Student loans: medical, nursing, social work, and social welfare students: California Health Care Workforce Supplemental Loan Program.

Education Healthcare

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Bains
Last action: 2026-04-20
Official status: In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest do not specify exact start or end dates.

California Health Care Workforce Supplemental Loan Program

This law creates a loan program to help medical, nursing, social work, and social welfare students pay for school with loans similar to federal direct unsubsidized and grad PLUS loans available before January 20, 2025.

What This Bill Does

Creates the California Health Care Workforce Supplemental Loan Program under the Student Aid Commission.
Provides eligible students with financial aid similar to what was available through federal direct unsubsidized and grad PLUS loans on or before January 20, 2025.
Requires the commission to set up an application process for these loans.
Establishes that loan terms must be equivalent to those of federal Direct PLUS Loans as they existed on January 20, 2025.
Creates a Health Care Workforce Supplemental Loan Fund in the State Treasury.

Who It Names or Affects

Medical students
Nursing students
Social work students
Social welfare students

Terms To Know

Student Aid Commission: The main state agency that runs student financial aid programs.
Direct PLUS Loans: Federal loans for graduate and professional degree students, including medical and nursing students.

Limits and Unknowns

Does not specify how much funding will be available.
The exact terms of the loans may change based on what the commission decides is necessary to run the program.
It does not say when this law will start or end.

Bill History

2026-04-20 California Legislative Information
In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2026-04-07 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on HIGHER ED.
2026-04-06 California Legislative Information
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HIGHER ED. Read second time and amended.
2026-03-25 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on HIGHER ED.
2026-03-24 California Legislative Information
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HIGHER ED. Read second time and amended.
2026-03-09 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on HIGHER ED.
2026-02-20 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.
2026-02-19 California Legislative Information
Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 2345, as amended, Bains.
Student loans: medical, nursing,
and
social
work
work, and social welfare
students: California Health Care Workforce Supplemental Loan Program.
Existing law establishes the Student Aid Commission as the primary state agency for the administration of state-authorized student financial aid programs available to students attending all segments of postsecondary education.
This bill would establish the California Health Care Workforce Supplemental Loan Program, under the administration of the commission, for the purpose of providing eligible students, as defined, with access to the same level of financial assistance toward the cost of attendance at an accredited medical or nursing school, or at a school’s accredited social work
or social welfare
program, that was available on or before January 20, 2025, through federal direct unsubsidized loans and federal direct grad PLUS loans. The
bill would require the commission to establish an application process and would require the loans issued under the program to have equivalent financial terms as the federal Direct PLUS Loans, as those terms existed on January 20, 2025, except for changes that the commission determines to be necessary to administer the program. The bill would create the Health Care Workforce Supplemental Loan Fund in the State Treasury.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

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