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AB-6 Physician assistants: educational loan program.(2007-2008)

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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2007–2008 1st Ext.

Assembly Bill
No. 6

Introduced  by  Assembly Member Nakanishi

September 18, 2007

An act to amend Section 3523 of the Business and Professions Code, and to add Article 6 (commencing with Section 128559) to Chapter 5 of Part 3 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to physician assistants.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 6, as introduced, Nakanishi. Physician assistants: educational loan program.
Existing law, the Physician Assistant Practice Act, establishes the Physician Assistant Committee of the Medical Board of California. Under existing law, the committee licenses physician assistants under the name of the board and regulates the practice of physician assistants.
Existing law requires the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development to establish a nonprofit public benefit corporation known as the Health Professions Education Foundation to perform various duties with respect to implementing health professions scholarship and loan programs.
This bill would create the California Physician Assistant Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program within the foundation to provide scholarships to physician assistant students and to repay qualifying educational loans of physician assistants who practice in medically underserved areas of the state and in specified clinics. The bill would establish the California Physician Assistant Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program Fund in the State Treasury and would make its revenue available for expenditure for the program upon appropriation by the Legislature. The bill would direct the deposit of voluntary contributions made by a physician assistant upon renewal of his or her license into the fund. The bill would require the foundation to report to the Legislature on the program, as specified. The bill would make implementation of the program contingent upon sufficient revenue being available in the fund for those purposes.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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


SECTION 1.

 Section 3523 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read:

3523.
 (a) (1) All physician assistant licenses shall expire at 12 midnight of the last day of the birth month of the licensee during the second year of a two-year term if not renewed.

The

(2) The committee shall establish by regulation procedures for the administration of a birthdate renewal program, including, but not limited to, the establishment of a system of staggered license expiration dates and a pro rata formula for the payment of renewal fees by physician assistants affected by the implementation of the program.

To

(b) To renew an unexpired license, the licensee shall, on or before the date of expiration of the license, apply for renewal on a form provided by the committee, accompanied by the prescribed renewal fee.
(c) At the time of renewing a physician assistant license, the licensee may make a voluntary contribution of twenty-five dollars ($25) or more to the board for the sole purpose of funding the California Physician Assistant Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program established pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with Section 128559) of Chapter 5 of Part 3 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code. The board shall transmit the contribution submitted pursuant to this subdivision for deposit in the California Physician Assistant Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program Fund established pursuant to Section 128559.2 of the Health and Safety Code.

SEC. 2.

 Article 6 (commencing with Section 128559) is added to Chapter 5 of Part 3 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:
Article  6. California Physician Assistant Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program

128559.
 (a) There is hereby established, in the Health Professions Education Foundation, the California Physician Assistant Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program, referred to as the program for purposes of this article. The program shall provide scholarships to pay for the educational expenses of students enrolled in physician assistant schools and to repay qualifying educational loans of physician assistants who agree to practice in designated medically underserved areas as provided in this article.
(b) The Health Professions Education Foundation may also provide scholarships and loan repayments for physician assistants who practice in a clinic licensed pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1204.

128559.1.
 (a) The Health Professions Education Foundation shall administer the 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, with the following exceptions:
(1) A physician assistant student shall be eligible to participate in the program if he or she agrees to practice at a site located in an area of the state where unmet priority needs exist for primary care family physicians, as determined by the Health Workforce Policy Commission.
(2) No matching funds shall be required from an entity in the practice site area.
(b) The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development shall adopt regulations regarding the implementation of the program, upon recommendations made by the Health Professions Education Foundation.
(c) In making recommendations regarding the implementation of the program and during the development of the program, the Health Professions Education Foundation shall solicit advice from representatives of the Physician Assistants Committee and the California Academy of Physician Assistants.

128559.2.
 (a) The California Physician Assistant Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program Fund is hereby established in the State Treasury.
(b) Revenues from the contributions made pursuant to Section 3523 of the Business and Professions Code, as well as any other private or public funds made available for purposes of the 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 program pursuant to this article.
(c) The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development and the Health Professions Education Foundation shall be under no obligation to administer the program under this article until sufficient moneys have been accumulated in the fund and appropriated to the office by the Legislature.

128559.3.
 The Health Professions Education Foundation shall submit a report to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2009, and annually thereafter, that describes the experience of the program since its inception, evaluate its effectiveness in improving access to health care for underserved populations, and make recommendations for maintaining or expanding its operation. The report shall also include the following data:
(a) The number of the participants in the program.
(b) The locations where the participants practice or attend school.
(c) The amount expended for the program’s operation and the amount collected in donations for the program.

128559.4.
 This article shall be implemented only to the extent that sufficient moneys are available in the California Physician Assistant Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program Fund to administer the program.