Bill Text: CA AB589 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Medical education: underrepresented medical specialties.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-03 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB589 Detail]
Download: California-2013-AB589-Amended.html
BILL NUMBER: AB 589 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JANUARY 6, 2014
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Fox
FEBRUARY 20, 2013
An act to add and repeal Article 21.7 (commencing with Section
70015) of Chapter 2 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the
Education Code, relating to medical education.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 589, as amended, Fox. Medical education: underrepresented
medical specialties.
Existing law establishes the Student Aid Commission as the primary
state agency for the administration of state-authorized student
financial aid programs available to students attending all segments
of postsecondary education.
Existing law establishes various educational loan
assumption programs, administered by the commission, under which a
qualified person enrolled in an institution of postsecondary
education and participating in that loan assumption program is
eligible to receive a conditional warrant for loan assumption, to be
redeemed upon meeting the conditions of the loan assumption
agreement.
This bill would enact the Dolores H. Fox Underrepresented
Medical Specialties Act, which would establish a loan
assumption program for physicians working full time in California
practicing in underrepresented specialties, as defined. This program
would provide loan assumption benefits to persons who agree to work
full time for 4 consecutive years in California as physicians
practicing in underrepresented specialties, as specified. The program
provides for a progressive assumption of the amount of a qualifying
loan over 4 consecutive years of qualifying practice, up to a total
loan assumption of $20,000. The bill would require that, in any
fiscal year, the commission award no more than the number of warrants
that are authorized in the Budget Act for that fiscal year for the
assumption of loans pursuant to the program. This program would
become inoperative on July 1, 2019 2020
, and would be repealed on January 1, 2020
2021 .
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Article 21.7 (commencing with Section 70015) is added
to Chapter 2 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education
Code, to read:
Article 21.7. Underrepresented Medical Specialties
70015. (a) (1) This article shall be known and may be cited
as the "Dolores H. Fox Underrepresented Medical Specialties Act."
(a) (1) Any
(2) Any person enrolled in an
eligible institution, or any person who agrees to work full time in
California practicing as a physician in an underrepresented
specialty, may be eligible to enter into an agreement for loan
assumption, to be redeemed pursuant to Section 70015.5 upon becoming
employed in California as a physician practicing in an
underrepresented specialty. In order to be eligible to enter into an
agreement for loan assumption, an applicant shall satisfy all of the
conditions specified in subdivision (b).
(2)
(3) As used in this article, "eligible institution"
means a postsecondary institution that is determined by the Student
Aid Commission to meet both of the following requirements:
(A) The institution is eligible to participate in state and
federal financial aid programs.
(B) The institution maintains an accredited program of
professional preparation for licensing as a physician in California.
(3)
(4) As used in this article, "underrepresented
specialty" means any medical specialty field designated by the
Medical Board of California as underrepresented in California
pursuant to subdivision (e).
(b) (1) The applicant has been admitted to, or is enrolled in, or
has successfully completed, an accredited program of professional
preparation for licensing as a physician in California.
(2) The applicant is currently enrolled, or has been admitted to a
program in which he or she will be enrolled, on a full-time basis,
as determined by the participating institution. The applicant shall
agree to maintain satisfactory academic progress and a minimum of
full-time enrollment, as defined by the participating eligible
institution.
(3) The applicant has been judged by his or her postsecondary
institution to have outstanding ability on the basis of criteria that
may include, but need not be limited to, any of the following:
(A) Grade point average.
(B) Test scores.
(C) Faculty evaluations.
(D) Interviews.
(E) Other recommendations.
(4) The applicant has received, or is approved to receive, a loan
under one or more of the following designated loan programs:
(A) The Federal Family Education Loan Program (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1071
et seq.).
(B) Any loan program approved by the Student Aid Commission.
(5) The applicant has agreed to work full time for at least four
consecutive years in California as a physician practicing in
a an underrepresented specialty.
(c) No applicant who has completed fewer than 60 semester units,
or the equivalent, shall be eligible under this section to
participate in the loan assumption program set forth in this article.
(d) A person participating in the program pursuant to this section
shall not enter into more than one agreement under this article.
(e) On or before March 1, 2014 2015
, and on or before March 1 of each even-numbered
odd-numbered year thereafter, the Medical Board of
California shall designate one or more medical practice areas that
the board deems to be specialties that are underrepresented in
California as of the date of the designation, and prominently post a
list of these medical practice areas on its Internet Web site.
70015.5. The commission shall commence loan assumption payments,
as specified in Section 70016, upon verification that the applicant
has fulfilled all of the following:
(a) The applicant has become a physician licensed to practice in
California.
