PRINTER'S NO. 2641
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
2067
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY M. BROWN, GUENST, CONKLIN AND CIRESI,
FEBRUARY 27, 2024
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, FEBRUARY 27, 2024
AN ACT
Amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), entitled
"An act relating to the finances of the State government;
providing for cancer control, prevention and research, for
ambulatory surgical center data collection, for the Joint
Underwriting Association, for entertainment business
financial management firms, for private dam financial
assurance and for reinstatement of item vetoes; providing for
the settlement, assessment, collection, and lien of taxes,
bonus, and all other accounts due the Commonwealth, the
collection and recovery of fees and other money or property
due or belonging to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
including escheated property and the proceeds of its sale,
the custody and disbursement or other disposition of funds
and securities belonging to or in the possession of the
Commonwealth, and the settlement of claims against the
Commonwealth, the resettlement of accounts and appeals to the
courts, refunds of moneys erroneously paid to the
Commonwealth, auditing the accounts of the Commonwealth and
all agencies thereof, of all public officers collecting
moneys payable to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
and all receipts of appropriations from the Commonwealth,
authorizing the Commonwealth to issue tax anticipation notes
to defray current expenses, implementing the provisions of
section 7(a) of Article VIII of the Constitution of
Pennsylvania authorizing and restricting the incurring of
certain debt and imposing penalties; affecting every
department, board, commission, and officer of the State
government, every political subdivision of the State, and
certain officers of such subdivisions, every person,
association, and corporation required to pay, assess, or
collect taxes, or to make returns or reports under the laws
imposing taxes for State purposes, or to pay license fees or
other moneys to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
every State depository and every debtor or creditor of the
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Commonwealth," establishing the Professional Nurse Grant
Program; providing for duties of Department of Health; and
making an appropriation.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known
as The Fiscal Code, is amended by adding an article to read:
ARTICLE I-M
PROFESSIONAL NURSE GRANT PROGRAM
Section 101-M. Scope of article.
This article relates to the Professional Nurse Grant Program.
Section 102-M. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this article
shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Applicant." A nurse who submits an application for a grant
award.
"Department." The Department of Health of the Commonwealth.
"Full-time nurse." A nurse who works on average more than 30
hours per week or more than 130 hours per month.
"Grant award." A grant awarded by the department under the
program.
"Nurse." An individual who is authorized by the State Board
of Nursing in accordance with the act of May 22, 1951 (P.L.317,
No.69), known as The Professional Nursing Law, to function as
any of the following:
(1) A certified registered nurse anesthetist.
(2) A certified registered nurse practitioner.
(3) A clinical nurse specialist.
(4) A practical nurse.
(5) A registered nurse.
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(6) Any other nursing professional who is licensed,
permitted, certified or otherwise registered with the State
Board of Nursing.
"Part-time nurse." A nurse who works on average less than 30
hours per week or less than 130 hours per month.
"Program." The Professional Nurse Grant Program established
under section 103-M.
Section 103-M. Establishment of program.
The Professional Nurse Grant Program is established within
the department . The department shall administer the program.
Section 104-M. Use of grant funding.
The department shall award grants under the program in
accordance with this article from money appropriated to the
program by the General Assembly.
Section 105-M. Applications for grant awards.
(a) Form and manner.--The following shall apply to an
application for a grant award:
(1) The application shall be on a form and submitted in
a manner determined by the department.
(2) The application shall contain documentation as
required by the department.
(3) The application shall be available electronically on
the department's publicly accessible Internet website.
(b) Consideration.--The department shall receive and
consider applications for grant awards on a rolling basis until
funding for grant awards has been completely expended, or until
December 31, 2034, whichever occurs first.
(c) Additional conditions.--The department may impose
additional conditions on an applicant, including reporting
requirements and documentary proof from the applicant to ensure
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compliance.
Section 106-M. Certification requirements.
An applicant shall certify in good faith all of the following
to the department:
(1) The applicant is employed as a full-time nurse or
part-time nurse within this Commonwealth.
(2) The applicant has been employed as a nurse within
this Commonwealth for at least 12 consecutive months prior to
submission of the application.
