PRINTER'S NO. 751
No. 713 Session of 1997
INTRODUCED BY BELAN, STOUT, COSTA, AFFLERBACH, WAGNER, BODACK, KUKOVICH, O'PAKE, MELLOW, SCHWARTZ, STAPLETON AND RHOADES, MARCH 14, 1997
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, MARCH 14, 1997
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 "Qualified applicant." A person who meets all of the 15 following criteria: 16 (1) The person has been hired as a full-time staff 17 member by a county mental health or mental retardation 18 service agency through a merit or civil service system 19 approved by the Secretary of Public Welfare or by a private 20 provider that is under contract with a county to provide 21 mental health or mental retardation services and earns no 22 more than $35,000 per annum. 23 (2) The person has successfully completed both county 24 and civil service probationary periods or, in the case of a 25 contracted private provider, has successfully completed the 26 provider's established probationary period. 27 (3) The person is performing staff duties at a county 28 mental health or mental retardation service agency or at a 29 private provider that is under contract with a county to 30 provide mental health or mental retardation services. 19970S0713B0751 - 2 -
1 (4) The person has borrowed through an agency- 2 administered loan program. 3 "Secretary." The Secretary of Public Welfare of the 4 Commonwealth. 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 qualified applicant who is selected for the Mental Health 10 and Mental Retardation Staff Member Loan Forgiveness Program in 11 accordance with this act shall be eligible for payment by the 12 agency of a portion of the debt incurred by the applicant 13 through an agency-administered loan program for the education 14 necessary to be certified as a mental health or mental 15 retardation staff member in this Commonwealth. For each year 16 that the applicant is a full-time mental health or mental 17 retardation staff member in an approved county mental health or 18 mental retardation department or a private provider under 19 contract to a county, the agency may forgive a proportional part 20 of the applicant's loan so that the loan may be entirely 21 forgiven over four years of full-time staff work. No more than 22 $2,500 shall be forgiven in any year, and no more than $10,000 23 shall be forgiven for any applicant. Payments shall be made in 24 accordance with the procedures established by the agency. 25 Section 5. Loan forgiveness awards. 26 Recipients of the loan forgiveness awards shall be those 27 mental health and mental retardation staff members who are 28 certified by the secretary and who have received a satisfactory 29 rating by the county office of mental health or mental 30 retardation service or a private provider under contract to a 19970S0713B0751 - 3 -
1 county. Each mental health or mental retardation staff member 2 shall be required to submit such documentation of continued 3 eligibility as the agency may require. 4 Section 6. Funding. 5 Loan forgiveness awards may be made to the extent that funds 6 are appropriated by the General Assembly. 7 Section 7. Responsibility of agency. 8 It shall be the responsibility of the agency to administer 9 the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Staff Worker Loan 10 Forgiveness Program established by this act and to adopt such 11 regulations, policies, procedures and forms as are necessary and 12 not inconsistent with the provisions of this act. 13 Section 8. Retroactivity. 14 Loan forgiveness under this act may be based on mental health 15 and mental retardation staff work performed prior to the 16 effective date of this act. 17 Section 9. Effective date. 18 This act shall take effect in 60 days. A10L24JRW/19970S0713B0751 - 4 -