Substitute House Bill No. 5441
Public Act No. 23-70
AN ACT CONCERNING CLINICAL PLACEMENTS FOR NURSING
STUDENTS, REPORTING BY THE OFFICE OF WORKFORCE
STRATEGY, PROMOTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
INSURANCE INDUSTRY AND CONNECTICUT HIGHER EDUCATION
SUPPLEMENTAL LOAN AUTHORITY STUDENT LOAN SUBSIDY
PROGRAMS FOR VARIOUS 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 task force
to develop a plan for establishing clinical placements at state facilities
for nursing students at public and independent institutions of higher
education. The task force shall examine (1) the types of state facilities
that can accommodate such clinical placements, including, but not
limited to, state correctional facilities and facilities operated by the
Departments of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Children and
Families, and Developmental Services, (2) the number and types of
clinical placements that may be established at each state facility, (3) the
staffing requirements for providing such clinical placements and
whether state facilities meet such staffing requirements, and (4) the total
and per-student cost to state facilities to provide such clinical
placements.
(b) The task force shall consist of the following members: Substitute House Bill No. 5441
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(1) One appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives,
who is a nursing education program administrator at The University of
Connecticut;
(2) One appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, who is
a nursing education program administrator at an independent
institution of higher education, as defined in section 10a-173 of the
general statutes;
(3) One appointed by the majority leader of the Hous e of
Representatives, who is a nursing education program administrator at
a state university within the Connecticut State University System;
(4) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, who is a
nursing education program administrator at a regional community-
technical college;
(5) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of
Representatives, who is a nursing education program administrator at
an independent institution of higher education, as defined in section
10a-173 of the general statutes;
(6) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, who is a
nursing education program administrator at The University of
Connecticut Health Center;
(7) One appointed by the Commissioner of Correction, who is a
licensed medical provider employed by the Department of Correction;
(8) One appointed by the Commissioner of Public Health, who is a
registered nurse employed by the Department of Public Health;
(9) One appointed by the Commissioner of Mental Health and
Addiction Services, who is a registered nurse employed by the
Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; Substitute House Bill No. 5441
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(10) One appointed by the Commissioner of Developmental Services,
who is a registered nurse employed by the Department of
Developmental Services; and
(11) One appointed by the Commissioner of Children and Families,
who is a registered nurse employed by the Department of Children and
Families.
(c) Any member of the task force appointed under subdivisions (1) to
(6), inclusive, of subsection (b) of this section may be a member of the
General Assembly.
(d) All initial appointments to the task force shall be made not later
than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall
be filled by the appointing authority.
(e) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro
tempore of the Senate shall select the chairpersons of the task force from
among the members of the task force. Such chairpersons shall schedule
the first meeting of the task force, which shall be held not later than sixty
days after the effective date of this section.
(f) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher
education and employment advancement shall serve as administrative
staff of the task force.
(g) Not later than January 1, 2024, the task force shall submit a report
on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of
the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher
education and employment advancement, in accordance with the
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. The task force shall
terminate on the date that it submits such report or January 1, 2024,
whichever is later. Substitute House Bill No. 5441
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Sec. 2. Subsection (b) of section 4-124jj of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1,
2023):
(b) Not later than October 1, 2022, and annually thereafter, [until
October 1, 2025,] the Chief Workforce Officer shall submit to the
Governor and, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the
joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance
of matters relating to finance, higher education and employment
advancement, education, commerce, and labor and public employees a
report regarding the workforce training programs funded through the
Office of Workforce Strategy account. Such report shall include, but not
be limited to, information on the number of individuals served,
demographic information about such individuals and outcomes of such
individuals after completion of a workforce training program.
Sec. 3. Section 38a-8 of the general statutes is amended by adding
subsection (h) as follows (Effective July 1, 2023):
(NEW) (h) The commissioner shall promote the development and
growth of, and employment opportunities within, the insurance
industry in the state.
Sec. 4. Section 10a-247 of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2024):
(a) The Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority
shall establish, subject to available funding pursuant to section 10a-247a,
as amended by this act, an Alliance District [Teacher] Educator and
Counselor Loan Subsidy Program for the purpose of subsidizing
interest rates on authority loans, as defined in section 10a-223, to
teachers, paraeducators and school counselors who are employed in a
district designated as an alliance district pursuant to section 10-262u and
who meet the eligibility criteria as established by the authority and the Substitute House Bill No. 5441
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Commissioner of Education.
(b) The authority shall enter into a memorandum of agreement with
the Commissioner of Education to establish the eligibility criteria and
administrative guidelines for the Alliance District [Teacher] Educator
and Counselor Loan Subsidy Program. Such eligibility criteria and
guidelines shall include, but need not be limited to, (1) applicant
eligibility, (2) interest rate subsidies and principal limits on authority
loans subject to the Alliance District [Teacher] Educator and Counselor
Loan Subsidy Program, (3) the process for verifying the employment of
applicants, and (4) the requirement that an interest rate subsidy through
the Alliance District [Teacher] Educator and Counselor Loan Subsidy
Program shall terminate for any subsidy recipient who ceases to meet
the employment requirements of such program during the term of such
recipient's loan from the authority.
