Maryland 2023 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1133 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1133
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1133
8	8	M4, F2 3lr1154
9	9
10	10	By: Delegates Lehman, Bartlett, Foley, Kaiser, R. Lewis, McComas, Ruth, and
11	11	Terrasa
12	12	Introduced and read first time: February 10, 2023
13	13	Assigned to: Appropriations
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	Agriculture – Veterinary Practitioners – Student Loan Forgiveness Program 2
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of establishing the Veterinary Practitioner Student Loan Forgiveness 3
22	22	Program to be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture; establishing eligibility 4
23	23	requirements for the Program, including requiring participants to complete a service 5
24	24	obligation to practice in the State for at least a certain number of years; requiring 6
25	25	the Secretary to make an annual disbursement of a certain sum to a veterinary 7
26	26	practitioner who meets the service obligation, up to a maximum number of years; 8
27	27	and generally relating to the establishment of the Veterinary Practitioner Student 9
28	28	Loan Forgiveness Program. 10
29	29
30	30	BY adding to 11
31	31	Article – Agriculture 12
32	32	Section 2–306.1 13
33	33	Annotated Code of Maryland 14
34	34	(2016 Replacement Volume and 2022 Supplement) 15
35	35
36	36	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 16
37	37	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 17
38	38
39	39	Article – Agriculture 18
40	40
41	41	2–306.1. 19
42	42
43	43	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 20
44	44	INDICATED. 21
45	45
46	46	(2) “PROGRAM” MEANS THE VETERINARY PRACTITIONER STUDENT 22
47	47	LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM. 23 2 HOUSE BILL 1133
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	(3) “QUALIFIED EDUCATIONAL LOAN” MEANS A GOVERNMENT , 1
52	52	COMMERCIAL , OR FOUNDATION LOAN F OR ACTUAL COSTS PAID FOR TUITION, 2
53	53	REASONABLE EDUCATION EXPENSES, AND REASONABLE LIVIN G EXPENSES 3
54	54	RELATED TO THE POSTG RADUATE EDUCATION OF A VETERINARIAN . 4
55	55
56	56	(4) “VETERINARIAN” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 2–301 OF THIS 5
57	57	SUBTITLE. 6
58	58
59	59	(5) “VETERINARY PRACTITIONER ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 7
60	60	2–301 OF THIS SUBTITLE . 8
61	61
62	62	(B) (1) THERE IS A VETERINARY PRACTITIONER STUDENT LOAN 9
63	63	FORGIVENESS PROGRAM. 10
64	64
65	65	(2) THE SECRETARY SHALL ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM. 11
66	66
67	67	(C) THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO PROVIDE QUALIFIED 12
68	68	EDUCATIONAL LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR VETERINARY PRACTITIO NERS IN THE 13
69	69	STATE. 14
70	70
71	71	(D) TO BE ELIGIBLE TO PAR TICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM, AN INDIVIDUAL 15
72	72	SHALL: 16
73	73
74	74	(1) BE A VETERINARY PRACTITIONER WHO HAS AT LEAST $40,000 IN 17
75	75	OUTSTANDING EDUCATIO NAL LOANS FROM VETER INARY SCHOOL AT THE TIME OF 18
76	76	SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS SECTION; AND 19
