HF 3508

as introduced - 91st Legislature (2019 - 2020) Posted on 02/26/2020 09:22pm

A bill for an act
relating to health; modifying requirements for eligibility for the health professional
education loan forgiveness program; establishing a greater Minnesota general
practice dental residency grant program; appropriating money; amending Minnesota
Statutes 2018, section 144.1501, subdivision 2; proposing coding for new law in
Minnesota Statutes, chapter 144.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2018, section 144.1501, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Creation of account.

(a) A health professional education loan forgiveness
program account is established. The commissioner of health shall use money from the
account to establish a loan forgiveness program:

(1) for medical residents and mental health professionals agreeing to practice in designated
rural areas or underserved urban communities or specializing in the area of pediatric
psychiatry;

(2) for midlevel practitioners agreeing to practice in designated rural areas or to teach
at least 12 credit hours, or 720 hours per year in the nursing field in a postsecondary program
at the undergraduate level or the equivalent at the graduate level;

(3) for nurses who agree to practice in a Minnesota nursing home; an intermediate care
facility for persons with developmental disability; a hospital if the hospital owns and operates
a Minnesota nursing home and a minimum of 50 percent of the hours worked by the nurse
is in the nursing home; a housing with services establishment as defined in section 144D.01,
subdivision 4; or for a home care provider as defined in section 144A.43, subdivision 4; or
agree to teach at least 12 credit hours, or 720 hours per year in the nursing field in a
postsecondary program at the undergraduate level or the equivalent at the graduate level;

(4) for other health care technicians agreeing to teach at least 12 credit hours, or 720
hours per year in their designated field in a postsecondary program at the undergraduate
level or the equivalent at the graduate level. The commissioner, in consultation with the
Healthcare Education-Industry Partnership, shall determine the health care fields where the
need is the greatest, including, but not limited to, respiratory therapy, clinical laboratory
technology, radiologic technology, and surgical technology;

(5) for pharmacists, advanced dental therapists, dental therapists, and public health nurses
who agree to practice in designated rural areas; and

(6) for dentists agreeing who either (i) agree to deliver at least 25 percent of the dentist's
yearly patient encounters to state public program enrollees or patients receiving sliding fee
schedule discounts through a formal sliding fee schedule meeting the standards established
by the United States Department of Health and Human Services under Code of Federal
Regulations, title 42, section 51, chapter 303, or (ii) agree to practice in designated rural
areas.

(b) Appropriations made to the account do not cancel and are available until expended,
except that at the end of each biennium, any remaining balance in the account that is not
committed by contract and not needed to fulfill existing commitments shall cancel to the
fund.

Sec. 2.

[144.1915] GREATER MINNESOTA GENERAL PRACTICE DENTAL
RESIDENCY GRANT PROGRAM.

Subdivision 1.

Definitions.

(a) The definitions in this subdivision apply to this section.

(b) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of health.

(c) "Eligible general practice dental residency program" means a program that:

(1) is located in Minnesota outside the seven-county metropolitan area;

(2) is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation;

(3) provides instruction in all areas of general dentistry, including diagnosis, treatment
planning, and dental care; and

(4) includes a focus on educating and training dentists to serve patients outside the
seven-county metropolitan area.

(d) "Seven-county metropolitan area" has the meaning given in section 473.121,
subdivision 4.

Subd. 2.

Program administration.

The commissioner shall award grants to eligible
general practice dental residency programs to support current and new general practice
dental residency positions outside the seven-county metropolitan area. Funds shall be
allocated first to proposed new general practice dental residency positions outside the
seven-county metropolitan area. Remaining funds shall be allocated proportionally based
on the number of existing residents in eligible general practice dental residency programs
that apply for a grant under this section.

Subd. 3.

Uses of grant funds.

(a) A general practice dental residency program shall use
grant funds awarded under this section only to cover the costs of:

(1) establishing, maintaining, or expanding training for general practice dental residents
outside the seven-county metropolitan area;

(2) recruiting, training, and retaining residents and faculty;

(3) travel and lodging for residents; and

(4) faculty, resident, and preceptor salaries.

(b) Grant funds awarded under this section shall not be used to supplant any other
government or private funds available for these purposes.

Subd. 4.

Application.

Eligible general practice dental residency programs seeking a
grant under this section must apply to the commissioner according to timelines and in a
manner established by the commissioner. The application must include objectives, a work
plan and budget, a description of the new and existing residency positions that will be
supported using grant funds, and additional information required by the commissioner. The
commissioner shall determine whether applications are complete and responsive and may
require an applicant to revise its application or provide additional information before
awarding a grant.

Subd. 5.

Program oversight.

The commissioner shall require general practice dental
residency programs receiving a grant under this section to provide the commissioner with
information necessary to administer and evaluate the grant program. In evaluating the grant
program, the commissioner must examine how grant funds were used to establish new
residency positions or enhance current residency positions, including through facility
improvements, and must collect data on shortages of dentists and dental services outside
the seven-county metropolitan area.

Sec. 3. APPROPRIATIONS; GREATER MINNESOTA GENERAL PRACTICE
DENTAL RESIDENCY GRANT PROGRAM; RURAL DENTISTRY SCHOLARS
PROGRAM.

(a) $....... in fiscal year 2021 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of health for the health professional education loan forgiveness program under Minnesota
Statutes, section 144.1501.

(b) $....... in fiscal year 2021 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of health for the greater Minnesota general practice dental residency grant program under
Minnesota Statutes, section 144.1915.

(c) $....... in fiscal year 2021 is appropriated from the general fund to the Board of Regents
of the University of Minnesota to expand the rural dentistry scholars program, in which
second- and third-year dental students at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry
are placed with rural dentists around the state for mentoring, opportunities to collaborate
with other rural health care providers, and opportunities to learn about oral health disparities
in rural areas of the state and the practice of dentistry in rural areas of the state.