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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 5441
January Session, 2023
LCO No. 5867
Referred to Committee on HIGHER EDUCATION AND
EMPLOYMENT ADVANCEMENT
Introduced by:
(HED)
AN ACT CONCERNING CLINICAL PLACEMENTS FOR NURSING
STUDENTS, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF REGISTERED
APPRENTICESHIPS FOR TEACHERS, REPORTING BY THE OFFICE
OF WORKFORCE STRATEGY, PROMOTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT
OF THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY AND A STUDENT LOAN SUBSIDY
FOR HIGH-DEMAND PROFESSIONS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a working 1
group to develop a plan for establishing clinical placements at state 2
facilities for nursing students at public institutions of higher education. 3
The working group shall examine (1) the types of state facilities that can 4
accommodate such clinical placements, including, but not limited to, 5
state correctional facilities and facilities operated by the Departments of 6
Mental Health and Addiction Services, Children and Families and 7
Developmental Services, (2) the number and types of clinical placements 8
that may be established at each state facility, (3) the staffing 9
requirements for providing such clinical placements and whether state 10
facilities meet such staffing requirements, and (4) the total and per-11
student cost to state facilities to provide such clinical placements. 12
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(b) The task force shall consist of the following members: 13
(1) Two appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, 14
one of whom has expertise in clinical nursing and one of whom is a 15
nursing education program administrator at a public institution of 16
higher education; 17
(2) Two appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one of 18
whom is a nurse administrator at a state agency or a state facility and 19
one of whom has expertise in clinical placements for nursing students; 20
(3) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of 21
Representatives, who is a representative of the Department of Public 22
Health and is a registered nurse; 23
(4) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, who is a 24
representative of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction 25
Services and is a registered nurse; 26
(5) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of 27
Representatives, who is a representative of the Department of 28
Developmental Services and is a registered nurse; and 29
(6) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, who is a 30
representative of the Department of Children and Families and is a 31
registered nurse. 32
(c) Any member of the task force appointed under subdivisions (1) 33
and (2) of subsection (b) of this section may be a member of the General 34
Assembly. 35
(d) All initial appointments to the task force shall be made not later 36
than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall 37
be filled by the appointing authority. 38
(e) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro 39
tempore of the Senate shall select the chairpersons of the task force from 40
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among the members of the task force. Such chairpersons shall schedule 41
the first meeting of the task force, which shall be held not later than sixty 42
days after the effective date of this section. 43
(f) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the 44
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher 45
education and employment advancement shall serve as administrative 46
staff of the task force. 47
(g) Not later than January 1, 2024, the task force shall submit a report 48
on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of 49
the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher 50
education and employment advancement, in accordance with the 51
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. The task force shall 52
terminate on the date that it submits such report or January 1, 2024, 53
whichever is later. 54
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective January 1, 2024, and applicable to taxable years 55
commencing on or after January 1, 2024) (a) As used in this section: 56
(1) "Clinical placement" means a clinical learning experience that 57
involves the provision of patient care by nursing students under the 58
direction and supervision of a preceptor as a required component of a 59
nursing education program curriculum; 60
(2) "Nursing student" means any student enrolled in a nursing 61
education program at an institution of higher education in the state to 62
earn a bachelor's, master's or doctorate degree; and 63
(3) "Preceptor" means any licensed health care provider who 64
provides direction and supervision to nursing students pursuant to an 65
agreement with an institution of higher education to provide clinical 66
placements. 67
(b) For taxable years commencing on or after January 1, 2024, any 68
preceptor who provides clinical placements for nursing students in the 69
state may be allowed, pursuant to the provisions of subsection (e) of this 70
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section, to claim a credit against the tax imposed under chapter 229 of 71
the general statutes, other than the liability imposed by section 12-707 72
of the general statutes. Such credit shall be in the amount of one 73
thousand dollars for every one hundred clinical placement hours in 74
which such preceptor directed and supervised a nursing student during 75
the taxable year, provided (1) the preceptor provides such clinical 76
placement hours at no cost to the nursing student or the institution of 77
