1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to health; establishing a grant and 
  1.3             interest-free loan program for nursing to be 
  1.4             supervised by the department of health and 
  1.5             administered by the metropolitan healthcare 
  1.6             foundation's project LINC; appropriating money; 
  1.7             proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, 
  1.8             chapter 144. 
  1.9   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.10     Section 1.  [144.1493] [NURSING GRANT PROGRAM.] 
  1.11     Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] A nursing grant and 
  1.12  interest-free loan program is established under the supervision 
  1.13  of the commissioner of health and the administration of the 
  1.14  metropolitan healthcare foundation's project LINC to provide 
  1.15  grants and interest-free loans to Minnesota health care facility 
  1.16  employees seeking to complete a baccalaureate or master's degree 
  1.17  in nursing. 
  1.18     Subd. 2.  [RESPONSIBILITY OF METROPOLITAN HEALTHCARE 
  1.19  FOUNDATION'S PROJECT LINC.] The metropolitan healthcare 
  1.20  foundation's project LINC shall administer the grant and 
  1.21  interest-free loan program and award grants and interest-free 
  1.22  loans to eligible health care facility employees.  To be 
  1.23  eligible to receive a grant or interest-free loan, a person must 
  1.24  be: 
  1.25     (1) an employee of a health care facility located in 
  1.26  Minnesota, whom the facility has recommended to the metropolitan 
  1.27  healthcare foundation's project LINC for consideration; 
  2.1      (2) working part time, up to 16 hours per week, for the 
  2.2   health care facility, while maintaining full salary and 
  2.3   benefits; 
  2.4      (3) enrolled full time in a Minnesota school or college of 
  2.5   nursing to complete a baccalaureate or master's degree in 
  2.6   nursing; and 
  2.7      (4) a resident of the state of Minnesota. 
  2.8      The grant or interest-free loan must be awarded for one 
  2.9   academic year but is renewable for a maximum of six semesters or 
  2.10  nine quarters of full-time study, or their equivalent.  The 
  2.11  grant or interest-free loan must be used for tuition, fees, and 
  2.12  books.  Priority in awarding grants and interest-free loans 
  2.13  shall be given to persons with the greatest financial need, with 
  2.14  at least one-half the money set aside for applicants employed 
  2.15  outside the seven-county metropolitan area, as defined in 
  2.16  section 473.121, subdivision 2.  If there are too few 
  2.17  nonmetropolitan applicants, the money may be used for any other 
  2.18  applicants.  The health care facility may require its employee 
  2.19  to commit to a reasonable postprogram completion of employment 
  2.20  at the health care facility as a condition for the financial 
  2.21  support the facility provides. 
  2.22     Subd. 3.  [RESPONSIBILITY OF COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH.] The 
  2.23  commissioner of health shall distribute money each year to the 
  2.24  metropolitan healthcare foundation's project LINC to be used to 
  2.25  award grants and interest-free loans under this section, 
  2.26  provided that the commissioner shall not distribute the money 
  2.27  unless the metropolitan healthcare foundation's project LINC 
  2.28  matches the money with an equal amount from nonstate sources.  
  2.29  The metropolitan healthcare foundation's project LINC shall 
  2.30  expend nonstate money prior to expending state money and shall 
  2.31  return to the commissioner all state money not used each year 
  2.32  for nursing program grants and interest-free loans to be 
  2.33  redistributed under this section.  The metropolitan healthcare 
  2.34  foundation's project LINC shall report on its program activity 
  2.35  as requested by the commissioner. 
  2.36     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  3.1      $....... is appropriated from the general fund for the 
  3.2   biennium ending June 30, 1997, to the commissioner of health for 
  3.3   the metropolitan healthcare foundation's project LINC to award 
  3.4   grants and interest-free loans under section 1.