Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1551 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	88R2737 MM-D
2	2	By: Anchía H.B. No. 1551
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to repayment of certain mental health professional
8	8	education loans.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 61.603(a), Education Code, is amended to
11	11	read as follows:
12	12	(a) To be eligible to receive repayment assistance under
13	13	this subchapter, a mental health professional must:
14	14	(1) apply to the board;
15	15	(2) have completed one, two, or three[, four, or five]
16	16	consecutive years of practice in a mental health professional
17	17	shortage area designated by the Department of State Health
18	18	Services; and
19	19	(3) provide mental health services in this state to:
20	20	(A) recipients under the medical assistance
21	21	program authorized by Chapter 32, Human Resources Code;
22	22	(B) enrollees under the child health plan program
23	23	authorized by Chapter 62, Health and Safety Code; or
24	24	(C) persons committed to a secure correctional
25	25	facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Juvenile
26	26	Justice Department or persons confined in a secure correctional
27	27	facility operated by or under contract with any division of the
28	28	Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
29	29	SECTION 2. Section 61.604(a), Education Code, is amended to
30	30	read as follows:
31	31	(a) A mental health professional may receive repayment
32	32	assistance under this subchapter for not more than three [five]
33	33	years.
34	34	SECTION 3. Section 61.607(a), Education Code, is amended to
35	35	read as follows:
36	36	(a) A mental health professional may receive repayment
37	37	assistance under this subchapter for each year the mental health
38	38	professional establishes eligibility for the assistance in an
39	39	amount determined by applying the following applicable percentage
40	40	to the maximum total amount of assistance allowed for the mental
41	41	health professional under Subsection (b):
42	42	(1) for the first year, 33.33 [10] percent;
43	43	(2) for the second year, 33.33 [15] percent; and
44	44	(3) for the third year, 33.33 [20] percent[;
45	45	[(4) for the fourth year, 25 percent; and
46	46	[(5) for the fifth year, 30 percent].
47	47	SECTION 4. Section 61.608, Education Code, is amended by
48	48	adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
49	49	(e) The board shall administer the program under this
50	50	subchapter in a manner that, as program openings occur, allows for
51	51	the continuous:
52	52	(1) approval or disapproval of applications;
53	53	(2) determination of applicant eligibility; and
54	54	(3) acceptance of eligible applicants into the
55	55	program.
56	56	SECTION 5. Section 61.603(b), Education Code, is repealed.
57	57	SECTION 6. The changes in law made by this Act to Sections
58	58	61.603 and 61.607(a), Education Code, apply only to a person who
59	59	first establishes eligibility for loan repayment assistance under
60	60	Subchapter K, Chapter 61, Education Code, as amended by this Act, on
61	61	the basis of an application submitted on or after September 1, 2023.
62	62	A person who first establishes eligibility on the basis of an
63	63	application submitted before September 1, 2023, is governed by the
64	64	law in effect at the time the application was submitted, and the
65	65	former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
66	66	SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.