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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 6886
January Session, 2025
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A NURSING STUDENT LOAN
REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) Not later than January 1, 1
2026, the Commissioner of Higher Education shall establish, within 2
available appropriations, a nursing student loan reimbursement 3
program to reimburse certain nurses for student loan payments. The 4
Office of Higher Education may approve the participation of any person 5
in the nursing student loan reimbursement program who (1) is a 6
licensed registered nurse or licensed practical nurse under chapter 378 7
of the general statutes; (2) is a resident of the state, as defined in section 8
12-701 of the general statutes; and (3) has a student loan. 9
(b) Any person who qualifies under subsection (a) of this section may 10
apply to the Office of Higher Education to participate in the nursing 11
student loan reimbursement program at such time and in such manner 12
as the commissioner of said office prescribes. Not later than January 1, 13
2026, the commissioner shall post on said office's Internet web site the 14
forms required to apply for the nursing student loan reimbursement 15
program. 16
(c) (1) The Commissioner of Higher Education shall award grants to 17
persons approved to participate in the nursing student loan 18 Substitute Bill No. 6886
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reimbursement program on a first-come, first-served basis, provided 19
such person meets the requirements of subdivisions (2) and (3) of this 20
subsection. 21
(2) Each participant in the program shall volunteer for not less than 22
fifty unpaid hours for each year of participation in the nursing student 23
loan reimbursement program for (A) a nonprofit organization that is 24
exempt from taxation pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal 25
Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal 26
revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to time, or (B) 27
a municipal government, provided such volunteer hours pursuant to 28
subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this subdivision are completed in a 29
distressed municipality, as defined in section 32-9p of the general 30
statutes, or an area of the state designated by the federal Health 31
Resources and Services Administration as a health professional shortage 32
area, a medically underserved area or an area with medically 33
underserved populations. 34
(3) Each participant in the program shall annually submit to the 35
Office of Higher Education, in a manner prescribed by the commissioner 36
(A) a statement from a student loan servicer that includes the amounts 37
for the outstanding loan balance for such student loan and the total of 38
the year-to-date payments made on such student loan, and (B) a form 39
documenting the number of volunteer hours completed and the nature 40
of the health care services provided by such participant that is signed by 41
an employee of the nonprofit organization or municipal government for 42
which such participant volunteered. 43
(4) The Office of Higher Education shall reimburse each program 44
participant who meets the requirements of this section for student loan 45
payments in an amount not to exceed five thousand dollars, annually. 46
(d) The Office of Higher Education may use up to two and one-half 47
per cent of the funds appropriated for purposes of this section, annually, 48
for program administration, promotion and recruitment activities. 49
(e) Not later than January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, the 50 Substitute Bill No. 6886
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Commissioner of Higher Education shall report, in accordance with the 51
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing 52
committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 53
relating to higher education and employment advancement and 54
appropriations and the budgets of state agencies on the operation and 55
effectiveness of the program and any recommendations to expand the 56
program. 57
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2025 New section
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Subsec. (c)(2), Subpara. designators (A) and (B) were added for
clarity.
HED Joint Favorable Subst.