SB 60 — Relating to the Board of Nursing; to amend Sections 34-21-96, 34-21-97, 34-21-98 and 34-21-99, Code of Alabama 1975, to remove the cap on the amount of loan awarded annually; to provide further for the definition of a critical need area; to remove certain penalties for defaulting, and to require the board to consult with the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services.

SB60 ENGROSSEDENROLLED 4UCX3I-24UCX3I-3 By Senator Weaver RFD:

07-Mar-23 2023 Regular Session Page 0 SB60 EngrossedEnrolled 2Enrolled, 4An 6Act, A3 BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to the Board of Nursing;

"§34-21-96 (a)(1) The board shall establish and award, according to the judgment of the board, loans to provide for the training of qualified applicants for admission to or students in accredited nursing education programs approved by the board who are pursuing, or have completed within the five years immediately preceding the current loan term, a graduate degree to become a certified registered nurse practitioner (CRNP), a Page 1 SB60 Engrossed certified nurse midwife (CNM), or a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), but only for people individuals who have signed contracts as provided in subsection (b).

The board may permit eligible people individuals to apply for a loan under the Alabama Loan-Repayment Program for Advanced- Practice Nursing in any scholastic year and for any previously Page 1 SB60 Enrolled completed scholastic year.

(4) A personAn individual who has signed such a Page 2 SB60 Engrossed contract with the board may postpone choosing an area of critical need in which to work to a time set by the board.

(b) A loan or loans under this program may be awarded only to people individuals who have signed contracts with the board to repay amounts received under the program by working following graduation, or immediately in the case of a then Page 2 SB60 Enrolled currently approved CRNP, CNM, or CRNA, in full-time practice as a CRNA, CRNP, or CNM in an area of critical need for 18 months for each year he or she received a loan under the program.

(2) Be a Federally Qualified Health Center or designated Indian Health Service, Tribal Health, and Urban Page 3 SB60 Engrossed Indian Health Organization located anywhere within the state, with a primary care HPSA score of 14 or more.

Census Bureau Be located within an eligible Alabama Rural Medical Service Awards rural community as defined most recently by the Page 3 SB60 Enrolled Alabama Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, or its successor organization.

(b) The board shall adopt rules under the Administrative Procedure Act to implement this section." 95 "§34-21-98 (a) In the event that the participant defaults on or otherwise fails to honor a loan-repayment contract with the board for any reason, the individual shall be liable for immediate repayment of the total principal loan amount plus interest at the rate of eight percent, or the prime lending 95 rate, whichever is greater, accruing from the date of default or other failure to honor the contract.

(3) For default or other failure to honor a contract Page 4 SB60 Engrossed under which three or more years’ worth of loans have been received, a penalty equal to 40 percent of the total principal amount of the loan.

(4) If default or other failure to honor a contract occurs after graduation with a graduate degree in advanced-practice nursing but prior to completion of the Page 4 SB60 Enrolled repayment obligation set forth in Section 34-21-96, a penalty equal to 100 percent of the total principal amount of all loans received by the participant from the program.

(c)(d) The board may excuse repayment of a loan, in whole 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." "§34-21-99 Page 5 SB60 Engrossed (a) The board annually shall report on the condition and accomplishments of the program to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House, President Pro-Tem Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Chairs of the House and Senate Health Committees.

The report shall include for the reporting year the locations where participants agreed to serve or where they Page 5 SB60 Enrolled were serving to repay loans.

Page 6 SB60 EngrossedEnrolled Senate________________________________________________ ReadPresident forand thePresiding firstOfficer timeof andthe referredSenate ................07-Mar-23________________________________________________ toSpeaker of the SenateHouse committeeof onRepresentatives FinanceSB60 andSenate Taxation25-Apr-23 EducationI Readhereby forcertify that the secondwithin timeAct andoriginated placedin ................19-Apr-23and onpassed the calendar:Senate, as amended.

0 amendments Read for the third time and passed ................25-Apr-23 as amended Yeas 32 Nays 0 Abstains 0 Patrick Harris, Secretary.

PageHouse 7of Representatives Passed:

23-May-23 By:

Senator Weaver Page 7