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OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 5441 (as amended by House "A")*
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.
SUMMARY
This bill makes various unrelated changes affecting higher education
statutes and programs. Principally, it does the following:
1. creates an 11-member task force to develop a plan to establish
clinical placements at state facilities for nursing students at public
and private higher education institutions (§ 1);
2. makes permanent a provision due to sunset under current law on
October 1, 2025, that requires the Chief Workforce Officer to
annually report to the governor and certain legislative
committees on the Office of Workforce Strategy’s workforce
training programs (§ 2);
3. requires the insurance commissioner to promote the
development and growth of, and employment opportunities
within, the state’s insurance industry (§ 3);
4. extends eligibility to the Connecticut Higher Education
Supplemental Loan Authority’s (CHESLA) Alliance District
Teacher Loan Subsidy Program to paraeducators and counselors,
and makes conforming changes (§§ 4-5);
5. requires CHESLA to establish a Police Officer Loan Subsidy
Program to subsidize interest rates on CHESLA loans to eligible
police officers employed in distressed municipalities (§ 6); and 2023HB-05441-R010829-BA.DOCX
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6. amends sHB 6689 of the current session to expand a CHESLA
loan subsidy program for specified health care professionals to
also include emergency services professionals (§§ 7-8).
*House Amendment “A” eliminates provisions (1) creating a state
income tax credit for certain licensed health care providers who provide
clinical placements for nursing students as part of an agreement with
higher education institutions, (2) requiring the Office of Higher
Education executive director and the labor and education
commissioners to jointly develop a plan to establish a registered
apprenticeship program to allow certain students to work as apprentice
teacher’s aides, and (3) requiring CHESLA to establish a Student Loan
Subsidy Program to subsidize interest rates on authority loans to eligible
individuals employed in high demand professions. The amendment
also (1) adds members to the task force and expands its charge to cover
clinical placements at private institutions and (2) adds the provisions (a)
modifying the Alliance District Teacher Student Loan Subsidy program,
(b) establishing a loan subsidy program for police officers employed by
distressed municipalities, and (c) amending provisions in sHB 6689 of
the current session.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023, except the police officer student loan
subsidy program provisions take effect on January 1, 2024, and the task
force provision is effective upon passage.
§ 1 — NURSING STUDENT CLINICAL PLACEMENT TASK FORCE
Duties
The bill creates a task force to develop a plan to establish clinical
placements for nursing students at public and private colleges and
universities. In developing the plan, the bill requires the task force to
examine the following:
1. the types of state facilities that can accommodate these clinical
placements, including state correctional facilities and facilities
operated by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction
Services (DMHAS), the Department of Children and Families
(DCF), and the Department of Developmental Services (DDS); 2023HB-05441-R010829-BA.DOCX
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2. the number and type of clinical placements that may be
established at each state facility;
3. the staffing requirements for providing the clinical placements
and the facilities’ compliance with them; and
4. the total and per-student cost to state facilities to provide the
clinical placements.
Membership
The task force includes six members appointed by the six legislative
leaders. The table below lists the appointees’ qualifications and
appointing authorities. Members appointed by the legislative leaders
may be legislators.
Table: Task Force Membership
Appointing Authority Number of
Appointments
Appointee Qualifications
House speaker One Nursing education program
administrator at UConn
Senate president pro
tempore
One Nursing education program
administrator at an independent
higher education institution
House majority leader One Nursing education program
administrator at a state university
within the Connecticut State
University System
Senate majority leader One Nursing education program
administrator at a regional
community-technical college
House minority leader One Nursing education program
administrator at an independent
higher education institution
Senate minority leader One Nursing education program
administrator at UConn Health
Center
Department of Corrections
(DOC) commissioner
One Licensed medical provider
employed by DOC
Department of Public
Health (DPH)
commissioner
One Registered nurse employed by
DPH
DMHAS commissioner One Registered nurse employed by
DMHAS 2023HB-05441-R010829-BA.DOCX
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Appointing Authority Number of
Appointments
Appointee Qualifications
DDS commissioner One Registered nurse employed by
DDS
DCF commissioner One Registered nurse employed by
DCF
The bill requires appointing authorities to make their initial
appointments within 30 days of the bill’s passage and fill any vacancies.
Leadership, Staff, and Meetings
Under the bill, the House speaker and Senate president pro tempore
must select the task force chairpersons from among its members. The
chairpersons must schedule the task force’s first meeting to be held
within 60 days after the bill’s passage.
The bill requires the Higher Education and Employment
Advancement Committee’s administrative staff to serve in this capacity
for the task force.
Report
The bill requires the task force to report its findings and
recommendations to the Higher Education and Employment
Advancement Committee by January 1, 2024. It terminates on this date
or the date it submits the report, whichever is later.