Sec. 5. Section 10a-247a of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2024):
The Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority
shall maintain a separate, nonlapsing account to hold funds for the
Alliance District [Teacher] Educator and Counselor Loan Subsidy
Program established pursuant to section 10a-247, as amended by this
act. The account shall contain any moneys required by law to be
deposited in the account, including, but not limited to, any state
appropriation or the proceeds from the sale of bonds issued for the
purpose of section 10a-247, as amended by this act. Moneys in the
account shall be used (1) for the purposes of the Alliance District
[Teacher] Educator and Counselor Loan Subsidy Program and for
reasonable and necessary expenses for the administration of such
program, (2) for the issuance of authority loans to refinance one or more
eligible loans, and (3) to maintain a reserve held by the authority to
cover any losses incurred by the authority from the issuance of such
authority loans. For the purposes of this section, "authority loans" and Substitute House Bill No. 5441
Public Act No. 23-70 6 of 9
"eligible loans" have the same meaning as provided in section 10a-223.
Sec. 6. (NEW) (Effective January 1, 2024) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Police officer" means a sworn member of a municipal police
department;
(2) "Distressed municipality" has the same meaning as provided in
section 32-9p of the general statutes;
(3) "Authority loans" has the same meaning as provided in section
10a-223 of the general statutes; and
(4) "Eligible loans" has the same meaning as provided in section 10a-
223 of the general statutes.
(b) On and after July 1, 2024, the Connecticut Higher Education
Supplemental Loan Authority shall establish, subject to available
funding pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, a Police Officer Loan
Subsidy Program for the purpose of subsidizing interest rates on
authority loans to police officers who are employed in a distressed
municipality and who meet the eligibility criteria as established by the
authority.
(c) The Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority
shall, in consultation with the Police Officer Standards Training Council,
establish the eligibility criteria and administrative guidelines for the
Police Officer Loan Subsidy Program. Such eligibility criteria and
guidelines shall include, but need not be limited to, (1) applicant
eligibility, (2) interest rate subsidies and principal limits on authority
loans subject to the Police Officer Loan Subsidy Program, (3) the process
for verifying the employment of applicants, and (4) the requirement that
an interest rate subsidy through the Police Officer Loan Subsidy
Program shall terminate for any subsidy recipient who ceases to meet
the employment requirements of such program during the term of such Substitute House Bill No. 5441
Public Act No. 23-70 7 of 9
recipient's loan from the authority.
(d) The Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority
shall maintain a separate, nonlapsing account to hold funds for the
Police Officer Loan Subsidy Program. The account shall contain any
moneys required by law to be deposited in the account, including, but
not limited to, any state appropriation or the proceeds from the sale of
bonds issued for the purpose of the program. Moneys in the account
shall be used (1) for the purposes of the Police Officer Loan Subsidy
Program and for reasonable and necessary expenses for the
administration of such program, (2) for the issuance of authority loans
to refinance one or more eligible loans, and (3) to maintain a reserve held
by the authority to cover any losses incurred by the authority from the
issuance of such authority loans.
Sec. 7. Section 1 of public act 23-60 is repealed and the following is
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2023):
(a) For the purposes of this section, "authority loans" and "eligible
loans" have the same meanings as provided in section 10a-223 of the
general statutes.
(b) The Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority
shall establish, subject to available funding in the account established
and maintained pursuant to section 2 of [this act] public act 23-60 a
Nursing, [and] Mental Health Care and Emergency Medical Service
Professionals Loan Subsidy Program for the purpose of subsidizing
interest rates on authority loans issued to refinance eligible loans for
health care professionals who (1) are actively employed in a clinical or
an emergency medical service setting, (2) are (A) licensed pursuant to
chapter 378, 378a, 383, 383a, 383b or 383c of the general statutes, or (B)
certified as an emergency medical responder or emergency medical
technician under the provisions of section 20-206ll or 20-206mm of the
general statutes or as an advanced emergency medical technician by the Substitute House Bill No. 5441
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Department of Public Health, and (3) meet the eligibility criteria
established pursuant to subsection (c) of this section.
(c) The Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority
shall enter into a memorandum of agreement with the Commissioner of
Education to establish eligibility criteria and administrative guidelines
for the program established pursuant to subsection (b) of this section.
Such eligibility criteria and guidelines shall include, but need not be
limited to, (1) applicant eligibility criteria, (2) interest rate subsidies and
principal limits on authority loans offered under the program, (3) a
process for verifying that applicants are actively employed in a clinical
or an emergency medical service setting, and (4) a requirement that an
interest rate subsidy on an authority loan issued under the program be
terminated if the subsidy recipient fails to meet the requirements of the
program at any time during the term of such loan.
Sec. 8. Section 2 of public act 23-60 is repealed and the following is
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2023):
The Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority
shall establish and maintain a separate, nonlapsing account to hold
funds for the Nursing, [and] Mental Health Care and Emergency
Medical Service Professionals Loan Subsidy Program established
pursuant to section 1 of [this act] public act 23-60. The account shall
contain any moneys required by law to be deposited in the account,
including, but not limited to, any state appropriation and the proceeds
from the sale of any bonds issued for the purpose of section 1 of [this
act] public act 23-60. Moneys in the account shall be expended by the
Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority (1) for the
purposes of the Nursing, [and] Mental Health Care and Emergency
Medical Service Professionals Loan Subsidy Program established
pursuant to section 1 of [this act] public act 23-60 including, but not
limited to, for reasonable expenses necessary to administer said
program, (2) to issue authority loans under said program to refinance Substitute House Bill No. 5441
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one or more eligible loans, and (3) to maintain a reserve, held by the
authority, to cover any losses incurred by the authority in issuing
authority loans under said program. For the purposes of this section,
"authority loans" and "eligible loans" have the same meanings as
provided in section 10a-223 of the general statutes.