LCO No. 2669 1 of 2
General Assembly Proposed Bill No. 6557
January Session, 2025
LCO No. 2669
Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
Introduced by:
REP. KLARIDES-DITRIA, 105th Dist.
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS
PROGRAM AND RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION INCENTIVE
PROGRAM FOR LICENSED ATHLETIC TRAINERS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
That title 19a of the general statutes be amended to establish (1) a 1
licensed athletic trainer student loan forgiveness program to forgive (A) 2
up to twenty-five thousand dollars of graduate school loans for each 3
athletic trainer who (i) is not participating in another state or federal 4
loan forgiveness or loan reimbursement program at the graduate level, 5
(ii) obtains and maintains licensure as an athletic trainer by the 6
Department of Public Health, and (iii) agrees to work in the state for a 7
minimum of five years of full-time work or a minimum of eight years of 8
part-time work as an athletic trainer, and (B) up to thirty-five thousand 9
dollars of graduate school loans for each athletic trainer who (i) is not 10
participating in another state or federal loan forgiveness or loan 11
reimbursement program at the graduate level, (ii) obtains and maintains 12
licensure as an athletic trainer by the Department of Public Health, and 13
(iii) agrees to work in the state for a minimum of five years of full-time 14
work or a minimum of eight years of part-time work as an athletic 15 Proposed Bill No. 6557
LCO No. 2669 2 of 2
trainer working in a rural or other underserved areas, and (2) a 16
recruitment and retention incentive program that (A) reduces licensure 17
fees, (B) provides scholarship funding to increase recruitment to athletic 18
training graduate programs, (C) provides grants of not more than thirty 19
thousand dollars disbursed over a four-year period for athletic trainers 20
that relocate to the state, (D) provides grants of not more than forty 21
thousand dollars disbursed over a four-year period for athletic trainers 22
that relocate to the state and practice in rural and underserved areas, (E) 23
develop recommendations for the number of athletic trainers that 24
should be employed at a work place based on the number of physically 25
active individuals participating in physical activity at such work place, 26
and (F) establishes a grant fund for an athletic training organization 27
located in the state that represents the athletic training profession within 28
the state to provide mentorship opportunities for recently licensed 29
athletic trainers and stakeholder education to enhance recruitment and 30
retention of students and professionals. 31
Statement of Purpose:
To establish retention and recruitment incentives for athletic trainers to
address the shortage of athletic trainers in the state.