Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants eligible for loan forgiveness under the health professional education loan forgiveness program, and money appropriated.

A bill for an act

relating to health; making physical therapists and physical therapist assistants

eligible for loan forgiveness under the health professional education loan

forgiveness program; appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024,

section 144.1501, subdivisions 1, 2, 3.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 144.1501, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Definitions.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions

apply.

(b) "Advanced dental therapist" means an individual who is licensed as a dental therapist

under section
150A.06
, and who is certified as an advanced dental therapist under section

150A.106
.

(c) "Alcohol and drug counselor" means an individual who is licensed as an alcohol and

drug counselor under chapter 148F.

(d) "Dental therapist" means an individual who is licensed as a dental therapist under

section
150A.06
.

(e) "Dentist" means an individual who is licensed to practice dentistry.

(f) "Designated rural area" means a statutory and home rule charter city or township that

is outside the seven-county metropolitan area as defined in section
473.121
, subdivision 2,

excluding the cities of Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, Rochester, and St. Cloud.

(g) "Emergency circumstances" means those conditions that make it impossible for the

participant to fulfill the service commitment, including death, total and permanent disability,

or temporary disability lasting more than two years.

(h) "Hospital nurse" means an individual who is licensed as a registered nurse and who

is providing direct patient care in a nonprofit hospital setting.

(i) "Mental health professional" means an individual providing clinical services in the

treatment of mental illness who is qualified in at least one of the ways specified in section

245.462, subdivision 18
.

(j) "Medical resident" means an individual participating in a medical residency in family

practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, or psychiatry.

(k) "Midlevel practitioner" means a nurse practitioner, nurse-midwife, nurse anesthetist,

advanced clinical nurse specialist, or physician assistant.

(l) "Nurse" means an individual who has completed training and received all licensing

or certification necessary to perform duties as a licensed practical nurse or registered nurse.

(m) "Nurse-midwife" means a registered nurse who has graduated from a program of

study designed to prepare registered nurses for advanced practice as nurse-midwives.

(n) "Nurse practitioner" means a registered nurse who has graduated from a program of

study designed to prepare registered nurses for advanced practice as nurse practitioners.

(o) "Pharmacist" means an individual with a valid license issued under chapter 151.

new text begin

(p) "Physical therapist" means an individual licensed as a physical therapist under sections

148.65 to 148.78.

new text end

new text begin

(q) "Physical therapist assistant" means an individual licensed as a physical therapist

assistant under sections 148.65 to 148.78.

new text end

deleted text begin

(p)
deleted text end
new text begin
(r)
new text end
"Physician" means an individual who is licensed to practice medicine in the areas

of family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, or psychiatry.

deleted text begin

(q)
deleted text end
new text begin
(s)
new text end
"Physician assistant" means a person licensed under chapter 147A.

deleted text begin

(r)
deleted text end
new text begin
(t)
new text end
"Public health nurse" means a registered nurse licensed in Minnesota who has

obtained a registration certificate as a public health nurse from the Board of Nursing in

accordance with Minnesota Rules, chapter 6316.

deleted text begin

(s)
deleted text end
new text begin
(u)
new text end
"Qualified educational loan" means a government, commercial, or foundation

loan for actual costs paid for tuition, reasonable education expenses, and reasonable living

expenses related to the graduate or undergraduate education of a health care professional.

deleted text begin

(t)
deleted text end
new text begin
(v)
new text end
"Underserved urban community" means a Minnesota urban area or population

included in the list of designated primary medical care health professional shortage areas

(HPSAs), medically underserved areas (MUAs), or medically underserved populations

(MUPs) maintained and updated by the United States Department of Health and Human

Services.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 144.1501, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Availability.

