Senate
Study
Bill
3003
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
_____
BY
(PROPOSED
COMMITTEE
ON
EDUCATION
BILL
BY
CHAIRPERSON
SINCLAIR)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
establishing
the
mental
health
professional
loan
1
repayment
program
within
the
college
student
aid
commission.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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Section
1.
NEW
SECTION
.
261.117
Mental
health
professional
1
loan
repayment
program.
2
1.
Definitions.
For
purposes
of
this
section,
unless
the
3
context
otherwise
requires:
4
a.
“Commission”
means
the
college
student
aid
commission.
5
b.
“Eligible
institution”
means
an
institution
of
higher
6
learning
governed
by
the
state
board
of
regents
or
an
7
accredited
private
institution
as
defined
in
section
261.9.
8
c.
“Eligible
loan”
means
a
mental
health
professional’s
9
total
federally
guaranteed
Stafford
loan
amount
under
the
10
federal
family
education
loan
program
or
the
federal
direct
11
loan
program,
a
mental
health
professional’s
federal
grad
plus
12
loans,
or
a
mental
health
professional’s
federal
Perkins
loan,
13
including
principal
and
interest.
14
d.
“Eligible
practice
area”
means
a
city
in
Iowa
that
is
15
within
a
federal
mental
health
shortage
area,
as
designated
by
16
the
health
resources
and
services
administration
of
the
United
17
States
department
of
health
and
human
services.
18
e.
“Mental
health
professional”
means
a
nonprescribing
19
individual
who
meets
all
of
the
following
qualifications:
20
(1)
The
individual
holds
at
least
a
master’s
degree
from
21
an
eligible
institution
in
a
mental
health
field,
including
22
psychology,
counseling
and
guidance,
social
work,
marriage
and
23
family
therapy,
or
mental
health
counseling.
24
(2)
The
individual
holds
a
current
Iowa
license
if
25
practicing
in
a
field
covered
by
an
Iowa
licensure
law.
26
(3)
The
individual
has
at
least
two
years
of
post-degree
27
clinical
experience,
supervised
by
another
individual
in
the
28
mental
health
field,
in
assessing
mental
health
needs
and
29
problems
and
in
providing
appropriate
mental
health
services.
30
(4)
The
individual
is
not
eligible
for
the
rural
Iowa
31
advanced
nurse
practitioner
and
physician
assistant
loan
32
repayment
program
established
pursuant
to
section
261.114.
33
f.
“Part-time
practice”
means
at
least
seventy
percent
of
34
a
forty-hour
workweek.
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2.
Program
established.
A
mental
health
professional
loan
1
repayment
program
is
established
to
be
administered
by
the
2
commission
for
purposes
of
providing
loan
repayments
for
mental
3
health
professionals
who
agree
to
practice
in
an
eligible
4
practice
area
and
meet
the
requirements
of
this
section.
5
3.
Program
agreements.
6
a.
The
mental
health
professional
and
the
commission
shall
7
enter
into
a
program
agreement.
Under
the
agreement,
to
8
receive
loan
repayments
pursuant
to
subsection
5,
a
mental
9
health
professional
shall
agree
to
and
shall
engage
in
either
10
of
the
following:
11
(1)
Full-time
practice
as
a
mental
health
professional
in
an
12
eligible
practice
area
for
a
period
of
five
consecutive
years
13
after
entering
into
the
agreement.
14
(2)
Part-time
practice
as
a
mental
health
professional
in
an
15
eligible
practice
area
for
a
period
of
seven
consecutive
years
16
after
entering
into
the
agreement.
17
b.
A
mental
health
professional
who
entered
into
a
program
18
agreement
pursuant
to
paragraph
“a”
may
apply
to
the
commission
19
to
amend
the
agreement
to
allow
the
mental
health
professional
20
to
switch
to
part-time
practice
or
full-time
practice,
as
21
applicable.
