What's happening
This bill creates a loan forgiveness program for doctors and nurses who work full-time in rural areas of New York State.
Why it matters
Addresses healthcare workforce shortages in rural New York. by financially incentivizing doctors and nurses to live and work in underserved areas, potentially improving access to critical medical services for rural residents.
Prioritizes retention of existing rural healthcare providers. by giving first priority for loan forgiveness to those already working in rural areas and who have previously received the award, supporting continuity of care in these communities.
Limits on award amounts and eligibility ensure targeted impact. Awards are capped at $5,000 per year and $20,000 total per recipient, and are only available to graduates of New York State institutions, focusing benefits on local professionals and prudent use of state funds.
Allows for flexibility and fairness in award distribution. by requiring regulations to resolve ties (such as a lottery), and by adapting to available funding, aiming to maximize the program’s reach while maintaining transparent selection processes.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Doctors and nurses with student debt
Eligible graduates of approved New York colleges and universities who commit to rural practice could receive loan forgiveness awards of up to $5,000 annually, capped at $20,000 total and subject to available funding.
Rural hospitals and medical practices
The program would aim to attract full-time doctors and nurses to rural areas, with award priority for returning recipients and other applicants already practicing there.
Rural patients
The bill would encourage doctors and nurses to practice full-time in areas designated as rural or eligible for rural health grants by the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Headline styles
Forgive Rural Medical Student Loans
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to higher education
- Referred to higher education
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1200
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 11, 2019
Introduced by Sen. RITCHIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to creating the New York state rural doctors and nurses loan forgiveness program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 679-k to read as follows:
§ 679-k. New York state rural doctors and nurses loan forgiveness program. 1. Purpose. The president shall grant student loan forgiveness awards for the purpose of attracting doctors and nurses to be employed in rural areas throughout New York state on a full-time basis.
2. Eligibility. To be eligible for an award pursuant to this section, applicants shall:
(a) have graduated and obtained a degree from an approved New York state college or university;
(b) be employed as a doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathy, professional or practical nurse, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist in New York state in accordance with sections sixty-five hundred twenty-four, sixty-nine hundred five, sixty-nine hundred six, sixty-nine hundred ten and sixty-nine hundred eleven of this chapter;
(c) comply with subdivisions three and five of section six hundred sixty-one of this part; and
(d) make a commitment to practice in a rural area for the duration of the award.
3. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the term "rural" shall mean a tract or county defined by the health resources and services administration as being rural or eligible for a rural health grant.
4. Priority. Such awards shall be made annually to applicants in the following priority:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04976-01-9
S. 1200 2
(a) First priority shall be given to applicants who have received payment of an award pursuant to this section in a prior year and who, in the year prior to application, are doctors or nurses in a rural area; and
(b) Second priority shall be given to applicants who have not received payment of an award pursuant to this section in a prior year and who are doctors or nurses in a rural area in the year prior to such application.
5. Awards. The corporation shall grant awards pursuant to the amount appropriated for such purpose and based on availability of funds in an amount up to five thousand dollars to individuals who are employed fulltime as doctors or nurses for the year prior to such application, provided that no recipient shall receive an award that exceeds the total remaining balance of the student loan debt pursuant to this section, in excess of twenty thousand dollars.
6. Rules and regulations. The corporation is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations and may promulgate emergency regulations necessary for the implementation of the provisions of this section. In the event that there are more applicants who have the same priority, as provided in subdivision four of this section, than there are remaining awards, the corporation shall provide in regulation the method of distributing the remaining number of such awards, which may include a lottery or other form of random selection.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to creating the New York state rural doctors and nurses loan forgiveness program
Purpose
To attract full-time doctors and nurses to rural areas of New York through a loan forgiveness incentive program.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends education law by adding a new section establishing a loan forgiveness program under the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation for doctors and nurses who work full-time in rural areas as defined by the health resources and services administration. This section establishes eligibility criteria for the program including a degree from an approved New York state college or university, and gives the corporation authority to grant awards and implement rules and regulations for the program.
Section 2 provides the effective date.
Justification
Much of New York State is comprised of rural communities. Many of these communities are vulnerable low-income communities who have little access to healthcare services. This is due in large part to the lack of doctors and nurses who work full-time in these communities. According to the New York State Department of Health, 46% of Health Professional Shortage Areas fall in rural counties throughout the state. The Department of Health also observes that as the average age of practicing physicians in the state has increased to 52 years old, physicians practicing in rural counties were 57% more likely to retire than were physicians in urban counties.
Graduating doctors and nurses are often reluctant to establish them- selves in rural communities for a multitude of reasons, including large student loan debts and higher pay in urban and suburban settings, which allow new doctors and nurses to more easily pay back their debts. This bill helps new doctors and nurses overcome their debts while simultane- ously providing vital services for the health and wellbeing of our rural communities. It does so by providing a loan forgiveness incentive for new doctors and nurses who graduate from approved New York State colleges and universities by requiring a commitment to practice in an underrepresented rural area for the duration of the award.
Legislative history
2018: S.7377A.
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.