By Turner of Coleman, et al. H.B. No. 2241
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to health careers promotion for high school students
1-3 interested in providing health care services in qualified areas.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Chapter 106, Health and Safety Code, is amended
1-6 by adding Subchapter D to read as follows:
1-7 SUBCHAPTER D. HEALTH CAREERS PROMOTION AND EDUCATION PROGRAM
1-8 Sec. 106.071. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
1-9 (1) "Fund" means the health careers education fund.
1-10 (2) "Qualified area" means an area qualifying under
1-11 the National Health Services Corps Community Scholarship Program or
1-12 an area with similar characteristics as identified by the center.
1-13 (3) "Postsecondary educational institution" means:
1-14 (A) an institution of higher education, as
1-15 defined by Section 61.003, Education Code;
1-16 (B) a nonprofit, independent institution
1-17 approved under Section 61.222, Education Code; or
1-18 (C) a nonprofit, health-related school or
1-19 program accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and
1-20 Schools, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the American
1-21 Osteopathic Association, the Board of Nurse Examiners, the Board of
1-22 Vocational Nurse Examiners, or, in the case of allied health, an
1-23 accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of
2-1 Education.
2-2 (4) "Program" means the health careers promotion and
2-3 education program.
2-4 Sec. 106.072. ADMINISTRATION. (a) The center shall
2-5 administer or contract for the administration of the program.
2-6 (b) The center may solicit and accept gifts, grants,
2-7 donations, and contributions to support the program.
2-8 Sec. 106.073. HEALTH CAREERS PROMOTION. The center may
2-9 establish a program to work with students, communities, and
2-10 community-based organizations to encourage high school students to
2-11 pursue health care professional careers. The center shall give
2-12 priority to working with communities and students in qualified
2-13 areas.
2-14 Sec. 106.074. LOANS. (a) The executive committee may award
2-15 forgivable educational loans to eligible students under this
2-16 subchapter.
2-17 (b) The executive committee may award forgivable loans to
2-18 eligible students based on the availability of money in the fund.
2-19 (c) If in any year the fund is inadequate to provide loans
2-20 to all eligible students, the executive committee may award
2-21 forgivable loans on a priority basis according to the students'
2-22 academic performance, test scores, and other criteria of
2-23 eligibility.
2-24 Sec. 106.075. STUDENT ELIGIBILITY. (a) To be eligible to
2-25 receive a loan under this subsection, a student must:
3-1 (1) be sponsored by an eligible community;
3-2 (2) be enrolled in high school at the time of
3-3 application for the loan;
3-4 (3) meet academic requirements as established by the
3-5 executive committee;
3-6 (4) plan to complete a health care professional degree
3-7 or certificate program;
3-8 (5) plan to practice as a health care professional in
3-9 a qualified area of the state;
3-10 (6) meet other requirements as established by the
3-11 executive committee.
3-12 (b) Other requirements for eligibility for a loan under this
3-13 subchapter must include:
3-14 (1) one or more interviews with the student; and
3-15 (2) a statement written by the student of the
3-16 student's reasons for:
3-17 (A) entering the health care profession; and
3-18 (B) wanting to provide health care services to a
3-19 qualified area in this state.
3-20 Sec. 106.076. COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY. (a) To be eligible to
3-21 sponsor a student under this section, a community must:
3-22 (1) be located in a qualified area in this state; and
3-23 (2) provide evidence of community sponsorship of the
3-24 student.
3-25 (b) Community sponsorship consists of:
4-1 (1) a commitment to fund a percentage of the student's
4-2 postsecondary educational expenses, including tuition, fees,
4-3 educational materials, and living expenses; and
4-4 (2) a commitment to employ the student on a full-time
4-5 basis as a health care professional upon the student's completion
4-6 of the academic program and licensure or certification in the
4-7 health care profession for which the student is sponsored.
4-8 (c) The executive committee shall determine the percentage
4-9 of educational expenses communities are required to provide under
4-10 this section.
4-11 (d) Community financial support may be satisfied in whole or
4-12 in part by a grant, a scholarship, or private foundation support.
