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 medically
1-4 underserved areas.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. Chapter 106, Health and Safety Code, is amended
1-7 by adding Subchapter D to read as follows:
1-8 SUBCHAPTER D. HEALTH CAREERS PROMOTION AND EDUCATION PROGRAM
1-9 Sec. 106.071. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
1-10 (1) "Fund" means the health careers education fund.
1-11 (2) "Medically underserved area" means an area
1-12 designated by the United States secretary of health and human
1-13 services as having:
1-14 (A) a shortage of personal health services or a
1-15 population group that has such a shortage as provided by 42 U.S.C.
1-16 Section 300e-1(7); or
1-17 (B) a health professional shortage as provided
1-18 by 42 U.S.C. Section 254e(a)(1).
1-19 (3) "Postsecondary educational institution" means:
1-20 (A) an institution of higher education, as
1-21 defined by Section 61.003, Education Code;
1-22 (B) a nonprofit, independent institution
1-23 approved under Section 61.222, Education Code; or
2-1 (C) a nonprofit, health-related school or
2-2 program accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and
2-3 School, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the American
2-4 Osteopathic Association, the Board of Nurse Examiners, the Board of
2-5 Vocational Nurse Examiners, or, in the case of allied health, an
2-6 accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of
2-7 Education.
2-8 (4) "Program" means the health careers promotion and
2-9 education program.
2-10 Sec. 106.072. ADMINISTRATION. (a) The center shall
2-11 administer or contract for the administration of the program.
2-12 (b) The center may solicit and accept gifts, grants,
2-13 donations, and contributions to support the program.
2-14 Sec. 106.073. HEALTH CAREERS PROMOTION. The center may
2-15 establish a program to work with students, communities and
2-16 community-based organizations to encourage high school students to
2-17 pursue health care professional careers. The center shall give
2-18 priority to working with communities and students in medically
2-19 underserved areas.
2-20 Sec. 106.074. LOANS. (a) The executive committee may award
2-21 forgivable educational loans to eligible students under this
2-22 subchapter.
2-23 (b) The executive committee may award forgivable loans to
2-24 eligible students based on the availability of money in the fund.
2-25 (c) If in any year the fund is inadequate to provide loans
3-1 to all eligible students, the executive committee may award
3-2 forgivable loans on a priority basis according to the students'
3-3 academic performance, test scores, and other criteria of
3-4 eligibility.
3-5 Sec. 106.075. STUDENT ELIGIBILITY. (a) To be eligible to
3-6 receive a loan under this subsection, a student must:
3-7 (1) be sponsored by an eligible community;
3-8 (2) be enrolled in high school at the time of
3-9 application for the loan;
3-10 (3) meet academic requirements as established by the
3-11 executive committee;
3-12 (4) plan to complete a health care professional degree
3-13 or certificate program;
3-14 (5) plan to practice as a health care professional in
3-15 an underserved area of the state.
3-16 (6) meet other requirements as established by the
3-17 executive committee.
3-18 (b) Other requirements for eligibility for a loan under this
3-19 subchapter must include:
3-20 (1) one or more interviews with the student; and
3-21 (2) a statement written by the student of the
3-22 student's reasons for:
3-23 (A) entering the health care profession; and
3-24 (B) wanting to provide health care services to a
3-25 medically underserved area in this state.
4-1 Sec. 106.076. COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY. (a) To be eligible to
4-2 be sponsor a student under this section, a community must:
4-3 (1) be located in a medically underserved area in this
4-4 state; and
4-5 (2) provide evidence of community sponsorship of the
4-6 student.
4-7 (b) Community sponsorship consists of:
4-8 (1) a commitment to fund a percentage of the student's
4-9 postsecondary educational expenses, including tuition, fees,
4-10 educational materials, and living expenses; and
4-11 (2) a commitment to employ the student on a full-time
4-12 basis as a health care professional upon the student's completion
4-13 of the academic program and licensure or certification in the
4-14 health care profession for which the student is sponsored.
4-15 (c) The executive committee shall determine the percentage
4-16 of educational expenses communities are required to provide under
4-17 this section.
4-18 (d) Community financial support may be satisfied in whole or
4-19 in part by a grant, a scholarship, or private foundation support.
