House Bill hb0523c1

    Florida House of Representatives - 2001              CS/HB 523

        By the Committee on Colleges & Universities and
    Representatives Green and Heyman





  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to nursing student financial

  3         assistance programs; amending s. 240.4075,

  4         F.S.; including family practice teaching

  5         hospitals and specialty hospitals for children

  6         as eligible facilities under the Nursing

  7         Student Loan Forgiveness Program; exempting

  8         such hospitals from the fund-matching

  9         requirements of the program; providing for

10         priority of awards when there are insufficient

11         funds for all eligible applicants; amending s.

12         240.4076, F.S.; including nursing homes, family

13         practice teaching hospitals, and specialty

14         hospitals for children as eligible facilities

15         under the nursing scholarship program; revising

16         loan repayment provisions; providing an

17         effective date.

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

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

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

23  amended to read:

24         240.4075  Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program.--

25         (1)  To encourage qualified personnel to seek

26  employment in areas of this state in which critical nursing

27  shortages exist, there is established the Nursing Student Loan

28  Forgiveness Program.  The primary function of the program is

29  to increase employment and retention of registered nurses and

30  licensed practical nurses in nursing homes and hospitals in

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

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2001              CS/HB 523

    184-300-01






  1  facilities, birth centers, federally sponsored community

  2  health centers, and teaching hospitals, family practice

  3  teaching hospitals, and specialty hospitals for children by

  4  making repayments toward loans received by students from

  5  federal or state programs or commercial lending institutions

  6  for the support of postsecondary study in accredited or

  7  approved nursing programs.

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

  9  Forgiveness Trust Fund which are to be used for loan

10  forgiveness for those nurses employed by hospitals, birth

11  centers, and nursing homes must be matched on a

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

13  institutions, except that this provision shall not apply to

14  state-operated medical and health care facilities, county

15  health departments, federally sponsored community health

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

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

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

19  any given fiscal quarter there are insufficient funds in the

20  trust fund to grant all eligible applicant requests, awards

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

22  health departments; federally sponsored community health

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

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

25  teaching hospitals as defined in s. 395.805; specialty

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

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

28  required.

29         Section 2.  Paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of subsection

30  (4) of section 240.4076, Florida Statutes, are amended to

31  read:

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2001              CS/HB 523

    184-300-01






  1         240.4076  Nursing scholarship program.--

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

  3  follows:

  4         (b)  Eligible health care facilities include

  5  state-operated medical or health care facilities, county

  6  health departments, federally sponsored community health

  7  centers, or teaching hospitals as defined in s. 408.07,

  8  nursing homes, family practice teaching hospitals as defined

  9  in s. 395.805, or specialty hospitals for children as used in

10  s. 409.9119. The recipient shall be encouraged to complete the

11  service obligation at a single employment site.  If continuous

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

13  apply to the department for a transfer to another approved

14  health care facility.

15         (c)  Any recipient who does not complete an appropriate

16  program of studies or who does not become licensed shall repay

17  to the Department of Education, on a schedule to be determined

18  by the department, the entire amount of the scholarship plus

19  18 percent interest accruing from the date of the scholarship

20  payment.  Repayment schedules and applicable interest rates

21  shall be determined by the rules of the State Board of

22  Education under ss. 240.451 and 240.465.  Moneys repaid shall

23  be deposited into the State Student Financial Assistance Trust

24  Fund Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Trust Fund established

25  in s. 240.4075.  However, the department may provide

26  additional time for repayment if the department finds that

27  circumstances beyond the control of the recipient caused or

28  contributed to the default.

29         (d)  Any recipient who does not accept employment as a

30  nurse at an approved health care facility or who does not

31  complete 12 months of approved employment for each year of

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2001              CS/HB 523

    184-300-01






  1  scholarship assistance received shall repay to the Department

  2  of Education an amount equal to two times the entire amount of

  3  the scholarship plus interest accruing from the date of the

  4  scholarship payment at the maximum allowable interest rate

  5  permitted by law.  Repayment schedules and applicable interest

  6  rates shall be determined by the rules of the State Board of

  7  Education under ss. 240.451 and 240.465.  Repayment shall be

  8  made within 1 year of notice that the recipient is considered

  9  to be in default. However, the department may provide

10  additional time for repayment if the department finds that

11  circumstances beyond the control of the recipient caused or

12  contributed to the default.

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

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