Missouri 2025 Regular Session

Missouri Senate Bill SB635 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	EXPLANATION-Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in this bill is not enacted
3	3	and is intended to be omitted in the law.
4	4	FIRST REGULAR SESSION
5	5	SENATE BILL NO. 635
6	6	103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
7	7	INTRODUCED BY SENATOR GREGORY (21).
8	8	2542S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
9	9	AN ACT
10	10	To repeal sections 191.600, 191.603, 191.605, 191.607, 191.611, 191.614, and 191.615, RSMo,
11	11	and to enact in lieu thereof seven new sections relating to health care profession loan
12	12	repayment.
13	13
14	14	Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
15	15	Section A. Sections 191.600, 191.603, 191.605, 191.607, 1
16	16	191.611, 191.614, and 191.615, RSMo, are r epealed and seven new 2
17	17	sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 3
18	18	191.600, 191.603, 191.605, 191.607, 191.611, 191.614, and 4
19	19	191.615, to read as follows:5
20	20	191.600. 1. Sections 191.600 to 191.615 establish a 1
21	21	loan repayment program [for graduates of approved medical 2
22	22	schools, schools of osteopathic medicine, schools of 3
23	23	dentistry and accredited chiropractic colleges ], to be known 4
24	24	as the "Missouri State Loan Repayment Program (MOSLRP)", for 5
25	25	persons who practice in areas of defined need [and shall be 6
26	26	known as the "Health Professional Student Loan Repayment 7
27	27	Program". Sections 191.600 to 191.615 shall apply to 8
28	28	graduates of accredited chiropractic colleges when federal 9
29	29	guidelines for chiropractic shortage areas are developed ] 10
30	30	after graduating from an accredited graduate training 11
31	31	program in a discipline that is required for practice as: 12
32	32	(1) An allopathic medical doctor; 13
33	33	(2) An osteopathic medical doctor; 14
34	34	(3) A general dentist; 15 SB 635 2
35	35	(4) A dental hygienist; 16
36	36	(5) A registered nurse including, but not limited to, 17
37	37	a certified nurse practitioner, a certified nurse midwife, 18
38	38	or a psychiatric nurse; 19
39	39	(6) A physician assistant; 20
40	40	(7) A psychologist; 21
41	41	(8) A licensed clinical social worker; 22
42	42	(9) A licensed professional counselor; 23
43	43	(10) A marital and family therapist; or 24
44	44	(11) A pharmacist. 25
45	45	2. The ["Health Professional Student Loan and ] 26
46	46	"Missouri State Loan Repayment Program Fund" is hereby 27
47	47	created in the state treasury. All funds recovered from an 28
48	48	individual pursuant to section 191.614 and all funds 29
49	49	generated by loan repayments and penalties received pursuant 30
50	50	to section 191.540 shall be credited to the fund. The 31
51	51	moneys in the fund shall be used by the department of health 32
52	52	and senior services to provide loan repayments pursuant to 33
53	53	section 191.611 in accordance with sections 191.600 to 34
54	54	191.614. 35
55	55	191.603. As used in sections 191.600 to 191.615, the 1
56	56	following terms shall mean: 2
57	57	(1) "Areas of defined need", areas designated by the 3
58	58	department pursuant to section 191.605, when services of a 4
59	59	primary care physician[, including]; services of a 5
60	60	psychiatrist[, chiropractor]; services of a registered nurse 6
61	61	including, but not limited to, a certified nurse 7
62	62	practitioner, a certified nurse midwife, or a psychiatric 8
63	63	nurse; or services of a physician assistant, psychologist, 9
64	64	licensed clinical social worker, licensed professional 10
65	65	counselor, marital and family therapist, pharmacist, dental 11
66	66	hygienist, or general dentist are needed to improve the 12 SB 635 3
67	67	patient-health professional ratio in the area, to contribute 13
68	68	health care professional services to an area of economic 14
69	69	impact, or to contribute health care professional services 15
70	70	to an area suffering from the effects of a natural disaster; 16
71	71	(2) ["Chiropractor", a person licensed and registered 17
