| 1 | 1 | | 88R13290 MM-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Miles S.B. No. 2048 |
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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 student loan repayment |
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| 8 | 8 | | assistance for certain mental health professionals. |
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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, Education Code, is amended to |
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| 11 | 11 | | read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 61.603. ELIGIBILITY. (a) Except as provided by |
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| 13 | 13 | | Subsection (b), to [To] be eligible to receive repayment assistance |
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| 14 | 14 | | under this subchapter, a mental health professional must: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) apply to the board; |
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| 16 | 16 | | (2) have completed one, two, three, four, or five |
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| 17 | 17 | | consecutive years of practice in a mental health professional |
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| 18 | 18 | | shortage area designated by the Department of State Health |
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| 19 | 19 | | Services; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | (3) provide mental health services in this state to: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (A) recipients under the medical assistance |
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| 22 | 22 | | program authorized by Chapter 32, Human Resources Code; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (B) enrollees under the child health plan program |
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| 24 | 24 | | authorized by Chapter 62, Health and Safety Code; or |
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| 25 | 25 | | (C) persons committed to a secure correctional |
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| 26 | 26 | | facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Juvenile |
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| 27 | 27 | | Justice Department or persons confined in a secure correctional |
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| 28 | 28 | | facility operated by or under contract with any division of the |
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| 29 | 29 | | Texas Department of Criminal Justice. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (b) A mental health professional may also establish |
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| 31 | 31 | | eligibility for the repayment assistance under this subchapter by |
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| 32 | 32 | | satisfying the requirements of this subsection. To establish |
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| 33 | 33 | | eligibility under this subsection, the mental health professional |
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| 34 | 34 | | must: |
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| 35 | 35 | | (1) apply to the board; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (2) provide mental health services to students |
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| 37 | 37 | | enrolled in a public school in this state; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | (3) have completed one, two, three, four, or five |
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| 39 | 39 | | consecutive years of practice in this state as described by |
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| 40 | 40 | | Subdivision (2). |
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| 41 | 41 | | (c) In addition to satisfying the requirements under |
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| 42 | 42 | | Subsection (a) or (b), for a licensed physician to be eligible to |
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| 43 | 43 | | receive repayment assistance under this subchapter after the |
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| 44 | 44 | | physician's third consecutive year of practice described under |
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| 45 | 45 | | Subsection (a)(2) or (b)(3), as applicable, the physician must be |
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| 46 | 46 | | certified in psychiatry by: |
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| 47 | 47 | | (1) the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology; or |
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| 48 | 48 | | (2) the American Osteopathic Board of Neurology and |
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| 49 | 49 | | Psychiatry. |
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| 50 | 50 | | SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act to Section |
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| 51 | 51 | | 61.603, Education Code, applies only to a person who first |
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| 52 | 52 | | establishes eligibility for loan repayment assistance under |
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| 53 | 53 | | Subchapter K, Chapter 61, Education Code, as amended by this Act, on |
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| 54 | 54 | | the basis of an application submitted on or after September 1, 2023. |
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| 55 | 55 | | A person who first establishes eligibility on the basis of an |
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| 56 | 56 | | application submitted before September 1, 2023, is governed by the |
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| 57 | 57 | | law in effect on the date the application was submitted, and the |
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| 58 | 58 | | former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 59 | 59 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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