Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01450 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
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3		-	LCO 1 of 5
	3	+	LCO No. 5654 1 of 4
4	4
5		-	General Assembly ~~Substitute~~ Bill No. 1450
	5	+	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1450
6	6		January Session, 2025
	7	+	LCO No. 5654
7	8
	9	+
	10	+	Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
	11	+
	12	+
	13	+	Introduced by:
	14	+	(PH)
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10	17
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12	19		AN ACT CONCERNING RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF THE
13	20		HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE.
14	21		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
15	22		Assembly convened:
16	23
17	24		Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) As used in this section: 1
18	25		(1) "Federally qualified health center" has the same meaning as 2
19	26		provided in Section 1905(l)(2)(B) of the Social Security Act, 42 USC 3
20	27		1396d(l)(2)(B), as amended from time to time; 4
21	28		(2) "Health care provider" means a health care provider licensed by 5
22	29		the Department of Public Health; and 6
23	30		(3) "Primary care" means the medical fields of family medicine, 7
24	31		general pediatrics, primary care, internal medicine, primary care 8
25	32		obstetrics or primary care gynecology, without regard to board 9
26	33		certification. 10
27	34		(b) The Department of Public Health shall establish, within available 11
28	35		appropriations, a health care provider loan reimbursement program. 12
29	36		The health care provider loan reimbursement program shall provide 13
	37	+	Raised Bill No. 1450
	38	+
	39	+
	40	+
	41	+	LCO No. 5654 2 of 4
	42	+
30	43		loan reimbursement grants to health care providers who are employed 14
31	44		on a full-time basis as health care providers in the state. 15
32		-	(c) The Commissioner of Public Health shall (1) develop eligibility 16 Substitute Bill No. 1450
33		-
34		-
35		-	LCO 2 of 5
36		-
	45	+	(c) The Commissioner of Public Health shall (1) develop eligibility 16
37	46		requirements for recipients of such loan reimbursement grants, which 17
38	47		requirements may include, but need not be limited to, income 18
39	48		guidelines, (2) award not less than twenty per cent of such loan 19
40	49		reimbursement grants to persons employed full-time as primary care 20
41		-	providers, and (3) award ~~not less than~~ twenty per cent of such loan 21
	50	+	providers, and (3) award at least twenty per cent of such loan 21
42	51		reimbursement grants to persons employed full-time as health care 22
43	52		providers (A) in a rural community in the state, or (B) by a federally 23
44	53		qualified health center in the state. The commissioner shall consider 24
45	54		health care workforce shortage areas when developing such eligibility 25
46	55		requirements. A person who qualifies for a loan reimbursement grant 26
47	56		shall be reimbursed on an annual basis for qualifying student loan 27
48	57		payments in amounts determined by the commissioner. A health care 28
49	58		provider shall only be reimbursed for loan payments made while such 29
50	59		person is employed full-time in the state as a health care provider. Any 30
51	60		person may apply for a loan reimbursement grant to the Department of 31
52	61		Public Health at such time and in such manner as the commissioner 32
53	62		prescribes. 33
54		-	(d) The Department of Public Health may adopt regulations, in 34
55		-	accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 of the general statutes, to 35
56		-	implement the provisions of this section. 36
57		-	Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) On and after October 1, 2026, no 37
58		-	state-administered loan reimbursement program offering loan 38
59		-	reimbursement grants to physicians, physician assistants or advanced 39
60		-	practice registered nurses employed in the state shall include as part of 40
61		-	the eligibility criteria for such program a requirement that a physician, 41
62		-	physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse be employed 42
63		-	by a nonprofit employer to receive a loan reimbursement grant under 43
64		-	the program. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a 44
65		-	nonprofit employer from offering loan reimbursement grants to its 45
66		-	employees and requiring employment as a condition of receiving such 46
67		-	grants. 47
68		-	Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) As used in this section: 48 Substitute Bill No. 1450
	63	+	(d) The Department of Public Health may (1) accept gifts, grants and 34
	64	+	donations, from any source, public or private, for the health care 35
	65	+	provider loan reimbursement program, and (2) adopt regulations, in 36
	66	+	accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 of the general statutes, to 37
