House
File
19
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
19
BY
KRESSIG
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
eligibility
for
the
mental
health
1
professional
loan
repayment
program.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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H.F.
19
Section
1.
Section
261.117,
subsection
1,
paragraph
d,
Code
1
2023,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
d.
“Eligible
practice
area
site
”
means
a
city
in
Iowa
3
that
is
within
a
federal
mental
health
shortage
area,
as
4
designated
by
the
health
resources
and
services
administration
5
of
the
United
States
department
of
health
and
human
services
6
community-based
mental
health
provider
location
including
a
7
community
mental
health
center
.
8
Sec.
2.
Section
261.117,
subsection
2,
Code
2023,
is
amended
9
to
read
as
follows:
10
2.
Program
established.
A
mental
health
professional
loan
11
repayment
program
is
established
to
be
administered
by
the
12
commission
for
purposes
of
providing
loan
repayments
for
mental
13
health
professionals
who
agree
to
practice
in
an
eligible
14
practice
area
site
and
meet
the
requirements
of
this
section
.
15
Sec.
3.
Section
261.117,
subsection
3,
paragraphs
a
and
b,
16
Code
2023,
are
amended
to
read
as
follows:
17
a.
The
mental
health
professional
and
the
commission
shall
18
enter
into
a
program
agreement.
Under
the
agreement,
to
19
receive
loan
repayments
pursuant
to
subsection
5
,
a
mental
20
health
professional
shall
agree
to
and
shall
engage
in
either
21
of
the
following:
22
(1)
Full-time
practice
as
a
mental
health
professional
in
an
23
eligible
practice
area
site
for
a
period
of
five
consecutive
24
years
after
entering
into
the
agreement.
25
(2)
Part-time
practice
as
a
mental
health
professional
in
an
26
eligible
practice
area
site
for
a
period
of
seven
consecutive
27
years
after
entering
into
the
agreement.
28
b.
A
mental
health
professional
who
entered
into
a
program
29
agreement
pursuant
to
paragraph
“a”
may
apply
to
the
commission
30
to
amend
the
agreement
to
allow
the
mental
health
professional
31
to
switch
to
part-time
practice
or
full-time
practice,
as
32
applicable.
The
commission
and
the
mental
health
professional
33
may
consent
to
amend
the
agreement
under
which
the
mental
34
health
professional
shall
engage
in
part-time
practice
in
an
35
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1557YH
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1/
2
H.F.
19
eligible
practice
area
site
for
an
extended
period
of
part-time
1
practice
determined
by
the
commission
to
be
proportional
to
2
the
amount
of
full-time
practice
remaining
under
the
original
3
agreement.
4
EXPLANATION
5
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
6
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
7
This
bill
relates
to
eligibility
for
the
mental
health
8
loan
repayment
program.
Under
current
law,
loan
repayment
is
9
available
to
mental
health
professionals
who
agree,
in
part,
10
to
practice
in
an
“eligible
practice
area”
which
is
defined
as
11
a
city
in
Iowa
that
is
within
a
federal
mental
health
shortage
12
area,
as
designated
by
the
health
resources
and
services
13
administration
of
the
United
States
department
of
health
and
14
human
services.
The
bill
instead
provides
that
loan
repayment
15
is
available
to
mental
health
professionals
who
agree,
in
part,
16
to
practice
in
an
“eligible
practice
site”
which
is
defined
as
17
a
community-based
mental
health
provider
location
including
a
18
community
mental
health
center.
19
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LSB
1557YH
(1)
90
pf/rh
2/
2