New York Senate Bill S01277 Latest Draft

   
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1277 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE January 9, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. GALLIVAN, BORRELLO -- read twice and ordered print- ed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Educa- tion AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to providing loan forgiveness for mental health nurses The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 679-k 2 to read as follows: 3 § 679-k. New York state mental health nurse loan forgiveness incentive 4 program. 1. Purpose. The president shall grant student loan forgiveness 5 awards for the purpose of alleviating the burden of student loan debt 6 for mental health nurses in New York state. Such awards shall be made on 7 a competitive basis as promulgated by the corporation for such purposes, 8 to applicants who meet the eligibility criteria. Such rules and regu- 9 lations shall include provisions for the consideration of applicants who 10 are economically disadvantaged. 11 2. Eligibility. To be eligible for an award pursuant to this section, 12 applicants shall: 13 (a) have graduated and obtained a degree from an approved New York 14 state college or university; 15 (b) have an outstanding student loan debt from obtaining such degree; 16 (c) be employed as a professional or practical nurse, nurse practi- 17 tioner, or clinical nurse specialist in New York state in accordance 18 with sections six thousand nine hundred five, six thousand nine hundred 19 six, six thousand nine hundred ten and six thousand nine hundred eleven 20 of this chapter; 21 (d) apply for this program within two years of college graduation; 22 (e) comply with subdivisions three and five of section six hundred 23 sixty-one of this part; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04131-01-5 
 S. 1277 2 1 (f) make a commitment to practice in a tract or county defined by the 2 health resources and services administration as being "rural" or eligi- 3 ble for a rural health grant; and 4 (g) make a commitment to practice in state psychiatric hospitals, 5 hospital in-patient psychiatric units, addiction treatment centers, 6 behavioral health clinics or a county run mental health program for the 7 duration of the award. 8 3. Awards. The corporation shall grant such awards within amounts 9 appropriated for such purposes and based on the availability of funds. 10 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 11 have become a law.