SB 57 — Relating to the Board of Nursing; to add a new Article 8 to Title 34, Chapter 21, Code of Alabama 1975, to create the Alabama Loan Repayment Program for Nursing Education; to establish and describe the program; to provide for program funding from the Education Trust Fund; to provide definitions; to outline the procedure for the board to award loans to applicants who contract with the board to work as an instructor in a prelicense nursing education program; and to provide further for the powers of the board under the program.

SB57 ENGROSSEDENROLLED W1PS9E-2W1PS9E-3 By Senator Weaver RFD:

07-Mar-23 2023 Regular Session Page 0 SB57 EngrossedEnrolled 2Enrolled, 4An AAct, BILL3 TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT 9 Relating to the Board of Nursing;

to add a new Article 8 to Title 34, Chapter 21, Code of Alabama 1975, to create the Alabama Loan Repayment Program for Nursing Education;

§34-21-150 The Alabama Loan Repayment Program for Nursing Page 1 SB57 Engrossed Education is created.

Page 1 SB57 Enrolled (1) PARTICIPANT.

(2) An application for a nursing education loan under the program may be submitted to the board for any scholastic Page 2 SB57 Engrossed year, including previously completed scholastic years.

(4) For the first year of operation of the program, the Page 2 SB57 Enrolled maximum annual loan amount shall not exceed fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000).

§34-21-153 (a) If, for any reason, a participant defaults on or otherwise fails to honor a loan repayment contract with the board, the individual shall be liable for immediate repayment of the total principal loan amount, plus interest, at the rate Page 3 SB57 Engrossed of eight percent, or the prime lending rate, whichever is greater, accruing from the date of default or other failure to honor the contract.

(b) If, for any reason, after graduation with a graduate degree to become a nurse educator and prior to completion of the repayment obligation set forth in Section Page 3 SB57 Enrolled 34-21-152, a participant defaults on or otherwise fails to honor a loan repayment contract with the board, the participant shall pay an additional penalty equal to 20 percent of the total principal amount of all loans received by 95 the participant.

(d) The board may excuse repayment of a loan, in whole 95 or in part, upon the death of a participant, or upon the participant becoming disabled to the extent that he or she is no longer able to engage in the practice of nursing, or upon some other extreme hardship not the fault of the participant.

(b) The board shall consult with the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services to develop performance metrics Page 4 SB57 Engrossed and other measures of success to include in the annual report required pursuant to subsection (a).

(c) The board shall adopt reasonable rules to implement Page 4 SB57 Enrolled and administer the program.

Page 5 SB57 EngrossedEnrolled Senate________________________________________________ ReadPresident forand thePresiding firstOfficer timeof andthe referredSenate ................07-Mar-23________________________________________________ toSpeaker of the SenateHouse committeeof onRepresentatives FinanceSB57 andSenate Taxation02-May-23 EducationI Readhereby forcertify that the secondwithin timeAct andoriginated placedin ................19-Apr-23and onpassed the calendar:Senate, as amended.

1 amendment Read for the third time and passed ................02-May-23 as amended Yeas 32 Nays 0 Abstains 0 Patrick Harris, Secretary.

PageHouse 6of Representatives Passed:

01-Jun-23 By:

Senator Weaver Page 6