Bill Text: NY A08211 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to providing loan forgiveness for mental health nurses that make a commitment to practice in a "rural" tract or county.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-03 - referred to higher education [A08211 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-A08211-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          8211
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                      June 2, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by M. of A. GUNTHER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Higher Education
        AN ACT to amend  the  education  law,  in  relation  to  providing  loan
          forgiveness for mental health nurses
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section  679-j
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 679-j. New York state mental health nurse loan forgiveness incentive
     4  program. 1.  Purpose. The president shall grant student loan forgiveness
     5  awards  for  the  purpose of alleviating the burden of student loan debt
     6  for mental health nurses in New York state. Such awards shall be made on
     7  a competitive basis as promulgated by the corporation for such purposes,
     8  to applicants who meet the eligibility criteria. Such  rules  and  regu-
     9  lations shall include provisions for the consideration of applicants who
    10  are economically disadvantaged.
    11    2.  Eligibility. To be eligible for an award pursuant to this section,
    12  applicants shall:
    13    (a) have graduated and obtained a degree from  an  approved  New  York
    14  state college or university;
    15    (b) have an outstanding student loan debt from obtaining such degree;
    16    (c)  be  employed  as a professional or practical nurse, nurse practi-
    17  tioner, or clinical nurse specialist in New  York  state  in  accordance
    18  with  sections six thousand nine hundred five, six thousand nine hundred
    19  six, six thousand nine hundred ten and six thousand nine hundred  eleven
    20  of this chapter;
    21    (d) apply for this program within two years of college graduation;
    22    (e)  comply  with  subdivisions  three and five of section six hundred
    23  sixty-one of this part;
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10859-04-7
        A. 8211                             2
     1    (f) make a commitment to practice in a tract or county defined by  the
     2  health  resources and services administration as being "rural" or eligi-
     3  ble for a rural health grant; and
     4    (g)  make  a  commitment  to  practice in state psychiatric hospitals,
     5  hospital in-patient  psychiatric  units,  addiction  treatment  centers,
     6  behavioral  health clinics or a county run mental health program for the
     7  duration of the award.
     8    3. Awards. The corporation shall  grant  such  awards  within  amounts
     9  appropriated for such purposes and based on the availability of funds.
    10    §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
    11  have become a law.