	67	+	implement the provisions of this section. 38
	68	+	Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) No private or state-administered 39
	69	+	loan reimbursement program offering loan reimbursement grants to 40
	70	+	physicians or advanced practice registered nurses employed in the state 41
	71	+	shall include as part of the eligibility criteria for such program a 42
	72	+	requirement that a physician or advanced practice registered nurse be 43
	73	+	employed by a nonprofit employer to receive a loan reimbursement 44
	74	+	grant under the program. 45
	75	+	Raised Bill No. 1450
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70	77
71		-	LCO 3 of 5
72	78
73		-	(1) "Nurse's aide" means a nurse's aide registered pursuant to chapter 49
74		-	378a of the general statutes; and 50
75		-	(2) "Emergency medical technician" means a person who is certified 51
76		-	to practice as an emergency medical technician under the provisions of 52
77		-	section 20-206ll or 20-206mm of the general statutes. 53
78		-	(b) Not later than January 1, 2026, the Department of Public Health, 54
79		-	in collaboration with a nonprofit organization providing education, 55
80		-	community and home-based services in the state, shall establish a 56
81		-	virtual education pilot program to provide home-based virtual 57
82		-	education to persons seeking certification as a nurse's aide or emergency 58
83		-	medical technician in the state. Such virtual education program shall 59
84		-	offer courses that satisfy the training and competency evaluation 60
85		-	requirements prescribed by the commissioner for (1) registration as a 61
86		-	nurse's aide, and (2) certification as an emergency medical technician. 62
87		-	The Commissioner of Public Health shall establish eligibility criteria for 63
88		-	such program and may solicit and accept private funds to implement 64
89		-	such pilot program. 65
90		-	(c) Not later than January 1, 2027, the Commissioner of Public Health 66
91		-	shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the 67
92		-	general statutes, to the joint standing committee of the General 68
93		-	Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, 69
94		-	regarding the outcome of such program. 70
95		-	(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to eliminate the 71
96		-	requirements for nurse's aides and emergency medical technicians to 72
97		-	receive in-person, supervised practical training pursuant to 42 CFR 73
98		-	483.152, section 19-13-D8t(l)(1)(A) of the regulations of Connecticut state 74
99		-	agencies and subsection (d) of section 20-206mm of the general statutes, 75
100		-	respectively. 76
101		-	Sec. 4. Section 10-21q of the general statutes is repealed and the 77
102		-	following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 78
103		-	(a) The Commissioner of Education shall, in collaboration with the 79 Substitute Bill No. 1450
	79	+	LCO No. 5654 3 of 4
	80	+
	81	+	Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) As used in this section: 46
	82	+	(1) "Nurse's aide" means a nurse's aide registered pursuant to chapter 47
	83	+	378a of the general statutes; and 48
	84	+	(2) "Emergency medical technician" means a person who is certified 49
	85	+	to practice as an emergency medical technician under the provisions of 50
	86	+	section 20-206ll or 20-206mm of the general statutes. 51
	87	+	(b) Not later than January 1, 2026, the Department of Public Health, 52
	88	+	in collaboration with a nonprofit organization providing education, 53
	89	+	community and home-based services in the state, shall establish a 54
	90	+	virtual education program to provide home-based virtual education to 55
	91	+	persons seeking certification as a nurse's aide or emergency medical 56
	92	+	technician in the state. The virtual education program shall offer courses 57
	93	+	that satisfy the training and competency evaluation requirements 58
	94	+	prescribed by the commissioner for (1) registration as a nurse's aide, and 59
	95	+	(2) certification as an emergency medical technician. The Commissioner 60
	96	+	of Public Health shall establish eligibility criteria for such program and 61
	97	+	may solicit and accept private funds to implement such pilot program. 62
	98	+	(c) Not later than January 1, 2027, the Commissioner of Public Health 63
	99	+	shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the 64
	100	+	general statutes, to the joint standing committee of the General 65
	101	+	Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, 66
	102	+	regarding the outcome of such program. 67
	103	+	Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2025) Each home health agency and 68
	104	+	hospice agency, as such terms are defined in section 19a-490 of the 69
	105	+	general statutes, shall ensure that every home that an agency employee 70
	106	+	visits for the purpose of providing care to a patient of the agency is 71
	107	+	equipped with a working smoke detector. If an employee of a home 72
