House File 651 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY FORD
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to the establishment of a health care
2 professionals loan forgiveness program including loan
3 forgiveness for family practice physicians to be administered
4 by the college student aid commission and providing an
5 appropriation.
6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
7 TLSB 2572HH 83
8 kh/nh/14
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 261.23, subsection 1, Code 2009, is
1 2 amended to read as follows:
1 3 1. A registered nurse and nurse educator health
1 4 professionals loan forgiveness program is established to be
1 5 administered by the commission. The program shall consist of
1 6 loan forgiveness for eligible federally guaranteed loans for
1 7 family practice physicians licensed under chapter 148 and
1 8 registered nurses and nurse educators licensed under chapter
1 9 152 who practice or teach in this state. For purposes of this
1 10 section, unless the context otherwise requires, "nurse
1 11 educator" means a registered nurse who holds a master's degree
1 12 or doctorate degree and is employed as a faculty member who
1 13 teaches nursing as provided in 655 IAC 2.6(152) at an
1 14 accredited private institution or an institution of higher
1 15 education governed by the state board of regents.
1 16 Sec. 2. Section 261.23, subsection 2, paragraphs a and c,
1 17 Code 2009, are amended to read as follows:
1 18 a. Complete and file an application for registered nurse
1 19 or nurse educator health professional loan forgiveness. The
1 20 individual shall be responsible for the prompt submission of
1 21 any information required by the commission.
1 22 c. Complete and return, on a form approved by the
1 23 commission, an affidavit of practice verifying that the
1 24 applicant is a family practice physician practicing in this
1 25 state in a medically underserved community having a population
1 26 of less than fifteen thousand, a registered nurse practicing
1 27 in this state, or a nurse educator teaching at an accredited
1 28 private institution or an institution of higher learning
1 29 governed by the state board of regents.
1 30 Sec. 3. Section 261.23, subsection 3, Code 2009, is
1 31 amended by adding the following new paragraph:
1 32 NEW PARAGRAPH. 0a. The annual amount of family practice
1 33 physician loan forgiveness shall not exceed the resident
1 34 tuition rate established for institutions of higher learning
1 35 governed by the state board of regents for the first year
2 1 following the family practice physician's successful
2 2 completion of a residency program, or twenty percent of the
2 3 family practice physician's total federally guaranteed
2 4 Stafford loan amount under the federal family education loan
2 5 program or the federal direct loan program, including
2 6 principal and interest, whichever amount is less. A family
2 7 practice physician shall be eligible for the loan forgiveness
2 8 program for not more than five consecutive years.
2 9 Sec. 4. Section 261.23, subsection 4, Code 2009, is
2 10 amended to read as follows:
2 11 4. A registered nurse and nurse educator health
2 12 professionals loan forgiveness repayment fund is created for
2 13 deposit of moneys appropriated to or received by the
2 14 commission for use under the program. Notwithstanding section
2 15 8.33, moneys deposited in the fund shall not revert to any
2 16 fund of the state at the end of any fiscal year but shall
2 17 remain in the loan forgiveness repayment fund and be
2 18 continuously available for loan forgiveness under the program.
2 19 Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or
2 20 earnings on moneys deposited in the fund shall be credited to
2 21 the fund.
2 22 Sec. 5. COLLEGE STUDENT AID COMMISSION == FAMILY PRACTICE
2 23 PHYSICIAN LOAN FORGIVENESS. There is appropriated from the
2 24 general fund of the state to the college student aid
2 25 commission for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009, and
2 26 ending June 30, 2010, the following amount, or so much thereof
2 27 as is necessary, to be used for the purposes designated:
2 28 For family practice physician loan forgiveness under the
2 29 health care professionals loan forgiveness program pursuant to
2 30 section 261.23, as amended by this Act:
2 31 .................................................. $ 75,000
2 32 EXPLANATION
2 33 This bill renames the registered nurse and nurse educator
2 34 loan forgiveness program as the health professionals loan
2 35 forgiveness program and expands the program to include family
3 1 practice physicians who practice in medically underserved
3 2 communities having a population of less than 15,000. The bill
3 3 also appropriates $75,000 for fiscal year 2009=2010 from the
3 4 general fund of the state to the college student aid
3 5 commission to provide funding for family practice physician
3 6 loan forgiveness.
3 7 The annual amount of family practice physician loan
3 8 forgiveness shall not exceed the resident tuition rate
3 9 established for regents universities for the first year
3 10 following the family practice physician's successful
3 11 completion of a residency program, or 20 percent of the family
3 12 practice physician's total federally guaranteed Stafford loan
3 13 amount under the federal family education loan program or the
3 14 federal direct loan program, including principal and interest,
3 15 whichever amount is less. A family practice physician shall
3 16 be eligible for the loan forgiveness program for not more than
3 17 five consecutive years.
3 18 LSB 2572HH 83
3 19 kh/nh/14