Amended in Assembly May 27, 2016

Amended in Assembly April 7, 2016

Amended in Assembly March 16, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 2048

Introduced by Assembly Member Gray

(Coauthors: Assembly Members begin delete Waldron end delete begin insert Arambula, Gonzalez, Waldron, end insert and Wood)

February 17, 2016

An act to amend Section 127940 of, and to add Section 127945 to, the Health and Safety Code, relating to health professions begin delete development, and making an appropriation therefor. end delete begin insert development. 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 would 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 that were awarded funding.

This bill would begin delete continuously appropriate $1,000,000 from the General Fund each fiscal year to end delete begin insert authorize end insert the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development begin insert to use state funds end insert for the purpose of providing begin delete state end delete begin insert required end insert matching funds begin delete to end delete begin insert for end insert the National Health Service Corps State Loan Repayment begin delete Program. end delete begin insert Program in any year in which funding is appropriated by the annual Budget Act for that purpose. end insert The bill would prohibit the office from requiring program applicants or participants to provide matching funds in any year that the office receives these matching funds, but would require a program applicant to agree to provide matching funds in any year in which the office does not receive begin delete state end delete begin insert the required end insert matching funds, as specified.

Vote:  begin delete ²⁄₃ end delete begin insert majority end insert . Appropriation:  begin delete yes end delete begin insert no end insert . Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

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

SECTION 1.  

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

127940.  

(a) In administering the National Health Service Corps
State Loan Repayment Program in accordance with Section 254q-1
of Title 42 of the United States Code and related federal
regulations, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and
Development shall 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.

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

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

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

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

(f) As part of the initial application process, program applicants
shall agree to provide matching funds in any year that the office
does not receive begin delete state end delete begin insert the required end insert matching funds pursuant to
Section 127945.

(g) Notwithstanding subdivision (f), the office shall not require
program applicants and participants to provide matching funds in
any year that the office receives begin delete state end delete begin insert the required end insert matching funds
pursuant to Section 127945.

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

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

(2) The percentage of applicants that were awarded funding
under the program.

(3) The percentage of applicants that were not awarded funding
under the program.

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

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

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

SEC. 2.  

Section 127945 is added to the Health and Safety Code,
to read:

127945.  

begin delete Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government
Code, the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) is hereby
continuously appropriated, from the General Fund in the State
Treasury, without regard to fiscal year, to the end delete begin insert The end insert Office of
Statewide Health Planning and Development begin delete for purposes of
providing state end delete begin insert may use state funds for purposes of providing
required end insert matching funds for the National Health Service Corps
State Loan Repayment Program pursuant to Section begin delete 127940. end delete

begin insert 127940 in any year in which funding is appropriated by the annual
Budget Act for that purpose. end insert