(b) The applicant is working full time in California as a
physician practicing in an underrepresented specialty.
(c) The applicant has met the requirements of the agreement and
all other pertinent conditions of this article.
70016. The terms of a loan assumption granted under this article
shall be as follows, subject to the specific terms of each agreement:
(a) After a program participant has completed one year of
full-time employment as described in subdivision (b) of Section
70015.5, the commission shall assume up to five thousand dollars
($5,000) of the participant's outstanding liability under one or more
of the designated loan programs.
(b) After a program participant has completed two years of
full-time employment as described in subdivision (b) of Section
70015.5, the commission shall assume up to an additional five
thousand dollars ($5,000) of the participant's outstanding liability
under one or more of the designated loan programs, for a total loan
assumption of up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
(c) After a program participant has completed three years of
full-time employment as described in subdivision (b) of Section
70015.5, the commission shall assume up to an additional five
thousand dollars ($5,000) of the participant's outstanding liability
under one or more of the designated loan programs, for a total loan
assumption of up to fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000).
(d) After a program participant has completed four years of
full-time employment as described in subdivision (b) of Section
70015.5, the commission shall assume up to an additional five
thousand dollars ($5,000) of the participant's outstanding liability
under one or more of the designated loan programs, for a total loan
assumption of up to twenty thousand dollars ($20,000).
70016.5. (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), if a program
participant fails to complete a minimum of four consecutive years of
full-time employment as required by this article, under the terms of
the agreement pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (b) of Section
70015, the participant shall retain full liability for all student
loan obligations remaining after the commission's assumption of loan
liability for the last year of qualifying service as a physician
practicing in an underrepresented specialty pursuant to Section
70016.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), if a program participant
becomes unable to complete one of the four consecutive years of
qualifying service as a physician practicing in an underrepresented
specialty due to serious illness, pregnancy, or other natural causes,
the term of the loan assumption agreement shall be extended for a
period not to exceed one year. The commission shall make no further
payments under the loan assumption agreement until the applicable
work requirements as specified in Section 70015.5 have been
are again satisfied.
(c) If a natural disaster prevents a program participant from
completing one of the required years of work due to an interruption
of employment, the term of the loan assumption agreement shall be
extended for the period of time equal to the period from the
interruption of employment until the resumption of employment. The
commission shall make no further payments under the loan assumption
agreement until the applicable employment requirements specified in
Section 70015.5 have been are again
satisfied.
70017. (a) The commission shall administer this article, and
shall adopt rules and regulations for that purpose. The rules and
regulations shall include, but need not be limited to, provisions
regarding the period of time during which an agreement shall remain
valid, the reallocation of resources in light of agreements that are
not used by program participants, the failure, for any reason, of a
program participant to complete a minimum of four consecutive years
of qualifying service as a physician practicing in an
underrepresented specialty, and the development of projections for
funding purposes.
(b) If a provision is added to this article and the commission
deems it necessary to adopt a rule or regulation to implement that
provision, the commission shall develop and adopt that rule or
regulation no later than six months after the operative date of the
statute that adds the provision.
70017.5. On or before January 31, 2015
2016 , and on or before each January 31 thereafter until, and
including, January 31, 2019 2020 , the
commission shall report annually to the Legislature regarding both of
the following, on the basis of sex, age, and ethnicity:
(a) The total number of program participants and the type of
program of professional preparation they are attending or have
attended.
(b) The numbers of participants who complete one, two, three, or
four years of qualifying service as a physician practicing in an
underrepresented specialty, respectively.
specialty.
70018. On or before May 1, 2018 2019
, the Legislative Analyst's Office shall submit a report to the
Legislature that includes the findings and recommendations of the
Legislative Analyst with respect to the efficacy of the program
established by this article.
70018.5. Reports pursuant to Sections 70017.5 and 70018 shall be
submitted pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code.
70019. In selecting applicants for participation in this program,
the commission shall grant priority to applicants who, in the
determination of the commission, are included in any of the following
categories:
(a) Persons who possess a baccalaureate degree at the time of
initial application.
(b) Persons who are enrolled in an accelerated program of
professional preparation for licensing as a physician in California.
(c) Persons who are recipients of federally subsidized student
loans or other need-based student loans.
70019.5. Notwithstanding any other law, in any fiscal year, the
commission shall award no more than the number of warrants that are
authorized in the annual Budget Act for that fiscal year for the
assumption of loans pursuant to this article.
70019.9. This article shall become inoperative on July 1,
2019 2020 , and, as of January 1,
2020 2021 , is repealed, unless a later
enacted statute, that becomes operative on or before January 1,
2020 2021 , deletes or extends the dates
on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.