	108	+	health agency or hospice agency reports to the agency that a patient's 73
	109	+	home does not contain a working smoke detector, the agency shall 74
	110	+	arrange for the installation of a working smoke detector in the home. 75
	111	+	Raised Bill No. 1450
104	112
105	113
106		-	LCO 4 of 5
107	114
108		-	Chief Workforce Officer, utilize the plan required of the Office of 80
109		-	Workforce Strategy pursuant to section 2 of special act 22-9 in (1) the 81
110		-	promotion of the health care professions as career options to students in 82
111		-	middle and high school, including, but not limited to, through career 83
112		-	day presentations regarding health care career opportunities in the 84
113		-	state, the development of partnerships with health care career education 85
114		-	programs in the state and the creation of counseling programs directed 86
115		-	to high school students to inform such students about, and recruit them 87
116		-	to, the health care professions, and (2) job shadowing and internship 88
117		-	experiences in health care fields for high school students. 89
118		-	(b) Not later than September 1, 2023, the Commissioner of Education 90
119		-	shall provide each local and regional board of education with the plan 91
120		-	described in subsection (a) of this section, and through the Governor's 92
121		-	Workforce Council Education Committee, support implementation of 93
122		-	such plan. 94
123		-	(c) Not later than January 1, 2026, the Commissioner of Education 95
124		-	shall amend the plan described in subsection (a) of this section to 96
125		-	include the specific promotion of the professions of radiologic 97
126		-	technology, nuclear medicine technology and respiratory care through 98
127		-	(1) career day presentations regarding career opportunities in such 99
128		-	health care professions, partnerships with education programs in 100
129		-	radiologic technology, nuclear medicine technology and respiratory 101
130		-	care in the state and the creation of counseling programs directed to 102
131		-	high school students to inform such students about, and recruit them to, 103
132		-	such health care professions, and (2) job shadowing and internship 104
133		-	experiences in such health care professions for high school students. 105
134		-	Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) Not later than January 1, 2026, 106
135		-	the Commissioner of Public Health shall establish, within available 107
136		-	appropriations, a grant program to recruit athletic trainers to work in 108
137		-	rural and underserved areas of the state. The grant program shall 109
138		-	provide a grant, in an amount determined by the commissioner, to each 110
139		-	athletic trainer who (1) relocates to the state, (2) obtains licensure as an 111
140		-	athletic trainer from the Department of Public Health, and (3) practices 112 Substitute Bill No. 1450
	115	+	LCO No. 5654 4 of 4
141	116
142		-
143		-	LCO 5 of 5
144		-
145		-	as an athletic trainer in a rural and underserved area of the state, for the 113
146		-	costs associated with relocating to the state. 114
147		-	(b) The commissioner shall (1) prescribe forms and criteria for an 115
148		-	athletic trainer to apply and qualify for grant funds under the grant 116
149		-	program, and (2) require each athletic trainer who receives a grant to 117
150		-	report to the commissioner on the use of the funds for the costs 118
151		-	associated with relocating to the state. 119
152		-	(c) Not later than January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, the 120
153		-	commissioner shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 121
154		-	11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committee of the 122
155		-	General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public 123
156		-	health regarding the impact of the grant program on recruiting athletic 124
157		-	trainers to work in rural and underserved areas of the state. 125
158	117		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
159	118		sections:
160	119
161	120		Section 1 July 1, 2025 New section
162	121		Sec. 2 from passage New section
163	122		Sec. 3 from passage New section
164		-	Sec. 4 from passage 10-21q
165		-	Sec. 5 July 1, 2025 New section
	123	+	Sec. 4 October 1, 2025 New section
166	124
167		-	Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
168		-	In Section 1(3)(c), "at least" was changed to "not less than" for
169		-	consistency. In Section 3(b), "virtual education program" was changed
170		-	to "virtual education pilot program", for internal consistency. In Section
171		-	(3)(d), "42 CFR 438.152" was changed to "42 483.152" for accuracy.
	125	+	Statement of Purpose:
	126	+	To recruit and retain health care providers in the state.
172	127
173		-	PH Joint Favorable Subst.
	128	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
	129	+	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
	130	+	underlined.]
174	131