H. B. 4035
(By Delegate Clements)
[Introduced January 10, 1996; referred to the
Committee on Education then Finance.]
A BILL to amend and reenact section two, article three, chapter
eighteen-c of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine
hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to health
professionals student loan programs; and abolishing
post-graduate in-state practice and tuition reimbursement
requirements for optometry students who receive state aid.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section two, article three, chapter eighteen-c of the
code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as
amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 3. HEALTH PROFESSIONALS STUDENT LOAN PROGRAMS.
§18C-3-2. State aid for students of optometry.
The board of trustees is hereby authorized to enter into a
contract with an educational institution or institutions outside the state that offer training in optometry, by the terms of which
the board of trustees may obligate itself to pay such
institution, within the limits of any appropriation made for the
purpose, a stated amount per year for each West Virginia student
the institution will agree to accept for training in optometry.
The board of trustees shall each year send to any
institution with which such contract is made a certified list of
all persons applying to the trustees for training in optometry
who are bona fide citizens and residents of this state prior to
the filing of their applications, and who have completed either
within or without the state the course of study required by such
institution as a prerequisite to the study of optometry.
Any person who receives state aid under this section shall,
upon graduation from an educational institution for study of
optometry, be required to practice optometry for a period of two
years in this state, or in lieu thereof shall, within sixty days
from the date of graduation, reimburse the board of trustees for
any tuition advanced to such person by the trustees.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to eliminate the two-year
post-graduate in-state practice requirement, or tuition
reimbursement in lieu thereof, for West Virginia students who
receive state aid to undergo optometry training outside the
state.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language
that would be added.