77	77
78	78	(2) SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO THE SECRETARY IN THE FORM AND 20
79	79	MANNER PRESCRIBED BY THE SECRETARY. 21
80	80
81	81	(E) AN APPLICANT SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM SHALL 22
82	82	SIGN A CONTRACT AGRE EING TO COMPLETE A SERVICE OBLIGATION T O PRACTICE 23
83	83	AS A VETERINARIAN IN THE STATE FOR AT LEAST 2 YEARS. 24
84	84
85	85	(F) (1) EACH FISCAL YEAR, THE SECRETARY MAY SELECT ELIGIBLE 25
86	86	APPLICANTS FOR PARTI CIPATION IN THE PROGRAM WITHIN THE LI MITS OF 26
87	87	AVAILABLE FUNDING . 27
88	88
89	89	(2) THE SECRETARY SHALL SELECT PARTICIPANTS BASED ON: 28
90	90
91	91	(I) EXPERIENCE; 29
92	92	HOUSE BILL 1133 3
93	93
94	94
95	95	(II) TRAINING; AND 1
96	96
97	97	(III) AVAILABILITY TO PRACTICE IN HIGH–NEED AREAS , 2
98	98	INCLUDING: 3
99	99
100	100	1. RURAL AREAS; 4
101	101
102	102	2. LOW–INCOME AREAS ; 5
103	103
104	104	3. EMERGENCY PRACTICES ; 6
105	105
106	106	4. NONPROFIT SHELTERS ; 7
107	107
108	108	5. MUNICIPAL SHELTERS ; AND 8
109	109
110	110	6. OTHER UNDERSERVED ARE AS AS DETERMINED BY 9
111	111	THE SECRETARY. 10
112	112
113	113	(3) THE SECRETARY SHALL PRIORITIZE ADMINISTE RING GRANTS TO 11
114	114	APPLICANTS SERVING THE AREAS LI STED UNDER PARAGRAPH (2)(III) OF THIS 12
115	115	SUBSECTION. 13
116	116
117	117	(G) (1) FOR EACH YEAR THAT A PARTICIPATING VETERI NARY 14
118	118	PRACTITIONER MEETS T HE SERVICE OBLIGATIO N REQUIRED UNDER SUBSECTION 15
119	119	(E) OF THIS SECTION , THE SECRETARY SHALL MAKE AN ANNUAL DISBURSEMENT 16
120	120	DIRECTLY TO THE PRACTITIONER OF $20,000 OR THE BALANCE OF TH E 17
121	121	PARTICIPANT’S QUALIFIED EDUCATIONAL LOANS , WHICHEVER IS LESS . 18
122	122
123	123	(2) DISBURSEMENTS UNDER T HE PROGRAM: 19
124	124
125	125	(I) MAY BE PAID TO A PARTICIPAN T FOR A MAXIMUM OF 5 20
126	126	YEARS; AND 21
127	127
128	128	(II) ARE SUBJECT TO APPLIC ABLE LAWS ON LOCAL , STATE, AND 22
129	129	FEDERAL TAXATION . 23
130	130
131	131	(H) (1) THE SECRETARY MAY WAIVE A VETERINARY PRACTITIONER ’S 24
132	132	SERVICE OBLIGATION U NDER THE PROGRAM IF EMERGENCY CIRCUMSTANCES 25
133	133	PREVENT THE PRACTITIONER ’S FULFILLMENT OF THE S ERVICE OBLIGATION , 26
134	134	INCLUDING DEATH , TOTAL AND PERMANENT DISABILITY, OR TEMPORARY 27
135	135	DISABILITY LASTING M ORE THAN 2 YEARS. 28
136	136	4 HOUSE BILL 1133
137	137
138	138
139	139	(2) IF A VETERINARY P RACTITIONER PARTICIPATING IN THE 1
140	140	PROGRAM FAILS TO COMPLETE A FULL YEAR OF THE SERVICE OBLIGATI ON, THE 2
141	141	SECRETARY MAY PRORATE THE LOAN FORGIVENESS PAYMENT FOR THAT SER VICE 3
142	142	YEAR. 4
143	143
144	144	(I) (1) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 AND EACH FISCAL YEAR THEREAFTER , 5
145	145	THE GOVERNOR SH ALL INCLUDE IN THE A NNUAL BUDGET BILL AN APPROPRIATION 6
146	146	OF $2,000,000 TO THE PROGRAM. 7
147	147
148	148	(2) THE APPROPRIATION REQUIR ED UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 8
149	149	SUBSECTION SHALL BE USED ONLY FOR : 9
150	150
151	151	(I) PROVIDING LOAN FORGIV ENESS UNDER THE PROGRAM; 10
152	152	AND 11
153	153
154	154	(II) ADMINISTERING THE PROGRAM. 12
155	155
156	156	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 13
157	157	1, 2023. 14