higher education in which such nursing student is enrolled, (2) a 78
preceptor claiming the credit under this section shall not claim any other 79
credit against the preceptor's tax liability under any provision of the 80
general statutes for the same one hundred clinical placement hours, (3) 81
the amount of credit allowed to any preceptor in any taxable year shall 82
not exceed four thousand dollars, (4) the credit may only be used to 83
reduce a preceptor's tax liability under chapter 229 of the general 84
statutes for the taxable year in which such preceptor provided the one 85
hundred clinical placement hours, and (5) only one preceptor may claim 86
a credit for the same one hundred clinical placement hours. 87
(c) The total amount of credits allowed under this section shall not 88
exceed one million five hundred thousand dollars in any fiscal year. 89
(d) (1) To be eligible to claim the credit pursuant to subsection (b) of 90
this section for each taxable year, a preceptor shall apply to the 91
Commissioner of Public Health in a form and manner prescribed by the 92
commissioner. Such application shall contain sufficient information as 93
required by the commissioner, including, but not limited to, 94
documentation of the clinical placement hours completed and the 95
agreement between the preceptor and an institution of higher education 96
to provide clinical placements. 97
(2) Upon receipt of an application, the Commissioner of Public Health 98
shall render a decision, in writing, on each completed application not 99
later than thirty days after the date of its receipt by the commissioner. If 100
the preceptor meets the requirements of this section and the total 101
amount of credits claimed in any fiscal year have not exceeded the limit 102
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set forth in subsection (c) of this section, the commissioner shall issue a 103
certification letter to the preceptor indicating that the credit will be 104
available to be claimed by the preceptor. 105
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) The executive director of the 106
Office of Higher Education, the Labor Commissioner and the 107
Commissioner of Education shall jointly develop a plan to establish a 108
program for registered apprenticeships for teachers in which students 109
in education preparation programs may be employed by a school 110
district as an apprentice teacher's aide while completing coursework 111
and apprenticeship hours in not more than three years. Such plan shall 112
include, but need not be limited to, (1) the development, in consultation 113
with educator preparation program administrators at institutions of 114
higher education in the state, of a framework for a program in which 115
students may earn a bachelor's degree and be eligible for teacher 116
certification by completing a requisite number of apprenticeship hours 117
and related coursework in three years, (2) an assessment, in consultation 118
with local and regional boards of education, of the capability and 119
interest within school districts to establish and provide such 120
apprenticeship programs in partnership with institutions of higher 121
education, (3) an assessment of supports that may be provided by state 122
agencies to aid local and regional boards of education and institutions 123
of higher education in establishing such apprenticeship programs, and 124
(4) a fiscal analysis of the costs and benefits of establishing such 125
apprenticeship programs, including, but not limited to, the feasibility of 126
providing state grants to local and regional boards of education to offset 127
the initial costs of developing and registering an apprenticeship 128
program. Not later than January 1, 2024, the executive director of the 129
Office of Higher Education shall submit, in accordance with the 130
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing 131
committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 132
relating to higher education and employment advancement and 133
education the plan developed pursuant to this section and any 134
recommendations for legislation necessary for the implementation of 135
such plan. 136
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Sec. 4. Subsection (b) of section 4-124jj of the general statutes is 137
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 138
2023): 139
(b) Not later than October 1, 2022, and annually thereafter, [until 140
October 1, 2025,] the Chief Workforce Officer shall submit to the 141
Governor and, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the 142
joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance 143
of matters relating to finance, higher education and employment 144
advancement, education, commerce, and labor and public employees a 145
report regarding the workforce training programs funded through the 146
Office of Workforce Strategy account. Such report shall include, but not 147
be limited to, information on the number of individuals served, 148
demographic information about such individuals and outcomes of such 149
individuals after completion of a workforce training program. 150
Sec. 5. Section 38a-8 of the general statutes is amended by adding 151
subsection (h) as follows (Effective July 1, 2023): 152
(NEW) (h) The commissioner shall promote the development and 153
growth of, and employment opportunities within, the insurance 154
industry in the state. 155
Sec. 6. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) (a) As used in this section: 156
(1) "Authority loans" has the same meaning as provided in section 157
10a-223 of the general statutes; and 158
(2) "High-demand professions" means a (A) registered nurse, (B) 159
