HF 2812

as introduced - 81st Legislature (1999 - 2000) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; providing funding for a nursing 
  1.3             science program at St. Cloud state university; 
  1.4             appropriating money. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS.] 
  1.7      The legislature recognizes that the health care sector is 
  1.8   growing in importance for the central Minnesota region and that 
  1.9   improved access to additional educational opportunities in 
  1.10  nursing will meet the health and employment needs of the central 
  1.11  region.  The central region needs additional registered nurses 
  1.12  to serve the increasing health care needs of an aging population 
  1.13  and to fill the employment requirements of the region's health 
  1.14  care delivery system including a regional medical center and 
  1.15  rural community health organizations.  Farm families in the 
  1.16  central region also have an urgent need for increased 
  1.17  educational opportunities leading to off-farm employment with 
  1.18  wages that will enable them to stay on the farm.  A nursing 
  1.19  science program at St. Cloud state university that offers 
  1.20  affordable, flexible, and accessible professional training in 
  1.21  nursing will help meet both the need for higher paying 
  1.22  employment opportunities for rural families and the region's 
  1.23  growing demand for health care professionals. 
  1.24     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  1.25     $....... is appropriated from the general fund for fiscal 
  2.1   year 2001 to the board of trustees of the Minnesota state 
  2.2   colleges and universities to establish a nursing science program 
  2.3   at St. Cloud state university.  The program must provide 
  2.4   professional training in nursing with a broad-base liberal arts 
  2.5   education leading to a bachelor or master of science degree in 
  2.6   nursing.  The program must include an accelerated option that 
  2.7   may provide a nursing degree in 12 months for students with a 
  2.8   baccalaureate degree in an area other than nursing from an 
  2.9   accredited institution.  It must also include options for 
  2.10  licensed practical nurses and associate degree registered nurses 
  2.11  to complete college coursework and clinical programs to earn a 
  2.12  bachelor of science in nursing.