72	72	pursuant to chapter 331 ] "Certified nurse midwife", the same 18
73	73	meaning given to the term in section 335.016 ; 19
74	74	(3) "Certified nurse practitioner", the same meaning 20
75	75	given to the term in section 335.016; 21
76	76	(4) "Dental hygienist", a person licensed to practice 22
77	77	dental hygiene under chapter 332; 23
78	78	(5) "Department", the department of health and senior 24
79	79	services; 25
80	80	[(4)] (6) "General dentist", dentists licensed and 26
81	81	registered pursuant to chapter 332 engaged in general 27
82	82	dentistry and who are providing such services to the general 28
83	83	population; 29
84	84	(7) "Licensed clinical social worker", a person 30
85	85	licensed as a clinical social worker under chapter 337; 31
86	86	(8) "Licensed professional counselor", a person 32
87	87	licensed as a professional counselor under chapter 337; 33
88	88	(9) "Marital and family therapist", a person licensed 34
89	89	as a marital and family therapist under chapter 337; 35
90	90	(10) "Pharmacist", a person licensed under chapter 3 38; 36
91	91	(11) "Physician assistant", the same meaning given to 37
92	92	the term in section 334.735; 38
93	93	[(5)] (12) "Primary care physician", physicians 39
94	94	licensed and registered pursuant to chapter 334 engaged in 40
95	95	general or family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, 41
96	96	geriatrics, or obstetrics and gynecology as their primary 42
97	97	specialties, and who are providing such primary care 43
98	98	services to the general population; 44 SB 635 4
99	99	(13) "Psychiatric nurse", the same meaning given to 45
100	100	the term in section 632.005; 46
101	101	[(6)] (14) "Psychiatrist", the same meaning as in 47
102	102	section 632.005; 48
103	103	(15) "Psychologist", a person licensed to practice 49
104	104	psychology under chapter 337; 50
105	105	(16) "Registered nurse", the same meaning given to the 51
106	106	term in section 335.016 . 52
107	107	191.605. The department shall designate counties, 1
108	108	communities, or sections of urban areas as areas of defined 2
109	109	need for medical, psychiatric, [chiropractic,] or dental 3
110	110	services when such county, community or section of an urban 4
111	111	area has been designated as a primary care health 5
112	112	professional shortage area, a mental health care 6
113	113	professional shortage area, or a dental health care 7
114	114	professional shortage area by the federal Department of 8
115	115	Health and Human Services, or has been determined by the 9
116	116	director of the department of health and senior services to 10
117	117	have an extraordinary need for health care professional 11
118	118	services, without a corresponding supply of such 12
119	119	professionals. 13
120	120	191.607. The department shall adopt and promulgate 1
121	121	regulations establishing standards for determining eligible 2
122	122	persons for loan repayment pursuant to sections 191.600 to 3
123	123	191.615. These standards shall include, but are not limited 4
124	124	to the following: 5
125	125	(1) Citizenship or permanent residency in the United 6
126	126	States; 7
127	127	(2) Residence in the state of Missouri; 8
128	128	(3) [Enrollment as a full -time medical student in the 9
129	129	final year of a course of study offered by an approved 10 SB 635 5
130	130	educational institution or licensed to practice medicine or 11
131	131	osteopathy pursuant to ch apter 334, including psychiatrists; 12
132	132	(4) Enrollment as a full -time dental student in the 13
133	133	final year of course study offered by an approved 14
134	134	educational institution or licensed to practice general 15
135	135	dentistry pursuant to chapter 332; 16
136	136	(5) Enrollment as a full-time chiropractic student in 17
137	137	the final year of course study offered by an approved 18
138	138	educational institution or licensed to practice chiropractic 19
139	139	medicine pursuant to chapter 331 ] Authorization to practice 20
140	140	as any type of health professional defined in section 21
141	141	191.603; and 22
142	142	[(6)] (4) Submission of an application for loan 23
143	143	repayment. 24
