| 1 | 1 | | 85R6292 SRS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Price H.B. No. 1488 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to eligibility requirements for repayment assistance for |
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| 8 | 8 | | certain mental health professional education loans. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 61.603(a), Education Code, is amended to |
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| 11 | 11 | | read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (a) To be eligible to receive repayment assistance under |
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| 13 | 13 | | this subchapter, a mental health professional must: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) apply to the board; |
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| 15 | 15 | | (2) have completed [one,] two, three, four, or five |
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| 16 | 16 | | consecutive years of practice in a mental health professional |
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| 17 | 17 | | shortage area designated by the Department of State Health |
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| 18 | 18 | | Services; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | (3) provide mental health services in this state to: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (A) recipients under the medical assistance |
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| 21 | 21 | | program authorized by Chapter 32, Human Resources Code; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (B) enrollees under the child health plan program |
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| 23 | 23 | | authorized by Chapter 62, Health and Safety Code; or |
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| 24 | 24 | | (C) persons committed to a secure correctional |
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| 25 | 25 | | facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Juvenile |
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| 26 | 26 | | Justice Department or persons confined in a secure correctional |
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| 27 | 27 | | facility operated by or under contract with any division of the |
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| 28 | 28 | | Texas Department of Criminal Justice. |
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| 29 | 29 | | SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act to Section |
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| 30 | 30 | | 61.603, Education Code, applies only to eligibility for loan |
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| 31 | 31 | | repayment assistance under Subchapter K, Chapter 61, Education |
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| 32 | 32 | | Code, on the basis of an application submitted on or after September |
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| 33 | 33 | | 1, 2017. Eligibility on the basis of an application submitted |
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| 34 | 34 | | before September 1, 2017, is covered by the law in effect at the |
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| 35 | 35 | | time the application was submitted, and the former law is continued |
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| 36 | 36 | | in effect for that purpose. |
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| 37 | 37 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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