4-13 Sec. 106.077. AMOUNT OF LOAN. (a) On confirmation of an
4-14 eligible student's admission to a postsecondary educational
4-15 institution or on receipt of an enrollment report of the student at
4-16 a postsecondary educational institution, and certification of the
4-17 amount of financial support needed, the executive committee may
4-18 award a forgivable loan to the student in the amount of not more
4-19 than the cost of the student's tuition, fees, educational
4-20 materials, and living expenses.
4-21 (b) An eligible student may receive another grant, loan, or
4-22 scholarship for which the student is eligible in addition to the
4-23 receipt of a forgivable loan, except that the total amount of funds
4-24 received may not exceed the reasonable needs of the student as
4-25 determined by the postsecondary educational institution in which
5-1 the student is enrolled.
5-2 Sec. 106.078. REQUIRED CONTRACT. (a) A student may receive
5-3 assistance under this subchapter only if the student signs a
5-4 contract agreeing to provide health care services to the sponsoring
5-5 community upon completion of the academic program and licensure or
5-6 certification in the health care profession for which the student
5-7 is sponsored.
5-8 (b) The contract must provide that if the student does not
5-9 provide the required services to the community or provides those
5-10 services for less than the required time, the student is personally
5-11 liable to the state for:
5-12 (1) the total amount of assistance the student
5-13 receives from the center and the sponsoring community;
5-14 (2) interest on the total amount at a rate set by the
5-15 executive committee; and
5-16 (3) the state's reasonable expenses incurred in
5-17 obtaining payment, including reasonable attorney's fees.
5-18 Sec. 106.079. LOAN FORGIVENESS. (a) A loan recipient shall
5-19 be forgiven the principal and interest of one year's loan for each
5-20 year the recipient practices as a health care professional
5-21 providing health care services in the sponsoring community.
5-22 (b) A loan recipient must practice as a health care
5-23 professional providing health care services in the sponsoring
5-24 community for a minimum of two years.
5-25 (c) If the executive committee finds that a sponsoring
6-1 community is not in need of the student's services and that the
6-2 community is willing to forgive repayment of the principal balance
6-3 and interest of the student's loan, the executive committee by rule
6-4 may provide for the principal balance and interest of the student's
6-5 loan to be forgiven if the student provides services in another
6-6 qualified area in this state.
6-7 Sec. 106.080. FUND. (a) The health careers education fund
6-8 is established in the state treasury.
6-9 (b) The center shall administer the fund.
6-10 (c) The fund consists of gifts, grants, donations, the
6-11 market value of in-kind contributions, and principal and interest
6-12 payments on forgivable loans deposited to the credit of the fund by
6-13 the center.
6-14 (d) The center shall deposit any principal and interest
6-15 payments on forgivable loans to the credit of the fund.
6-16 (e) The center shall allocate the fund, as available, for
6-17 forgivable loans and community repayment under this subchapter.
6-18 (f) Unless otherwise provided by the General Appropriations
6-19 Act, the center may use money appropriated to the center to support
6-20 the fund.
6-21 Sec. 106.081. REPORTING, MONITORING. (a) The center shall
6-22 require reports from students, communities, and postsecondary
6-23 educational institutions as needed to monitor the program.
6-24 (b) The sponsoring community shall report to the executive
6-25 committee the length of time the student provides health care
7-1 services in the community in accordance with the guidelines
7-2 established by the executive committee.
7-3 (c) A postsecondary educational institution annually shall
7-4 report the progress and performance of each student to the
7-5 executive committee in accordance with the guidelines established
7-6 by the executive committee. The center shall distribute such
7-7 reports to the community sponsoring the student.
7-8 Sec. 106.082. PROGRAM PROMOTION. The center shall provide
7-9 postsecondary educational institutions and communities in qualified
7-10 areas with information about health care careers and loan
7-11 opportunities, including information on eligibility and
7-12 availability of funds under this subchapter.
7-13 Sec. 106.083. ADOPTION OF RULES. (a) The executive
7-14 committee shall adopt reasonable rules to enforce the requirements,
7-15 conditions, and limitations under this subchapter.
7-16 (b) The executive committee shall set the rate of interest
7-17 charged on a forgivable loan under this subchapter.
7-18 (c) The executive committee shall adopt rules necessary to
7-19 ensure compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C.
7-20 Section 200d et seq.) concerning nondiscrimination in admissions.
7-21 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
7-22 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
7-23 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
7-24 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
7-25 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
8-1 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.