PRINTER'S NO. 700
No. 659 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY KUKOVICH, GERLACH, MELLOW, M. WHITE, TARTAGLIONE,
BELL, SCHWARTZ, RHOADES, WAGNER, STOUT, COSTA, BODACK,
KITCHEN, MUSTO, O'PAKE, BOSCOLA, KASUNIC, WILLIAMS, LOGAN AND
STACK, MARCH 19, 2001
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, MARCH 19, 2001
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.
19 (2) Demand from industry and other opportunities attract
1 existing and potential staff members away from the
2 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 "Program." The Mental Health and Mental Retardation Staff
15 Member Loan Forgiveness Program established by this act.
16 "Qualified applicant." A person who meets all of the
17 following criteria:
18 (1) The person has been hired as a full-time staff
19 member by a county mental health or mental retardation
20 service agency through a merit or civil service system
21 approved by the Secretary of Public Welfare or by a private
22 provider that is under contract with a county to provide
23 mental health or mental retardation services and earns no
24 more than $35,000 per annum.
25 (2) The person has successfully completed both county
26 and civil service probationary periods or, in the case of a
27 contracted private provider, has successfully completed the
28 provider's established probationary period.
29 (3) The person is performing staff duties at a county
30 mental health or mental retardation service agency or at a
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1 private provider that is under contract with a county to
2 provide mental health or mental retardation services.
3 (4) The person has borrowed through an agency-
4 administered loan program.
5 "Staff member." A caseworker, direct caregiver, therapist,
6 program coordinator or director.
7 Section 4. Mental Health and Mental Retardation Staff Member
8 Loan Forgiveness Program.
9 (a) Establishment.--The Mental Health and Mental Retardation
10 Staff Member Loan Forgiveness Program is hereby established. The
11 program shall be administered by the agency.
12 (b) Nature of program.--
13 (1) A qualified applicant who is selected for the
14 program under section 5 shall be eligible for payment by the
15 agency of a portion of the debt incurred by the applicant
16 through an agency-administered loan program for the education
17 necessary to be certified as a mental health or mental
18 retardation staff member in this Commonwealth.
19 (2) For each year that the applicant is a full-time
20 mental health or mental retardation staff member in an
21 approved county mental health or mental retardation
22 department or a private provider under contract to a county,
23 the agency may forgive a proportional part of the applicant's
24 loan so that the loan may be entirely forgiven over four
25 years of full-time staff work.
26 (3) No more than $2,500 shall be forgiven in any year,
27 and no more than $10,000 shall be forgiven for any applicant.
28 (4) Payments shall be made in accordance with the
29 procedures established by the agency.
30 Section 5. Loan forgiveness awards.
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1 Recipients of the loan forgiveness awards shall be those
2 mental health and mental retardation staff members who are
3 certified by the Secretary of Public Welfare and who have
4 received a satisfactory rating by the county office of mental
5 health or mental retardation service or a private provider under
6 contract to a county. Each mental health or mental retardation
7 staff member shall be required to submit such documentation of
8 continued eligibility as the agency may require.
9 Section 6. Funding.
10 Loan forgiveness awards may be made to the extent that funds
11 are appropriated by the General Assembly.
12 Section 7. Regulations.
13 The agency may adopt such regulations, policies, procedures
14 and forms as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this
15 act.
16 Section 8. Retroactivity.
17 Loan forgiveness under this act may be based on mental health
18 and mental retardation staff work performed prior to the
19 effective date of this act.
20 Section 9. Effective date.
21 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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