144	144	191.611. 1. A loan payment provided for an individual 1
145	145	under a written contract under the [health professional 2
146	146	student loan payment ] Missouri state loan repayment program 3
147	147	shall consist of payment on behalf of the individual of the 4
148	148	principal, interest, and related expenses on government and 5
149	149	commercial loans received by the individual for tuition, 6
150	150	fees, books, laboratory, and living exp enses incurred by the 7
151	151	individual. 8
152	152	2. For each year of obligated services that an 9
153	153	individual contracts to serve in an area of defined need, 10
154	154	the director may pay an amount not to exceed the maximum 11
155	155	amounts allowed under the National Health Service Corps Loan 12
156	156	Repayment Program, 42 U.S.C. Section 2541 -1, P.L. 106-213, 13
157	157	on behalf of the individual for loans described in 14
158	158	subsection 1 of this section. 15
159	159	3. The department may enter into an agreement with the 16
160	160	holder of the loans for which repayments are made pursuant 17
161	161	to the [health professional student loan payment ] Missouri 18 SB 635 6
162	162	state loan repayment program to establish a schedule for the 19
163	163	making of such payments if the establishment of such a 20
164	164	schedule would result in reducing the costs to the state. 21
165	165	4. Any qualifying communities providing a portion of a 22
166	166	loan repayment shall be considered first for placement. 23
167	167	191.614. 1. [An individual who has entered into a 1
168	168	written contract with the department; and in the case of an 2
169	169	individual who is enrolled in the final year of a course of 3
170	170	study and fails to maintain an acceptable level of academic 4
171	171	standing in the educational institution in which such 5
172	172	individual is enrolled or voluntarily terminates such 6
173	173	enrollment or is dismissed fr om such educational institution 7
174	174	before completion of such course of study or fails to become 8
175	175	licensed pursuant to chapter 331, 332 or 334 within one year 9
176	176	shall be liable to the state for the amount which has been 10
177	177	paid on his or her behalf under the con tract. 11
178	178	2.] If an individual breaches the written contract of 12
179	179	the individual by failing either to begin such individual's 13
180	180	service obligation or to complete such service obligation, 14
181	181	the state shall be entitled to recover from the individual 15
182	182	an amount equal to the sum of: 16
183	183	(1) The total of the amounts prepaid by the state on 17
184	184	behalf of the individual; 18
185	185	(2) The interest on the amounts which would be payable 19
186	186	if at the time the amounts were paid they were loans bearing 20
187	187	interest at the maximu m prevailing rate as determined by the 21
188	188	Treasurer of the United States; 22
189	189	(3) An amount equal to any damages incurred by the 23
190	190	department as a result of the breach; and 24
191	191	(4) Any legal fees or associated costs incurred by the 25
192	192	department or the stat e of Missouri in the collection of 26
193	193	damages. 27 SB 635 7
194	194	[3.] 2. The department may act on behalf of a 28
195	195	qualified community to recover from an individual described 29
196	196	in [subsections 1 and 2 of ] this section the portion of a 30
197	197	loan repayment paid by such community for such individual. 31
198	198	191.615. 1. The department shall submit a grant 1
199	199	application to the Secretary of the United States Department 2
200	200	of Health and Human Services as prescribed by the secretary 3
201	201	to obtain federal funds to finance the [health professional 4
202	202	student] Missouri state loan repayment program. 5
203	203	2. Sections 191.600 to 191.615 shall not be construed 6
204	204	to require the department to enter into contracts with 7
205	205	individuals who qualify for the [health professional 8
206	206	student] Missouri state loan repayment program when federal 9
207	207	and state funds are not available for such purpose. 10
208	208	