Minnesota SF 4006: Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act

Bill Text

1.1 A bill for an act​
1.2 relating to health; requiring hospital core staffing plans; creating a presumption​
1.3 of workers' compensation eligibility for licensed registered nurses providing direct​
1.4 care in hospitals who receive a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder;​
1.5 modifying the health professional education loan forgiveness program; establishing​
1.6 the hospital nursing education loan forgiveness program; appropriating money;​
1.7 amending Minnesota Statutes 2020, sections 144.1501, subdivision 4; 144.55,​
1.8 subdivision 6; 144.653, subdivision 5; 144.7055; 144.7067, by adding a subdivision;​
1.9 144A.53, subdivision 2; 256R.02, subdivision 22; Minnesota Statutes 2021​
1.10 Supplement, sections 144.1501, subdivision 3; 176.011, subdivision 15; proposing​
1.11 coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 144.​
1.12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:​
1.13 Section 1. TITLE.​
1.14 This act shall be known as the "Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act."​
1.15 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2021 Supplement, section 144.1501, subdivision 3, is amended​
1.16 to read:​
1.17 Subd. 3.Eligibility.(a) To be eligible to participate in the loan forgiveness program, an​
1.18 individual must:​
1.19 (1) be a medical or dental resident; a licensed pharmacist; or be enrolled in a training or​
1.20 education program to become a dentist, dental therapist, advanced dental therapist, mental​
1.21 health professional, alcohol and drug counselor, pharmacist, public health nurse, midlevel​
1.22 practitioner, registered nurse, or a licensed practical nurse. The commissioner may also​
1.23 consider applications submitted by graduates in eligible professions who are licensed and​
1.24 in practice; and​
1​Sec. 2.​
22-07077 as introduced​03/10/22 REVISOR SGS/HL​
SENATE​
STATE OF MINNESOTA​
S.F. No. 4006​NINETY-SECOND SESSION​
(SENATE AUTHORS: MURPHY, López Franzen, Wiklund and Port)​
OFFICIAL STATUS​D-PG​DATE​
Introduction and first reading​5317​03/14/2022​
Referred to Health and Human Services Finance and Policy​
Authors added Lopez Franzen; Wiklund; Port​5371​03/16/2022​

2.1 (2) submit an application to the commissioner of health.​
2.2 (b) Except as specified in paragraph (c), an applicant selected to participate must sign​
2.3 a contract to agree to serve a minimum three-year full-time service obligation according to​
2.4 subdivision 2, which shall begin no later than March 31 following completion of required​
2.5 training, with the exception of a nurse, who must agree to serve a minimum two-year​
2.6 full-time service obligation according to subdivision 2, which shall begin no later than​
2.7 March 31 following completion of required training.​
2.8 (c) An applicant selected to participate who is a nurse and who agrees to teach according​
2.9 to subdivision 2, paragraph (a), clause (3), must sign a contract to agree to teach for a​
2.10 minimum of two years.​
2.11 Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 144.1501, subdivision 4, is amended to read:​
2.12 Subd. 4.Loan forgiveness.(a) The commissioner of health may select applicants each​
2.13 year for participation in the loan forgiveness program, within the limits of available funding.​
2.14 In considering applications, the commissioner shall give preference to applicants who​
2.15 document diverse cultural competencies. The commissioner shall distribute available funds​
2.16 for loan forgiveness proportionally among the eligible professions according to the vacancy​
2.17 rate for each profession in the required geographic area, facility type, teaching area, patient​
2.18 group, or specialty type specified in subdivision 2. The commissioner shall allocate funds​
2.19 for physician loan forgiveness so that 75 percent of the funds available are used for rural​
2.20 physician loan forgiveness and 25 percent of the funds available are used for underserved​
2.21 urban communities and pediatric psychiatry loan forgiveness. If the commissioner does not​
2.22 receive enough qualified applicants each year to use the entire allocation of funds for any​
2.23 eligible profession, the remaining funds may be allocated proportionally among the other​
2.24 eligible professions according to the vacancy rate for each profession in the required​
2.25 geographic area, patient group, or facility type specified in subdivision 2. Applicants are​
2.26 responsible for securing their own qualified educational loans. The commissioner shall​
2.27 select participants based on their suitability for practice serving the required geographic​
2.28 area or facility type specified in subdivision 2, as indicated by experience or training. The​
2.29 commissioner shall give preference to applicants closest to completing their training. Except​
2.30 as specified in paragraph (b), for each year that a participant meets the service obligation​
2.31 required under subdivision 3, up to a maximum of four years, the commissioner shall make​
2.32 annual disbursements directly to the p