4-20 Sec. 106.077. AMOUNT OF LOAN. (a) On confirmation of an
4-21 eligible student's admission to a postsecondary educational
4-22 institution or on receipt of an enrollment report of the student at
4-23 a postsecondary educational institution, and certification of the
4-24 amount of financial support needed, the executive committee may
4-25 award a forgivable loan to the student in the amount of not more
5-1 than the cost of the student's tuition, fees, educational
5-2 materials, and living expenses.
5-3 (b) An eligible student may receive another grant, loan or
5-4 scholarship for which the student is eligible in addition to the
5-5 receipt of a forgivable loan, except that the total amount of funds
5-6 received may not exceed the reasonable needs of the student as
5-7 determined by the postsecondary educational institution in which
5-8 the student is enrolled.
5-9 Sec. 106.078. REQUIRED CONTRACT. (a) A student may receive
5-10 assistance under this subchapter only if the student signs a
5-11 contract agreeing to provide health care services to the sponsoring
5-12 community upon completion of the academic program and licensure or
5-13 certification in the health care profession for which the student
5-14 is sponsored.
5-15 (b) The contract must provide that if the student does not
5-16 provide the required services to the community or provides those
5-17 services for less than the required time, the student is personally
5-18 liable to the state for:
5-19 (1) the total amount of assistance the student
5-20 receives from the center and the sponsoring community;
5-21 (2) interest on the total amount at a rate set by the
5-22 executive committee; and
5-23 (3) the state's reasonable expenses incurred in
5-24 obtaining payment, including reasonable attorney's fees.
5-25 Sec. 106.079. LOAN FORGIVENESS. (a) A loan recipient shall
6-1 be forgiven the principal and interest of one year's loan for each
6-2 year the recipient practices as a health care professional
6-3 providing health care services in the sponsoring community.
6-4 (b) A loan recipient must practice as a health care
6-5 professional providing health care services in the sponsoring
6-6 community for a minimum of two years.
6-7 (c) If the executive committee finds that a sponsoring
6-8 community is not in need of the student's services and that the
6-9 community is willing to forgive repayment of the principal balance
6-10 and interest of the student's loan, the executive committee by rule
6-11 may provide for the principal balance and interest of the student's
6-12 loan to be forgiven if the student provides services in another
6-13 medically underserved area in this state.
6-14 Sec. 106.080. FUND. (a) The health careers education fund
6-15 is established in the state treasury.
6-16 (b) The center shall administer the fund.
6-17 (c) The fund consists of gifts, grants, donations, the
6-18 market value of in-kind contributions, and principal and interest
6-19 payments on forgivable loans deposited to the credit of the fund by
6-20 the center.
6-21 (d) The center shall deposit any principal and interest
6-22 payments on forgivable loans to the credit of the fund.
6-23 (e) The center shall allocate the fund, as available, for
6-24 forgivable loans and community repayment under this subchapter.
6-25 (f) Unless otherwise provided by the General Appropriations
7-1 Act, the center may use money appropriated to the center to support
7-2 the fund.
7-3 Sec. 106.081. REPORTING, MONITORING. (a) The center shall
7-4 require reports from students, communities and postsecondary
7-5 educational institutions as needed to monitor the program.
7-6 (b) The sponsoring community shall report to the executive
7-7 committee the length of time the student provides health care
7-8 services in the community in accordance with the guidelines
7-9 established by the executive committee.
7-10 (c) A postsecondary educational institution annually shall
7-11 report the progress and performance of each student to the
7-12 executive committee in accordance with the guidelines established
7-13 by the executive committee. The center shall distribute such
7-14 reports to the community sponsoring the student.
7-15 Sec. 106.082. PROGRAM PROMOTION. (a) The center shall
7-16 provide postsecondary educational institutions and medically
7-17 underserved communities with information about health care careers
7-18 and loan opportunities, including information on eligibility and
7-19 availability of funds under this subchapter.
7-20 Sec. 106.083. ADOPTION OF RULES. (a) The executive
7-21 committee shall adopt reasonable rules to enforce the requirements,
7-22 conditions, and limitations under this subchapter.
7-23 (b) The executive committee shall set the rate of interest
7-24 charged on a forgivable loan under this subchapter.
7-25 (c) The executive committee shall adopt rules necessary to
8-1 ensure compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C.
8-2 Section 200d et seq.) concerning nondiscrimination in admissions.
8-3 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
8-4 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
8-5 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
8-6 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
8-7 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
8-8 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.