BILL NUMBER: AB 2935 CHAPTERED 09/30/02 CHAPTER 1138 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 30, 2002 APPROVED BY GOVERNOR SEPTEMBER 30, 2002 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 23, 2002 PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 20, 2002 AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 12, 2002 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 28, 2002 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 23, 2002 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Strom-Martin FEBRUARY 25, 2002 An act to add Section 4409 to the Business and Professions Code, and to add Article 2 (commencing with Section 128198) to Chapter 3 of Part 3 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to health professions. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2935, Strom-Martin. Health professions: education: pharmacists: scholarship and loan repayment program. Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of pharmacists and pharmacies by the California State Board of Pharmacy. Existing law authorizes the imposition of a biennial license renewal fee upon pharmacists and an annual license renewal fee upon pharmacies. This bill would authorize a pharmacist and pharmacy to make a $25 contribution at the time of renewing a license, the proceeds to be deposited in the California Pharmacist Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program Fund described below. Existing law requires the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development to perform various functions and duties with respect to health policy and planning and health professions development, including administering the federal National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program and the federal National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. Under the existing programs, federal funds are provided to states for the purpose of providing scholarships to health professions students or repaying qualifying educational loans of specified health care professionals who commit to serve a specified time period as a provider of health services, at practice sites in designated health professional shortage areas. Under the existing programs, the practice site is also responsible for repaying a portion of the health care professional's outstanding loan amount. Existing law establishes the Health Manpower Policy Commission and prescribes the powers and duties of the commission, which include identifying specific areas of the state where unmet priority needs for primary care family physicians exist. This bill would establish in the office the California Pharmacist Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program to provide scholarships to pay for the educational expenses of pharmacy students and to repay qualifying educational loans of pharmacists who agree to serve in areas of the state where unmet priority needs for primary care family physicians exist as determined by the Health Manpower Policy Commission. The bill would require the office to administer the California Pharmacist Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program utilizing the same general guidelines applicable to the federal National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program and the federal National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program, with the exception that no matching funds shall be required from any entity in the practice site area. The bill would establish the California Pharmacist Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program Fund in the State Treasury, and would require that the moneys in the fund be available for expenditure, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for purposes of implementing the program. The bill would provide that the program shall be implemented only to the extent that sufficient moneys are available in the fund. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 4409 is added to the Business and Professions Code, to read: 4409. At the time a pharmacy license is renewed pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 4110 or a pharmacist license is renewed pursuant to Section 4401, the pharmacy or pharmacist may make a twenty-five dollar ($25) contribution, to be submitted to the board, for the sole purpose of funding the California Pharmacist Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program established pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 128050) of Chapter 2 of Part 3 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code. The contribution submitted pursuant to this section shall be paid into the State Treasury and credited to the California Pharmacist Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program Fund established pursuant to Section 128051 of the Health and Safety Code. SEC. 2. Article 2 (commencing with Section 128198) is added to Chapter 3 of Part 3 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code, to read: Article 2. California Pharmacist Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program 128198. (a) (1) There is hereby established in the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development the California Pharmacist Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program. (2) The program shall provide scholarships to pay for the educational expenses of pharmacy school students and repay qualifying educational loans of pharmacists who agree to participate in designated medically underserved areas as provided in this section. (b) The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development shall administer the California Pharmacist Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program utilizing the same general guidelines applicable to the federal National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program established pursuant to Section 254l of Title 42 of the United States Code and the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program established pursuant to Section 254l-1 of Title 42 of the United States Code, except as follows: (1) A pharmacist or pharmacy school student shall be eligible to participate in the program if he or she agrees to provide pharmacy services in a practice site located in areas of the state where unmet priority needs for primary care family physicians exist as determined by the Health Manpower Policy Commission. (2) No matching funds shall be required from any entity in the practice site area. (c) This section shall be implemented only to the extent that sufficient moneys are available in the California Pharmacist Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program Fund to administer the program. 128198.5. The California Pharmacist Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program Fund is hereby established in the State Treasury. Revenues from the contributions made pursuant to Section 4409 of the Business and Professions Code, as well as any other private or public funds made available for purposes of the California Pharmacist Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program, shall be deposited into the fund. Upon appropriation by the Legislature, moneys in the fund shall be available for expenditure by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development for purposes of implementing the California Pharmacist Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program pursuant to this article. The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development shall be under no obligation to administer a program under this article until sufficient moneys have been accumulated in the fund and appropriated to the office by the Legislature.