§ 2 — OFFICE OF WORKFORC E STRATEGY REPORTING
REQUIREMENTS
The bill makes permanent the requirement that the chief workforce
officer annually report to the governor and the Commerce; Education;
Finance, Revenue and Bonding; Higher Education and Employment
Advancement; and Labor and Public Employees committees on Office
of Workforce Strategy workforce training programs. Under current law,
the reporting requirement sunsets on October 1, 2025.
Under the bill and existing law, the report must include information
on the number, demographics, and outcomes of program participants. 2023HB-05441-R010829-BA.DOCX
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§§ 4-5 — ALLIANCE DISTRICT EDUCATOR AND COUNSEL OR
LOAN SUBSIDY PROGRAM
The bill requires CHESLA to extend eligibility for the Alliance
District Teacher Loan Subsidy Program to paraeducators and school
counselors and renames the program the “Alliance District Educator
and Counselor Loan Subsidy Program.” As under current law, this
program provides subsidized interest rates on CHESLA loans to eligible
borrowers employed in alliance districts, subject to available funding.
§ 6 — CHESLA POLICE OFFICER LOAN SUBSIDY PROGRAM
The bill requires CHESLA, by July 1, 2024, to establish a Police Officer
Loan Subsidy Program to subsidize interest rates on CHESLA loans to
eligible sworn members of municipal police departments (“police
officers”) employed in distressed municipalities (see BACKGROUND),
subject to available funding.
The Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD)
annually designates distressed municipalities based on high
unemployment and poverty, aging housing stock, and low or declining
rates of job, population, and per capita income growth (CGS § 32-9p).
Under the bill, CHESLA must establish a separate, non-lapsing account
to hold program funds required by law to be deposited there, including
any state appropriation or bond sale proceeds.
Eligibility Criteria and Administrative Guidelines
The bill requires CHESLA to establish the program’s eligibility
criteria and administrative guidelines in consultation with the Police
Officer Standards Training Council. Under the bill, the criteria and
guidelines must address at least the following:
1. applicant eligibility,
2. interest rate subsidies and principal limits on authority loans
subject to the loan subsidy program,
3. the process for verifying applicants’ employment, and
4. the requirement that an interest rate subsidy through the 2023HB-05441-R010829-BA.DOCX
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program terminates for a subsidy recipient who no longer meets
the program’s employment requirements during the loan’s term.
Account Expenditure Guidelines
CHESLA must use the funds in the program account to subsidize
loans under the program. In addition, CHESLA must spend account
funds to cover (1) reasonable and necessary expenses for program
administration, (2) the issuance of authority loans to refinance one or
more eligible loans, and (3) a reserve for any losses from issuing
authority loans.
By law and unchanged by the bill, “authority loans” are education
loans by CHESLA or CHESLA loans from the proceeds of bonds to fund
education loans. “Eligible loans” are loans in repayment that were
issued by (1) CHESLA or (2) another private or governmental lender to
finance college or university attendance.
§§ 7 & 8 — CHESLA LOAN SUBSIDY PROGRAM F OR SPECIFIED
HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS
sHB 6689 of the current session requires CHESLA to establish a
Nursing and Mental Health Care Professionals Loan Subsidy Program
to subsidize interest rates on CHESLA refinancing loans to certain
Connecticut-licensed nurses, nurse’s aides, psychologists, marital and
family therapists, clinical and master social workers, and professional
counselors. This bill amends sHB 6689 to expand the program to
emergency medical service (EMS) professionals and makes various
conforming changes. Under the bill, to qualify, the EMS professional
must (1) be DPH-certified as an emergency medical responder,
emergency medical technician, or advanced emergency medical
technician and (2) meet the program’s eligibility criteria and
administrative guidelines set by CHESLA and the education
commissioner.
BACKGROUND
Distressed Municipalities
DECD annually designates distressed municipalities based on high
unemployment and poverty, aging housing stock, and low or declining 2023HB-05441-R010829-BA.DOCX
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rates of job, population, and per capita income growth (CGS § 32-9p).
The current (2022) distressed municipalities are Ansonia, Bridgeport,
Bristol, Chaplin, Derby, East Hartford, East Haven, Griswold, Groton,
Hartford, Meriden, Montville, New Britain, New London, North
Stonington, Norwich, Plainfield, Putnam, Sprague, Sterling, Torrington,
Waterbury, West Haven, Winchester, and Windham.
Related Bill
HB 5437 (File 263), favorably reported by the Higher Education and
Employment Advancement Committee, requires CHESLA to establish
a student loan subsidy program to offer subsidized interest rates on
loans it makes to first responders.
sHB 6689 (File 185), favorably reported by the Banking Committee,
establishes a Nursing and Mental Health Care Professionals Loan
Subsidy Program to subsidize interest rates on CHESLA refinancing
loans to certain Connecticut-licensed nurses, nurse’s aides,
psychologists, marital and family therapists, clinical and master social
workers, and professional counselors.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 22 Nay 0 (03/14/2023)