(a) The commissioner of health shall use money appropriated for

health professional education loan forgiveness in this section:

(1) for medical residents, physicians, mental health professionals,
new text begin
physical therapists,

physical therapist assistants,
new text end
and alcohol and drug counselors agreeing to practice in

designated rural areas or underserved urban communities or specializing in the area of

pediatric psychiatry;

(2) for midlevel practitioners agreeing to practice in designated rural areas or to teach

at least 12 credit hours, or 720 hours per year in the nursing field in a postsecondary program

at the undergraduate level or the equivalent at the graduate level;

(3) for nurses who agree to practice in a Minnesota nursing home; in an intermediate

care facility for persons with developmental disability; in a hospital if the hospital owns

and operates a Minnesota nursing home and a minimum of 50 percent of the hours worked

by the nurse is in the nursing home; in an assisted living facility as defined in section

144G.08, subdivision 7
; or for a home care provider as defined in section
144A.43
,

subdivision 4; or agree to teach at least 12 credit hours, or 720 hours per year in the nursing

field in a postsecondary program at the undergraduate level or the equivalent at the graduate

level;

(4) for other health care technicians agreeing to teach at least 12 credit hours, or 720

hours per year in their designated field in a postsecondary program at the undergraduate

level or the equivalent at the graduate level. The commissioner, in consultation with the

Healthcare Education-Industry Partnership, shall determine the health care fields where the

need is the greatest, including, but not limited to, respiratory therapy, clinical laboratory

technology, radiologic technology, and surgical technology;

(5) for pharmacists, advanced dental therapists, dental therapists, and public health nurses

who agree to practice in designated rural areas;

(6) for dentists agreeing to deliver at least 25 percent of the dentist's yearly patient

encounters to state public program enrollees or patients receiving sliding fee schedule

discounts through a formal sliding fee schedule meeting the standards established by the

United States Department of Health and Human Services under Code of Federal Regulations,

title 42, section
51c.303
; and

(7) for nurses employed as a hospital nurse by a nonprofit hospital and providing direct

care to patients at the nonprofit hospital.

(b) Appropriations made for health professional education loan forgiveness in this section

do not cancel and are available until expended, except that at the end of each biennium, any

remaining balance in the account that is not committed by contract and not needed to fulfill

existing commitments shall cancel to the fund.

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 144.1501, subdivision 3, is amended to read:

Subd. 3.

Eligibility.

(a) To be eligible to participate in the loan forgiveness program, an

individual must:

(1) be a medical or dental resident; a licensed pharmacist; or be enrolled in a training or

education program to become a dentist, dental therapist, advanced dental therapist, mental

health professional, alcohol and drug counselor, pharmacist,
new text begin
physical therapist, physical

therapist assistant,
new text end
public health nurse, midlevel practitioner, registered nurse, or
deleted text begin
a
deleted text end
licensed

practical nurse. The commissioner may also consider applications submitted by graduates

in eligible professions who are licensed and in practice; and

(2) submit an application to the commissioner of health. A nurse applying under

subdivision 2, paragraph (a), clause (7), must also include proof that the applicant is employed

as a hospital nurse.

(b) An applicant selected to participate must sign a contract to agree to serve a minimum

three-year full-time service obligation according to subdivision 2, which shall begin no later

than March 31 following completion of required training, with the exception of:

(1) a nurse, who must agree to serve a minimum two-year full-time service obligation

according to subdivision 2, which shall begin no later than March 31 following completion

of required training;

(2) a nurse selected under subdivision 2, paragraph (a), clause (7), who must agree to

continue as a hospital nurse for a minimum two-year service obligation; and

(3) a nurse who agrees to teach according to subdivision 2, paragraph (a), clause (3),

who must sign a contract to agree to teach for a minimum of two years.

Sec. 4.
new text begin
APPROPRIATION; HEALTH PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION LOAN

FORGIVENESS PROGRAM.
new text end

new text begin

$500,000 in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner

of health for loan forgiveness under Minnesota Statutes, section 144.1501, for eligible

physical therapists and physical therapist assistants.

new text end