The
commission
and
the
mental
health
professional
22
may
consent
to
amend
the
agreement
under
which
the
mental
23
health
professional
shall
engage
in
part-time
practice
in
an
24
eligible
practice
area
for
an
extended
period
of
part-time
25
practice
determined
by
the
commission
to
be
proportional
to
26
the
amount
of
full-time
practice
remaining
under
the
original
27
agreement.
28
c.
The
commission
shall
give
priority
to
mental
health
29
professionals
who
are
residents
of
Iowa
and,
if
requested
by
30
the
adjutant
general,
to
mental
health
professionals
who
are
31
members
of
the
Iowa
national
guard.
32
4.
Satisfaction
of
practice
obligation.
33
a.
An
obligation
to
engage
in
full-time
or
part-time
34
practice
under
a
program
agreement
entered
into
pursuant
to
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subsection
3
shall
be
considered
satisfied
when
any
of
the
1
following
conditions
is
met:
2
(1)
The
terms
of
the
agreement
are
completed.
3
(2)
The
individual
who
entered
into
the
agreement
dies.
4
(3)
The
individual
who
entered
into
the
agreement,
due
to
a
5
permanent
disability,
is
unable
to
practice
as
a
mental
health
6
professional.
7
b.
If
a
mental
health
professional
fails
to
fulfill
the
8
obligation
to
engage
in
practice
in
accordance
with
subsection
9
3,
the
mental
health
professional
shall
be
subject
to
repayment
10
to
the
commission
of
loan
repayment
amounts
the
commission
paid
11
to
the
mental
health
professional
pursuant
to
subsection
5
plus
12
interest
as
specified
by
rule.
13
5.
Loan
repayment
amounts.
The
annual
amount
of
loan
14
repayment
the
commission
may
make
to
a
mental
health
15
professional
who
enters
into
a
program
agreement
pursuant
16
to
subsection
3,
if
the
mental
health
professional
is
in
17
compliance
with
obligations
under
the
agreement,
shall
be
18
eight
thousand
dollars
for
an
eligible
loan.
The
total
amount
19
of
loan
repayments
from
the
commission
to
a
mental
health
20
professional
under
this
subsection
shall
not
exceed
forty
21
thousand
dollars.
22
6.
Refinanced
loans.
A
mental
health
professional
who
23
receives
a
loan
repayment
pursuant
to
subsection
5
and
who
24
refinances
an
eligible
loan
by
obtaining
a
private
educational
25
loan
may
continue
to
receive
loan
repayment
under
this
section
26
if
the
amount
of
loan
repayment
does
not
exceed
the
lesser
of
27
the
amount
specified
in
subsection
5
or
the
balance
of
the
loan
28
repayment
amount
the
mental
health
professional
qualified
to
29
receive
with
the
eligible
loan.
30
7.
Mental
health
professional
loan
repayment
fund.
A
mental
31
health
professional
loan
repayment
fund
is
created
for
deposit
32
of
moneys
appropriated
to
or
received
by
the
commission
for
use
33
under
the
mental
health
professional
loan
repayment
program.
34
Notwithstanding
section
8.33,
moneys
deposited
in
the
mental
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health
professional
loan
repayment
fund
shall
not
revert
to
any
1
fund
of
the
state
at
the
end
of
any
fiscal
year
but
shall
remain
2
in
the
mental
health
professional
loan
repayment
fund
and
be
3
continuously
available
for
loan
repayment
under
the
program.
4
Notwithstanding
section
12C.7,
subsection
2,
interest
or
5
earnings
on
moneys
deposited
in
the
mental
health
professional
6
loan
repayment
fund
shall
be
credited
to
the
fund.
7
8.
Report.
The
commission
shall
submit
in
a
report
to
the
8
general
assembly
by
January
1,
annually,
the
number
of
mental
9
health
professionals
who
received
loan
repayment
pursuant
to
10
this
section,
where
the
mental
health
professionals
practiced,
11
the
amount
paid
to
each
mental
health
professional,
and
other
12
information
identified
by
the
commission
as
indicators
of
13
outcomes
of
the
program.
14
9.
Rules.
The
commission
shall
adopt
rules
pursuant
to
15
chapter
17A
to
administer
this
section.
