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SF 704

as introduced - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 02/13/2015 08:42am

KEY: stricken = removed, old language.
underscored = added, new language.
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A bill for an act
relating to health; adding mental health professionals and independent clinical
social workers to the health professional education loan forgiveness program;
appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 144.1501, subdivisions 1, 2, 3.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 144.1501, subdivision 1, is amended to read:


Subdivision 1.

Definitions.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions
apply.

(b) "Dentist" means an individual who is licensed to practice dentistry.

(c) "Designated rural area" means a city or township that is:

(1) outside the seven-county metropolitan area as defined in section 473.121,
subdivision 2; and

(2) has a population under 15,000.

(d) "Emergency circumstances" means those conditions that make it impossible for
the participant to fulfill the service commitment, including death, total and permanent
disability, or temporary disability lasting more than two years.

(e) "Medical resident" means an individual participating in a medical residency in
family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, or psychiatry.

new text begin (f) "Mental health professional" means an individual providing clinical services in
the treatment of mental illness who is qualified in at least one of the ways specified in
section 245.462, subdivision 18.
new text end

deleted text begin (f)deleted text end new text begin (g)new text end "Midlevel practitioner" means a nurse practitioner, nurse-midwife, nurse
anesthetist, advanced clinical nurse specialist, or physician assistant.

deleted text begin (g)deleted text end new text begin (h)new text end "Nurse" means an individual who has completed training and received
all licensing or certification necessary to perform duties as a licensed practical nurse
or registered nurse.

deleted text begin (h)deleted text end new text begin (i)new text end "Nurse-midwife" means a registered nurse who has graduated from a program
of study designed to prepare registered nurses for advanced practice as nurse-midwives.

deleted text begin (i)deleted text end new text begin (j)new text end "Nurse practitioner" means a registered nurse who has graduated from a
program of study designed to prepare registered nurses for advanced practice as nurse
practitioners.

deleted text begin (j)deleted text end new text begin (k)new text end "Pharmacist" means an individual with a valid license issued under chapter 151.

deleted text begin (k)deleted text end new text begin (l)new text end "Physician" means an individual who is licensed to practice medicine in
the areas of family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics,
or psychiatry.

deleted text begin (l)deleted text end new text begin (m)new text end "Physician assistant" means deleted text begin a persondeleted text end new text begin an individual who is new text end licensed under
chapter 147A.

new text begin (n) "Social worker" means an individual who is licensed as an independent clinical
social worker under chapter 148E.
new text end

deleted text begin (m)deleted text end new text begin (o)new text end "Qualified educational loan" means a government, commercial, or foundation
loan for actual costs paid for tuition, reasonable education expenses, and reasonable living
expenses related to the graduate or undergraduate education of a health care professional.

deleted text begin (n)deleted text end new text begin (p)new text end "Underserved urban community" means a Minnesota urban area or population
included in the list of designated primary medical care health professional shortage areas
(HPSAs), medically underserved areas (MUAs), or medically underserved populations
(MUPs) maintained and updated by the United States Department of Health and Human
Services.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, 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 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 or intermediate
care facility for persons with developmental disability 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;

(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 who agree to practice in designated rural areas; deleted text begin and
deleted text end

(6) for dentists agreeing 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 303new text begin ;
new text end

new text begin (7) for mental health professionals; and
new text end

new text begin (8) for social workersnew text end .

(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. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 144.1501, subdivision 3, is amended to read:


Subd. 3.

Eligibility.

(a) To be eligible to participate in the loan forgiveness program,
an individual must:

(1) be a medical or dental resident, a licensed pharmacist or be enrolled in a new text begin training or
education program to become a
new text end dentist, midlevel practitioner, registered nurse, deleted text begin ordeleted text end a licensed
practical nurse deleted text begin training programdeleted text end new text begin , mental health professional, or a social workernew text end ; and

(2) submit an application to the commissioner of health. If fewer applications are
submitted by dental students or residents than there are dentist participant slots available,
the commissioner may consider applications submitted by dental program graduates
who are licensed dentists.

(b) An applicant selected to participate must sign a contract to agree to serve a
minimum three-year full-time service obligation according to subdivision 2, which shall
begin no later than March 31 following completion of required training.

Sec. 4. new text begin APPROPRIATION.new text end

new text begin
$....... in fiscal year 2016 and $....... in fiscal year 2017 are appropriated from the
general fund to the commissioner of health for the addition of mental health professionals
and social workers to the health professional education loan forgiveness program under
Minnesota Statutes, section 144.1501.
new text end