House Bill hb0523

    Florida House of Representatives - 2001                 HB 523

        By Representative Green






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Nursing Student Loan

  3         Forgiveness Program; amending ss. 240.4075 and

  4         240.4076, F.S.; including family practice

  5         teaching hospitals and specialty hospitals for

  6         children as eligible facilities under the

  7         program; exempting such hospitals from the

  8         fund-matching requirements of the program;

  9         providing an effective date.

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11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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13         Section 1.  Subsection (1) and paragraph (a) of

14  subsection (7) of section 240.4075, Florida Statutes, are

15  amended to read:

16         240.4075  Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program.--

17         (1)  To encourage qualified personnel to seek

18  employment in areas of this state in which critical nursing

19  shortages exist, there is established the Nursing Student Loan

20  Forgiveness Program.  The primary function of the program is

21  to increase employment and retention of registered nurses and

22  licensed practical nurses in nursing homes and hospitals in

23  the state and in state-operated medical and health care

24  facilities, birth centers, federally sponsored community

25  health centers, and teaching hospitals, family practice

26  teaching hospitals, and specialty hospitals for children by

27  making repayments toward loans received by students from

28  federal or state programs or commercial lending institutions

29  for the support of postsecondary study in accredited or

30  approved nursing programs.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2001                 HB 523

    705-146A-01






  1         (7)(a)  Funds contained in the Nursing Student Loan

  2  Forgiveness Trust Fund which are to be used for loan

  3  forgiveness for those nurses employed by hospitals, birth

  4  centers, and nursing homes must be matched on a

  5  dollar-for-dollar basis by contributions from the employing

  6  institutions, except that this provision shall not apply to

  7  state-operated medical and health care facilities, county

  8  health departments, federally sponsored community health

  9  centers, or teaching hospitals as defined in s. 408.07, family

10  practice teaching hospitals as defined in s. 395.805, or

11  specialty hospitals for children as used in s. 409.9119. If in

12  any given fiscal quarter there are insufficient funds in the

13  trust fund to grant all eligible applicant requests, awards

14  shall be based on the following priority of employer:  county

15  health departments; federally sponsored community health

16  centers; state-operated medical and health care facilities;

17  teaching hospitals as defined in s. 408.07; family practice

18  teaching hospitals as defined in s. 395.805; specialty

19  hospitals for children as used in s. 409.9119; and other

20  hospitals, birth centers, and nursing homes where the match is

21  required.

22         Section 2.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of section

23  240.4076, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

24         240.4076  Nursing scholarship program.--

25         (4)  Credit for repayment of a scholarship shall be as

26  follows:

27         (b)  Eligible health care facilities include

28  state-operated medical or health care facilities, county

29  health departments, federally sponsored community health

30  centers, or teaching hospitals as defined in s. 408.07, family

31  practice teaching hospitals as defined in s. 395.805, or

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2001                 HB 523

    705-146A-01






  1  specialty hospitals for children as used in s. 409.9119. The

  2  recipient shall be encouraged to complete the service

  3  obligation at a single employment site.  If continuous

  4  employment at the same site is not feasible, the recipient may

  5  apply to the department for a transfer to another approved

  6  health care facility.

  7         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.

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10                          HOUSE SUMMARY

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      Includes family practice teaching hospitals and specialty
12    hospitals for children as eligible facilities under the
      Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program, and exempts
13    such hospitals from the fund-matching requirements of the
      program.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.