COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
H. B. 4433
(By Delegates Delegates M. Poling, Paxton, Crosier, Gall,
Pethtel,
Shaver, Williams, Wysong, Stephens, Wells and Rowan)
(Originating in the Committee on Finance)
[February 21, 2008]
A BILL to amend and reenact §18C-3-1 of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to health education student loan
fund; and increasing the portion of a medical student loan
that may be cancelled under certain circumstances.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §18C-3-1 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 3. HEALTH PROFESSIONALS STUDENT LOAN PROGRAMS.
§18C-3-1. Health Education Loan Program; establishment;
administration; eligibility and loan cancellation;
required report.
(a) For the purposes of this section, "Vice Chancellor
of for
Administration" means the person employed pursuant to section two,
article four, chapter eighteen-b of this code.
(b) There is continued a special revolving fund account
under administered by the Commission in the state treasury to be known as
the Health Education Student Loan Fund which shall be used to carry
out the purposes of this section. The fund consists of:
(1) All funds on deposit in the medical student loan fund in
the state treasury or which are due or become due for deposit in
the fund as obligations made under the previous enactment of this
section;
(2) Those funds provided
for medical education pursuant to the
provisions of section four, article ten, chapter eighteen-b of this
code;
(3) Appropriations provided by the Legislature;
(4) Repayment of any loans made under this section;
(5) Amounts provided by medical associations, hospitals or
other medical provider organizations in this state, or by political
subdivisions of the state, under an agreement which requires the
recipient to practice his or her health profession in this state or
in the political subdivision providing the funds for a
predetermined period of time and in such capacity as set forth in
the agreement; and
(6) Other amounts which may be available from external
sources.
(c) Balances remaining in the fund at the end of the fiscal
year do not expire or revert. All costs associated with
administering this section shall be paid from the Health Education Student Loan Fund.
(c) (d) The Vice Chancellor for Administration may utilize any
funds in the Health Education Student Loan Fund for the purposes of
the Medical Student Loan Program. The Commission shall give
priority for the loans to residents of this state, as defined by
the Commission. An individual is eligible for loan consideration
if the individual:
(1) Demonstrates financial need;
(2) Meets established academic standards;
(3) Is enrolled or accepted for enrollment at
one of the
aforementioned schools of medicine the West Virginia University
School of Medicine, the Marshall University School of Medicine, or
the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in a program
leading to the degree of medical doctor (M.D.) or doctor of
osteopathy (D.O.);
(4)
The individual Has not yet received one of the degrees
provided in subdivision (3) of this subsection; and
(5) Is not in default of any previous student loan.
(e) The maximum annual amount for an individual loan shall be
ten thousand dollars.
(d) (f) At the end of each fiscal year, any individual who has
received a medical student loan and who has rendered services as a
medical doctor or a doctor of osteopathy in this state in a
medically underserved area or in a medical specialty in which there is a shortage of physicians, as determined by the Division of
Health at the time the loan was granted, may submit to the
Commission a notarized, sworn statement of service on a form
provided for that purpose. Upon receipt of the statement the
Commission shall cancel
five ten thousand dollars of the
outstanding loan or loans for every full twelve consecutive
calendar months of such service.
(e) (g) No later than thirty days following the end of each
fiscal year, the Vice Chancellor for Administration shall prepare
and submit a report to the Commission for inclusion in the
statewide report card required under section eight, article one-b,
chapter eighteen-b of this code to be submitted to the Legislative
Oversight Commission on Education Accountability established under
section eleven, article three-a, chapter twenty-nine-a of this
code. At a minimum, the report shall include the following
information:
(1) The number of loans awarded;
(2) The total amount of the loans awarded;
(3) The amount of any unexpended moneys in the fund; and
(4) The rate of default during the previous fiscal year on the
repayment of previously awarded loans.