16
EXPLANATION
17
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
18
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
19
This
bill
establishes
the
mental
health
professional
loan
20
repayment
program
within
the
college
student
aid
commission.
21
The
bill
defines
“commission”,
“eligible
institution”,
22
“eligible
loan”,
“eligible
practice
area”,
“mental
health
23
professional”,
and
“part-time
practice”.
24
The
bill
provides
that
the
commission
is
to
administer
the
25
mental
health
professional
loan
repayment
program
for
purposes
26
of
providing
loan
repayments
for
mental
health
professionals
27
who
agree
to
practice
in
an
eligible
practice
area.
28
The
bill
requires
a
mental
health
professional
and
the
29
commission
to
enter
into
a
program
agreement.
The
bill
30
provides
that,
in
order
for
the
mental
health
professional
to
31
receive
loan
repayments,
the
mental
health
professional
shall
32
agree
to
engage
in
either
full-time
practice
in
an
eligible
33
practice
area
for
a
period
of
five
consecutive
years
or
34
part-time
practice
in
an
eligible
practice
area
for
a
period
of
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seven
consecutive
years.
The
bill
authorizes
the
mental
health
1
professional
and
the
commission
to
amend
the
agreement
to
allow
2
a
mental
health
professional
to
switch
to
full-time
practice
or
3
part-time
practice.
The
bill
requires
the
commission
to
give
4
priority
to
mental
health
professionals
who
are
residents
of
5
Iowa
and
to
mental
health
professionals
who
are
members
of
the
6
Iowa
national
guard.
7
The
bill
provides
that
a
mental
health
professional’s
8
obligation
to
engage
in
full-time
or
part-time
practice
under
a
9
program
agreement
shall
be
considered
satisfied
when
the
terms
10
of
the
agreement
are
completed;
the
individual
who
entered
into
11
the
agreement
dies;
or
the
individual
who
entered
into
the
12
agreement,
due
to
a
permanent
disability,
is
unable
to
practice
13
as
a
mental
health
professional.
The
bill
also
provides
that
14
if
a
mental
health
professional
fails
to
fulfill
the
obligation
15
to
engage
in
practice,
the
mental
health
professional
shall
16
be
subject
to
repayment
to
the
commission
of
loan
repayment
17
amounts
the
commission
paid
to
the
mental
health
professional
18
plus
interest.
19
The
bill
limits
the
annual
amount
of
loan
repayment
a
mental
20
health
professional
may
receive
to
$8,000
for
an
eligible
21
loan.
The
bill
provides
that
the
total
loan
repayments
from
22
the
commission
to
a
mental
health
professional
shall
not
exceed
23
$40,000.
24
The
bill
provides
that
a
mental
health
professional
who
25
receives
a
loan
repayment
and
who
refinances
an
eligible
loan
26
by
obtaining
a
private
educational
loan
may
continue
to
receive
27
loan
repayment
in
certain
specified
circumstances.
28
The
bill
creates
the
mental
health
professional
loan
29
repayment
fund
to
support
loan
repayments
under
the
mental
30
health
professional
loan
repayment
program.
The
bill
provides
31
that,
notwithstanding
Code
section
8.33,
moneys
deposited
in
32
the
fund
shall
not
revert
to
any
fund
of
the
state
at
the
end
of
33
any
fiscal
year.
The
bill
also
provides
that,
notwithstanding
34
Code
section
12C.7,
subsection
2,
interest
or
earnings
on
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moneys
deposited
in
the
fund
shall
be
credited
to
the
fund.
1
The
bill
requires
the
commission
to
submit
a
report
to
the
2
general
assembly
by
January
1,
annually,
describing
the
number
3
of
mental
health
professionals
who
received
loan
repayment,
4
where
the
mental
health
professionals
practiced,
the
amount
5
paid
to
each
mental
health
professional,
and
other
information
6
identified
by
the
commission
as
indicators
of
outcomes
of
the
7
program.
8
The
bill
requires
the
commission
to
adopt
rules
to
9
administer
the
mental
health
professional
loan
repayment
10
program.
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