establish a new fee structure for
loan repayment of various health professions development programs,
including, but not limited to, all of the following:
   (a) The Song-Brown Health Care Workforce Training Act (Article 1
(commencing with Section 128200) of Chapter 4 of Part 3 of Division
107 of the Health and Safety Code).
   (b) The Health Professions Education Foundation Programs
established pursuant to (Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 128330)
of Part 3 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code).
   (c) The Steven M. Thompson Physician Corps Loan Repayment Program,
as set forth in Article 5 (commencing with Section 128550) of
Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 128330) of Part 3 of Division 107
of the Health and Safety Code.