(3) The applicant will only use the grant award for the
repayment of existing loans for education directly relating
to the applicant meeting the educational requirements to
practice as a nurse within this Commonwealth.
(4) The applicant did not receive more than one grant
award during the calendar year.
(5) The applicant agrees to abide by the program
requirements established by the department.
(6) The applicant acknowledges that failure to abide by
the program requirements established by the department:
(i) shall result in removal from the program; and
(ii) may result in recoupment of grant award money
as authorized by the laws of this Commonwealth.
(7) That the information provided in the application and
each supporting document or form is true and accurate in all
material aspects. An applicant or an authorized
representative of the applicant who knowingly makes a false
statement to obtain a grant award shall be subject to 18
Pa.C.S. § 4904 (relating to unsworn falsification to
authorities).
Section 107-M. Review of applications.
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(a) Determination.--The department shall approve or
disapprove an application for a grant award. The department
shall provide reasons for a disapproval or for a grant award
less than the amount requested in an application.
(b) Grant agreements.--After approval of an application
under subsection (a), the department shall enter into a grant
agreement with the nurse. A fully executed grant agreement shall
be required before the disbursement of a grant award. The
following shall apply to grant agreements:
(1) The grant agreement shall explain the terms and
conditions of the grant award, including the applicable
Federal and State laws, and reporting requirements that may
be imposed by the department.
(2) The grant agreement may be electronically signed by
all applicable parties.
(c) Distribution.--
(1) The department shall distribute a grant award to a
nurse in accordance with this article no later than 60 days
after approval of the application by the department. A full-
time nurse may receive a grant award of up to $50,000 a year
for a period of two years, and a part-time nurse may receive
a grant award of up to $25,000 a year for a period of two
years. A nurse shall continue to meet the requirements under
this article to receive a grant award each year. The
department may require documentation from a nurse each year
to ensure compliance with this article.
(2) The department may award grants in increments of
$5,000, not to exceed the limitations specified under
paragraph (1).
(3) A nurse may not receive a total grant award that is
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greater than the remaining loan amount specified under
section 106-M(3) that is owed by the nurse.
(4) A nurse may receive a grant award based upon the
nurse's full-time or part-time status for the previous 12
months.
Section 108-M. Compliance with program requirements.
A nurse who is a recipient of a grant award shall allow the
department to determine compliance with the requirements of this
article. If a nurse fails to comply with the requirements of
this article, the nurse shall reimburse the Commonwealth for the
amount of the grant award received, including interest accrued,
as determined by the department. The nurse and the department
shall make every effort to resolve conflicts in order to prevent
a breach of program requirements established by the department.
Section 109-M. Reports.
(a) Contents.--No later than December 31 of each year, the
department shall post a report on the department's publicly
accessible Internet website that contains the following
information:
(1) The name and nurse license type of each nurse
awarded a grant.
(2) The amount of each grant award.
(3) The total amount of the appropriation under section
110-M that has been distributed for grant awards each
calendar year.
(4) The number of grants awarded to full-time nurses as
compared to part-time nurses.
(5) An aggregate total of grants awarded for each county
where a nurse who received a grant award is employed.
(b) Submission.--The department shall submit the report
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under subsection (a) to the following:
(1) The chair and minority chair of the Appropriations
Committee of the Senate.
(2) The chair and minority chair of the Appropriations
Committee of the House of Representatives.
(3) The chair and minority chair of the Health and Human
Services Committee of the Senate.
(4) The chair and minority chair of the Health Committee
of the House of Representatives.
(c) Final report.--Upon the disbursement of all money
appropriated for the program, or December 31, 2034, whichever is
earlier, the department shall post and submit a final report in
accordance with this section within six months from the period
specified under this subsection.
Section 110-M. Appropriation.
The sum of $15,000,000 is appropriated on a continuing basis
from the General Fund to the department for the program and
payment of grant awards under this article. Money appropriated
under this section shall not lapse into the General Fund at the
end of a fiscal year.
Section 111-M. Tax applicability.
Grants awarded under this article may not be considered
taxable income to a nurse for the purposes of Article III of the
act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known as the Tax Reform Code
of 1971.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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