licensed practical nurse, (C) home health aide, (D) provider of programs 160
or services for individuals with intellectual or developmental 161
disabilities who is employed by a state agency or nonprofit 162
organization, and (E) child care provider employed by a child care 163
center, group child care home or family child care home. 164
(b) The Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority 165
shall establish, subject to available funding pursuant to section 8 of this 166
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act, a Student Loan Subsidy Program for the purpose of subsidizing 167
interest rates on authority loans to individuals employed in high-168
demand professions and who meet the eligibility criteria established by 169
the authority pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. 170
(c) The authority shall establish the eligibility criteria and 171
administrative guidelines for the Student Loan Subsidy Program. Such 172
eligibility criteria and guidelines shall include, but need not be limited 173
to, (1) applicant eligibility, (2) interest rate subsidies and principal limits 174
on authority loans subject to the Student Loan Subsidy Program, (3) the 175
process for verifying the employment of the applicants, and (4) the 176
requirement that an interest rate subsidy through the Student Loan 177
Subsidy Program shall terminate for any subsidy recipient who ceases 178
to meet the employment requirements of such program during the term 179
of such recipient's loan from the authority. 180
Sec. 7. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) The Connecticut Higher 181
Education Supplemental Loan Authority shall maintain a separate, 182
nonlapsing account to hold funds for the Student Loan Subsidy 183
Program established pursuant to section 7 of this act. The account shall 184
contain any moneys required by law to be deposited in the account, 185
including, but not limited to, state appropriations or proceeds from the 186
sale of bonds authorized under section 9 of this act. Moneys in the 187
account shall be expended by the authority for the purposes of the 188
Student Loan Subsidy Program and for reasonable and necessary 189
expenses for the administration of such program. 190
Sec. 8. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) (a) For the purposes described in 191
subsection (b) of this section and section 7 of this act, the State Bond 192
Commission shall have the power from time to time to authorize the 193
issuance of bonds of the state in one or more series and in principal 194
amounts not exceeding seven million dollars annually. 195
(b) The proceeds of the sale of such bonds, to the extent of the amount 196
stated in subsection (a) of this section, shall be used by the Connecticut 197
Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority for the purpose of the 198
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Student Loan Subsidy Program established under section 7 of this act. 199
(c) All provisions of section 3-20 of the general statutes, or the exercise 200
of any right or power granted thereby, that are not inconsistent with the 201
provisions of this section are hereby adopted and shall apply to all 202
bonds authorized by the State Bond Commission pursuant to this 203
section. Temporary notes in anticipation of the money to be derived 204
from the sale of any such bonds so authorized may be issued in 205
accordance with section 3-20 of the general statutes and from time to 206
time renewed. Such bonds shall mature at such time or times not 207
exceeding twenty years from their respective dates as may be provided 208
in or pursuant to the resolution or resolutions of the State Bond 209
Commission authorizing such bonds. None of such bonds shall be 210
authorized except upon a finding by the State Bond Commission that 211
there has been filed with it a request for such authorization that is signed 212
by or on behalf of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management 213
and states such terms and conditions as said commission, in its 214
discretion, may require. Such bonds issued pursuant to this section shall 215
be general obligations of the state and the full faith and credit of the state 216
of Connecticut are pledged for the payment of the principal of and 217
interest on such bonds as the same become due, and accordingly and as 218
part of the contract of the state with the holders of such bonds, 219
appropriation of all amounts necessary for punctual payment of such 220
principal and interest is hereby made, and the State Treasurer shall pay 221
such principal and interest as the same become due. 222
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Sec. 2 January 1, 2024, and
applicable to taxable years
commencing on or after
January 1, 2024
New section
Sec. 3 July 1, 2023 New section
Sec. 4 July 1, 2023 4-124jj(b)
Sec. 5 July 1, 2023 38a-8(h)
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Sec. 6 July 1, 2023 New section
Sec. 7 July 1, 2023 New section
Sec. 8 July 1, 2023 New section
Statement of Purpose:
To (1) establish a working group to develop a plan to establish clinical
placements at state facilities for nursing students at public institutions
of higher education, (2) allow a tax credit for nursing preceptors, (3)
require the development of a plan for establishing a registered
apprenticeship program for teachers, (4) require the Insurance
Commissioner to promote development of the insurance industry, and
(5) require the establishment of Student Loan Subsidy Program for high-
demand professions.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: REP. KHANNA, 149th Dist.; REP. GEE, 126th Dist.
REP. DENNING, 42nd Dist.
H.B. 5441