Amended in Assembly March 16, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 2048


Introduced by Assembly Member Gray

February 17, 2016


An act to amend Section 127940begin delete ofend deletebegin insert of, and to add Section 127945 to,end insert the Health and Safety Code, relating to health professionsbegin delete development.end deletebegin insert development, and making an appropriation therefor.end insert

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2048, as amended, Gray. National Health Service Corps State Loan Repayment Program.

Existing law provides that in administering the National Health Service Corps State Loan Repayment Program in accordance with federal law and regulations, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development is required to strive, whenever feasible, to equitably distribute loan repayment awards between eligible urban and rural program sites, after taking into account the availability of health care services in the communities to be served and the number of individuals to be served in each program site.

This bill wouldbegin delete make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that provision.end deletebegin insert require the office to include all federally qualified health centers located in California in the program’s certified eligible site list. The bill would require the office to notify all certified eligible sites when the program opens each application cycle and to strive, to the extent possible, to maximize the number of applications received each cycle. The bill would require the office to submit an annual report, as specified, to the Senate and Assembly Committees on Health that includes, among other things, the number of applications received during the annual application cycle and the percentage of applicants who were awarded funding.end insert

begin insert

This bill would continuously appropriate $1,000,000 from the General Fund each fiscal year to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development for the purpose of providing state matching funds to the National Health Service Corps State Loan Repayment Program. The bill would prohibit the office from requiring program applicants or participants to provide matching funds in years that the office receives these matching funds.

end insert

Vote: begin deletemajority end deletebegin insert23end insert. Appropriation: begin deleteno end deletebegin insertyesend insert. Fiscal committee: begin deleteno end deletebegin insertyesend insert. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

Section 127940 of the Health and Safety Code
2 is amended to read:

3

127940.  

(a) In administering the National Health Service Corps
4State Loan Repayment Program in accordance with Section 254q-1
5of Title 42 of the United States Code and related federal
6regulations, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and
7Development shall strive, whenever feasible, to equitably distribute
8loan repayment awards between eligible urban and rural program
9sites, after taking into account the availability of health care
10services in the communities to be served and the number of
11individuals to be served in each program site.

12(b)  The office shall set a reasonable deadline for when all
13applications are required to be received.

14(c)  All eligible applications shall be given consideration before
15any award is granted.

begin insert

16(d) The office shall include all federally qualified health centers
17located in California in the program’s certified eligible site list.

end insert
begin insert

18(e) The office shall notify all certified eligible sites when the
19program opens each application cycle and shall strive, to the extent
20possible, to maximize the number of applications received each
21cycle.

end insert
begin insert

22(f) The office shall not require program applicants and
23participants to provide matching funds in years that the office
24receives state matching funds pursuant to Section 127945.

end insert
begin insert

P3    1(g) The office shall submit an annual report to the Senate and
2Assembly Committees on Health that includes all of the following
3information:

end insert
begin insert

4(1) The number of applications received during the annual
5application cycle.

end insert
begin insert

6(2) The percentage of applicants who were awarded funding
7under the program.

end insert
begin insert

8(3) The percentage of applicants who were not awarded funding
9under the program.

end insert
begin insert

10(4) The percentage of funding that went to each geographic
11region in the state.

end insert
begin insert

12(h) (1) The requirement for submitting a report pursuant to
13subdivision (g) is inoperative on January 1, 2021, pursuant to
14Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.

end insert
begin insert

15(2) A report submitted pursuant to subdivision (g) shall be
16submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
17Code.

end insert
18begin insert

begin insertSEC. 2.end insert  

end insert

begin insertSection 127945 is added to the end insertbegin insertHealth and Safety Codeend insertbegin insert,
19to read:end insert

begin insert
20

begin insert127945.end insert  

Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government
21Code, the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) is hereby
22continuously appropriated, from the General Fund in the State
23Treasury, without regard to fiscal year, to the Office of Statewide
24Health Planning and Development for purposes of providing state
25matching funds for the National Health Service Corps State Loan
26Repayment Program pursuant to Section 127940.

end insert


O

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