Florida Senate - 2013 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 488
Barcode 410260
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
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The Committee on Health Policy (Garcia) recommended the
following:
1 Senate Amendment to Amendment (101366) (with title
2 amendment)
3
4 Between lines 39 and 40
5 insert:
6 Section 2. Section 381.4019, Florida Statutes, is created
7 to read:
8 381.4019 Dental Student Loan Repayment Program.—Subject to
9 the availability of funds, the Legislature hereby establishes
10 the Dental Student Loan Repayment Program in order to encourage
11 qualified dental practitioners to practice in medically
12 underserved areas or public health programs in the state where
13 there are shortages of such practitioners.
14 (1) As used in this section, the term:
15 (a) “Department” means the Department of Health.
16 (b) “Medically underserved area” means a geographic area,
17 special population, or a facility as designated by department
18 rules which has a shortage of dental health professionals as
19 defined by federal regulations who serve Medicaid and other low
20 income patients.
21 (c) “Loan program” means the Dental Student Loan Repayment
22 Program.
23 (d) “Public health program” means a county health
24 department, a children’s medical services program, a federally
25 funded community health center, a federally funded migrant
26 health center, or other publicly funded or nonprofit health care
27 program designated by the department.
28 (2) The loan program shall be developed by the department
29 in cooperation with the University of Florida College of
30 Dentistry, the Nova Southeastern University College of Dental
31 Medicine, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School
32 of Dental Medicine, and the Florida Dental Association.
33 (3) The department shall award funds for repaying the
34 student loans of state-licensed dentists who commit to practice
35 in a medically underserved area or in a public health program to
36 serve Medicaid recipients and other low-income patients in this
37 state.
38 (4) A participant in the loan program may receive funds for
39 at least 1 year, up to a maximum of 4 years. The period of
40 obligated service begins when the dentist is employed in the
41 medically underserved area or by a public health program.
42 (5) Failure to comply with the participation requirements
43 of the loan program shall result in ineligibility for license
44 renewal under chapter 466. For a dentist who is unable to
45 participate for reasons of disability, the penalty is the actual
46 amount of financial assistance provided to the dentist.
47 Financial penalties shall be deposited in the loan program and
48 used to provide additional funding for program participants.
49 (6) The department shall adopt rules to administer the loan
50 program. The rules must quantify the amount of funds each
51 dentist shall receive per year of participation in the loan
52 program.
53
54 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
55 And the title is amended as follows:
56 Delete line 55
57 and insert:
58 to the Legislature by a certain date; creating s.
59 381.4019, F.S.; establishing the Dental Student Loan
60 Repayment Program in order to encourage dentists to
61 work in underserved areas or public health programs;
62 providing definitions; requiring the Department of
63 Health, certain universities, and the Florida Dental
64 Association to develop the program; providing for the
65 award of funds; providing the maximum number of years
66 funds may be awarded to a dentist; providing sanctions
67 for failure to comply with loan requirements;
68 authorizing the department to adopt rules; providing
69 an