H.B. No. 2241 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) at the time of the application for the loan, be 3-3 enrolled in high school or enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a 3-4 postsecondary educational institution in this state; 3-5 (3) meet academic requirements as established by the 3-6 executive committee; 3-7 (4) plan to complete a health care professional degree 3-8 or certificate program; 3-9 (5) plan to practice as a health care professional in 3-10 a qualified area of the state; 3-11 (6) meet other requirements as established by the 3-12 executive committee. 3-13 (b) Other requirements for eligibility for a loan under this 3-14 subchapter must include: 3-15 (1) one or more interviews with the student; and 3-16 (2) a statement written by the student of the 3-17 student's reasons for: 3-18 (A) entering the health care profession; and 3-19 (B) wanting to provide health care services to a 3-20 qualified area in this state. 3-21 Sec. 106.076. COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY. (a) To be eligible to 3-22 sponsor a student under this section, a community must: 3-23 (1) be located in a qualified area in this state; and 3-24 (2) provide evidence of community sponsorship of the 3-25 student. 4-1 (b) Community sponsorship consists of: 4-2 (1) a commitment to fund a percentage of the student's 4-3 postsecondary educational expenses, including tuition, fees, 4-4 educational materials, and living expenses; and 4-5 (2) a commitment to employ the student on a full-time 4-6 basis as a health care professional upon the student's completion 4-7 of the academic program and licensure or certification in the 4-8 health care profession for which the student is sponsored. 4-9 (c) The executive committee shall determine the percentage 4-10 of educational expenses communities are required to provide under 4-11 this section. 4-12 (d) Community financial support may be satisfied in whole or 4-13 in part by a grant, a scholarship, or private foundation support. 4-14 Sec. 106.077. AMOUNT OF LOAN. (a) On confirmation of an 4-15 eligible student's admission to a postsecondary educational 4-16 institution or on receipt of an enrollment report of the student at 4-17 a postsecondary educational institution, and certification of the 4-18 amount of financial support needed, the executive committee may 4-19 award a forgivable loan to the student in the amount of not more 4-20 than the cost of the student's tuition, fees, educational 4-21 materials, and living expenses. 4-22 (b) An eligible student may receive another grant, loan, or 4-23 scholarship for which the student is eligible in addition to the 4-24 receipt of a forgivable loan, except that the total amount of funds 4-25 received may not exceed the reasonable needs of the student as 5-1 determined by the postsecondary educational institution in which 5-2 the student is enrolled. 5-3 Sec. 106.078. REQUIRED CONTRACT. (a) A student may receive 5-4 assistance under this subchapter only if the student signs a 5-5 contract agreeing to provide health care services to the sponsoring 5-6 community upon completion of the academic program and licensure or 5-7 certification in the health care profession for which the student 5-8 is sponsored. 5-9 (b) The contract must provide that if the student does not 5-10 provide the required services to the community or provides those 5-11 services for less than the required time, the student is personally 5-12 liable to the state for: 5-13 (1) the total amount of assistance the student 5-14 receives from the center and the sponsoring community; 5-15 (2) interest on the total amount at a rate set by the 5-16 executive committee; and 5-17 (3) the state's reasonable expenses incurred in 5-18 obtaining payment, including reasonable attorney's fees. 5-19 Sec. 106.079. LOAN FORGIVENESS. (a) A loan recipient shall 5-20 be forgiven the principal and interest of one year's loan for each 5-21 year the recipient practices as a health care professional 5-22 providing health care services in the sponsoring community. 5-23 (b) A loan recipient must practice as a health care 5-24 professional providing health care services in the sponsoring 5-25 community for a minimum of two years. 6-1 (c) If the executive committee finds that a sponsoring 6-2 community is not in need of the student's services and that the 6-3 community is willing to forgive repayment of the principal balance 6-4 and interest of the student's loan, the executive committee by rule 6-5 may provide for the principal balance and interest of the student's 6-6 loan to be forgiven if the student provides services in another 6-7 qualified area in this state. 6-8 Sec. 106.080. FUND. (a) The health careers education fund 6-9 is established in the state treasury. 6-10 (b) The center shall administer the fund. 6-11 (c) The fund consists of gifts, grants, donations, the 6-12 market value of in-kind contributions, and principal and interest 6-13 payments on forgivable loans deposited to the credit of the fund by 6-14 the center. 6-15 (d) The center shall deposit any principal and interest 6-16 payments on forgivable loans to the credit of the fund. 6-17 (e) The center shall allocate the fund, as available, for 6-18 forgivable loans and community repayment under this subchapter. 6-19 (f) Unless otherwise provided by the General Appropriations 6-20 Act, the center may use money appropriated to the center to support 6-21 the fund. 6-22 Sec. 106.081. REPORTING, MONITORING. (a) The center shall 6-23 require reports from students, communities, and postsecondary 6-24 educational institutions as needed to monitor the program. The 6-25 center shall distribute reports relating to the progress of a 7-1 student to the community sponsoring the student. 7-2 (b) The sponsoring community shall report to the executive 7-3 committee the length of time the student provides health care 7-4 services in the community in accordance with the guidelines 7-5 established by the executive committee. 7-6 (c) A postsecondary educational institution shall provide to 7-7 the executive committee a copy of the academic transcript of each 7-8 student for whom the institution has received a release that 7-9 complies with state and federal open records laws and that 7-10 authorizes the provision of the transcript. 7-11 Sec. 106.082. PROGRAM PROMOTION. The center shall provide 7-12 postsecondary educational institutions and communities in qualified 7-13 areas with information about health care careers and loan 7-14 opportunities, including information on eligibility and 7-15 availability of funds under this subchapter. 7-16 Sec. 106.083. ADOPTION OF RULES. (a) The executive 7-17 committee shall adopt reasonable rules to enforce the requirements, 7-18 conditions, and limitations under this subchapter. 7-19 (b) The executive committee shall set the rate of interest 7-20 charged on a forgivable loan under this subchapter. 7-21 (c) The executive committee shall adopt rules necessary to 7-22 ensure compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 7-23 Section 200d et seq.) concerning nondiscrimination in admissions. 7-24 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1993. 7-25 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 8-1 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 8-2 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 8-3 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 8-4 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.