PRINTER'S NO. 1167
No. 1040 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY PETRONE, FAIRCHILD, MICHLOVIC, FICHTER, RUBLEY,
HUTCHINSON, LEDERER, READSHAW, WOJNAROSKI, HORSEY, MANDERINO,
LAUGHLIN, BEBKO-JONES, McILHATTAN, VAN HORNE, MYERS, SAINATO,
CAWLEY, THOMAS, M. COHEN, ORIE, SURRA, LEVDANSKY, PESCI,
COSTA, MELIO, HENNESSEY, YOUNGBLOOD, HERMAN, L. I. COHEN,
MAHER, BROWNE, FREEMAN AND BISHOP, MARCH 23, 1999
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MARCH 23, 1999
AN ACT
1 Providing for Commonwealth support for a Mental Health and
2 Mental Retardation Staff Member Loan Forgiveness Program for
3 Commonwealth residents who graduate from institutions of
4 higher education and who apply their degrees to careers as
5 mental health and mental retardation staff members in this
6 Commonwealth.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. Short title.
10 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Mental Health
11 and Mental Retardation Staff Member Loan Forgiveness Program
12 Act.
13 Section 2. Findings and declaration of purpose.
14 The General Assembly finds and declares that:
15 (1) The number of college students planning to enter the
16 mental health and mental retardation profession appears to be
17 inadequate to meet the need for staff members in this
18 Commonwealth.
1 (2) Demand from industry and other opportunities attract
2 potential staff members away from the profession.
3 (3) The pool of qualified staff members has diminished.
4 (4) Payment of a portion of student loans for mental
5 health and mental retardation staff members serves the
6 important public purpose of encouraging new staff members to
7 continue their careers in this Commonwealth.
8 Section 3. Definitions.
9 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
10 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
11 context clearly indicates otherwise:
12 "Agency." The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance
13 Agency.
14 "Qualified applicant." A person who meets all of the
15 following criteria:
16 (1) Is a resident of this Commonwealth.
17 (2) Has successfully completed an undergraduate program
18 at an accredited college or university.
19 (3) Has been hired as a full-time staff member by a
20 county mental health or mental retardation service agency
21 through a merit or civil service system approved by the
22 Secretary of Public Welfare or by a private provider that is
23 under contract with a county to provide mental health or
24 mental retardation services.
25 (4) Has successfully completed both county and civil
26 service probationary periods or, in the case of a contracted
27 private provider, has successfully completed the provider's
28 established probationary period.
29 (5) Is performing staff duties at a county mental health
30 or mental retardation service agency or at a private provider
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1 that is under contract with a county to provide mental health
2 or mental retardation services.
3 (6) Has borrowed through a loan program administered by
4 the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.
5 (7) Earns no more than $35,000 per annum.
6 (8) Is in the first year of full-time employment as a
7 staff member or has been previously enrolled in the program.
8 "Staff member." A caseworker, direct caregiver, therapist,
9 program coordinator or director.
10 Section 4. Mental Health and Mental Retardation Staff Member
11 Loan Forgiveness Program.
12 (a) General rule.--A qualified applicant who is selected for
13 the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Staff Member Loan
14 Forgiveness Program in accordance with this act shall be
15 eligible for payment by the agency of a portion of the debt
16 incurred by the applicant through an agency-administered loan
17 program for the education necessary to be a mental health or
18 mental retardation staff member in this Commonwealth. The agency
19 may forgive a proportional part of the applicant's loan so that
20 the loan may be entirely forgiven over four years of full-time
21 staff work. No more than $2,500 shall be forgiven in any year,
22 and no more than $10,000 shall be forgiven for any applicant.
23 Payments shall be made in accordance with the procedures
24 established by the agency.
25 (b) Limitation.--A loan forgiveness award shall not be made
26 for a loan that is in default at the time of the application.
27 Section 5. Loan forgiveness awards.
28 Recipients of the loan forgiveness awards shall be those
29 mental health and mental retardation staff members who are
30 working in and who have received a satisfactory rating from
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1 either a county office of mental health or mental retardation
2 service or a private provider under contract to a county. Each
3 mental health or mental retardation staff member shall be
4 required to submit such documentation of continued eligibility
5 as the agency may require.
6 Section 6. Funding.
7 Loan forgiveness awards may be made to the extent that funds
8 are appropriated by the General Assembly and are sufficient to
9 cover the administration of the program. In the event that
10 funding is insufficient to fully fund administration and all
11 eligible applicants, the agency shall utilize a random lottery
12 system for determining which applicants receive loan forgiveness
13 awards.
14 Section 7. Responsibility of agency.
15 It shall be the responsibility of the agency to administer
16 the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Staff Worker Loan
17 Forgiveness Program established by this act and to adopt such
18 regulations, policies, procedures and forms as are necessary and
19 not inconsistent with the provisions of this act.
20 Section 8. Effective date.
21 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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