Senate Bill sb0782
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Florida Senate - 2001 SB 782
By Senator Sanderson
31-375A-01
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Nursing Student Loan
3 Forgiveness Program; amending ss. 240.4075,
4 240.4076, F.S.; including family practice
5 teaching hospitals and specialty children's
6 hospitals as facilities eligible under the
7 program; exempting such hospitals from the
8 fund-matching requirements of the program;
9 transferring the program from the Board of
10 Regents to the Department of Health; providing
11 an effective date.
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13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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15 Section 1. Subsection (1) and paragraph (a) of
16 subsection (7) of section 240.4075, Florida Statutes, are
17 amended to read:
18 240.4075 Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program.--
19 (1) To encourage qualified personnel to seek
20 employment in areas of this state in which critical nursing
21 shortages exist, there is established the Nursing Student Loan
22 Forgiveness Program. The primary function of the program is
23 to increase employment and retention of registered nurses and
24 licensed practical nurses in nursing homes and hospitals in
25 the state and in state-operated medical and health care
26 facilities, birth centers, federally sponsored community
27 health centers, and teaching hospitals, family practice
28 teaching hospitals, and specialty children's hospitals by
29 making repayments toward loans received by students from
30 federal or state programs or commercial lending institutions
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Florida Senate - 2001 SB 782
31-375A-01
1 for the support of postsecondary study in accredited or
2 approved nursing programs.
3 (7)(a) Funds contained in the Nursing Student Loan
4 Forgiveness Trust Fund which are to be used for loan
5 forgiveness for those nurses employed by hospitals, birth
6 centers, and nursing homes must be matched on a
7 dollar-for-dollar basis by contributions from the employing
8 institutions, except that this provision shall not apply to
9 state-operated medical and health care facilities, county
10 health departments, federally sponsored community health
11 centers, or teaching hospitals as defined in s. 408.07, family
12 practice teaching hospitals as defined in s. 395.805, or
13 specialty children's hospitals as described in s. 409.9119.
14 If, in any given fiscal quarter, there are insufficient funds
15 in the trust fund to grant all eligible applicants' requests,
16 awards must be based on the following priority by employer:
17 county health departments, federally sponsored community
18 health centers, state-operated medical and health care
19 facilities, teaching hospitals as defined in s. 408.07, family
20 practice teaching hospitals as defined in s. 395.805,
21 specialty children's hospitals as described in s. 409.9119,
22 and other hospitals, birthing centers, or nursing homes where
23 the match is required.
24 Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of section
25 240.4076, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
26 240.4076 Nursing scholarship program.--
27 (4) Credit for repayment of a scholarship shall be as
28 follows:
29 (b) Eligible health care facilities include
30 state-operated medical or health care facilities, county
31 health departments, federally sponsored community health
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Florida Senate - 2001 SB 782
31-375A-01
1 centers, or teaching hospitals as defined in s. 408.07, family
2 practice teaching hospitals as defined in s. 395.805, or
3 specialty children's hospitals as described in s. 409.9119.
4 The recipient shall be encouraged to complete the service
5 obligation at a single employment site. If continuous
6 employment at the same site is not feasible, the recipient may
7 apply to the department for a transfer to another approved
8 health care facility.
9 Section 3. All the statutory powers, duties, and
10 functions and the records, personnel, property, and unexpended
11 balances of appropriations, allocations, or other funds of the
12 Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program are transferred from
13 the Board of Regents to the Department of Health by a type two
14 transfer as defined in section 20.06, Florida Statutes.
15 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.
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18 SENATE SUMMARY
19 Includes as institutions eligible under the Nursing
Student Loan Forgiveness Program family practice teaching
20 hospitals and specialty children's hospitals. Exempts
such hospitals from the fund-matching requirements of the
21 program. Transfers the Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness
Program from the Board of Regents to the Department of
22 Health.
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