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A1010
ASSEMBLY, No. 1010
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
Assemblywoman� SHANIQUE SPEIGHT
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
���� "Public-Private Alliance to Retain Talent and
Expand Regional Health Program Act"; creates grant program within DOH for
student-loan and tuition relief and appropriates $5 million.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act
establishing the �Public-Private Alliance to Retain
Talent and Expand Regional Health Program,� supplementing Title 26 of the
Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� This act shall be known
and may be cited as the �Public Private Alliance to Retain Talent and Expand
Regional Health Program Act.�
���� 2.��� As used in this act:
���� �Applicant� means an entity
that applies for a grant under section 3 of this act.
���� �Department� means the New
Jersey State Department of Health.
���� �Educational institution�
means an entity licensed by the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education,
pursuant to N.J.S.18A:68-3, to award a degree that prepares students to become
a health care professional.
���� �Health care professional�
means persons defined as a health care professional in section 9 of P.L.2005,
c.83 (C.45:1-34) except persons licensed or otherwise authorized by the
following boards:� the State Board of Chiropractic Examiners, the Orthotics and
Prosthetics Board of Examiners, the Acupuncture Examining Board, the State
Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, and the State Board of Marriage and
Family Therapy Examiners.
���� �Partner hospital� means a
health care facility licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.)
that has entered into a contractual relationship with a qualified recruitment
and retention servicer and:� (1) provides loan repayment or tuition reimbursement
assistance to health care professionals employed by the partner hospital; and
(2) agrees to provide non-State-sourced matching funds for loan repayment or
tuition reimbursement assistance equal to at least 200 percent of the grant
amount made available by the qualified recruitment and retention servicer.�
University Hospital, as established in section 14 of P.L.2012, c.45
(C.18A:64G-6.1a), may be a partner hospital but shall not be subject to
paragraph (2) of this definition.
���� �Program� means the
public-private alliance established within the department under section 3 of
this act.
���� �Qualified recruitment and
retention servicer� means an entity that:� (1) contracts with multiple
educational institutions and hospitals in a manner that promotes greater access
to education and career opportunities for prospective health care professional
students; (2) has contracted with a minimum of 10 hospitals, including at least
one located within the State, to coordinate agreements between prospective
health care professional students and hospitals in a manner that facilitates
the repayment of student loan or tuition expenses incurred by prospective
health care professional students; (3) has contracted with a minimum of 10
educational institutions, including at least one located within the State, to
create new educational opportunities within the health sciences field; (4) has
experience arranging clinical placements with multiple hospitals; and (5) is
not a student loan provider.� A �qualified recruitment and retention servicer�
may not engage in the origination of loans, including, but not limited to,
serving as a loan originator or underwriter, and, shall not, directly or
indirectly, hold, purchase, or securitize any student loan instrument.
���� �Recipient� means an applicant
that has been awarded a grant under section 3 of this act.
���� 3.��� a. The Public-Private
Alliance to Retain Talent and Expand Regional Health Program is established
within the department.� The program shall provide grants to qualified
recruitment and retention servicers to assist health care professional students
with securing post-graduation employment and the repayment of student loan or
tuition expenses incurred while obtaining a degree in a health care profession.
���� b.��� A qualified recruitment
and retention servicer may apply to the department for a grant under this
section.� The application shall be in a form and manner determined by the
department, which, at minimum, shall include the:
���� (1)�� name and address of the
applicant;
���� (2)�� name and address of the
partner hospital that is providing employment opportunities to prospective
health care professionals; and
���� (3)�� number and type of
prospective health care professionals that will receive loan repayments or
tuition reimbursement from the grant if the grant is awarded to the qualified
recruitment and retention servicer.
���� c.���� (1) All applications
received during an application period shall be reviewed and evaluated by the
department.� In awarding a grant under this section, the department shall
consider the:� (i) number of timely and complete applications received by the
department during the application period; (ii) anticipated number of students
that would receive loan repayments or tuition reimbursement under the grant
application; (iii) anticipated number of students of each degree type that
would receive loan repayments or tuition reimbursement under the grant
application; (iv) anticipated geographic distribution of students receiving
loan repayments or tuition reimbursement under the grant application; (v) plans
for ongoing support to maximize the chances of professional success for the
health care professionals receiving loan repayments or tuition reimbursement
pursuant to this section, once employed; and (vi) ability of the qualified
recruitment and retention center to provide marketing, recruitment, student
support, clinical placement, and technology to support participating
educational institutions.
���� (2)�� Upon determining that
the applicant has met all program requirements, the department may approve a
grant application subject to the availability of appropriations.
���� d.��� If the department
approves an application under subsection c. of this section, the department and
the recipient shall enter into a grant agreement, which, at a minimum shall
include:
���� (1)�� the name and address of
the partner hospital that is partnering with the recipient to administer the
program funded under the grant;
���� (2)�� the number and type of
prospective health care professionals that will receive loan repayments or
tuition reimbursement under the grant; and
���� (3)�� a commitment by the
partner hospital to use all non-State sourced matching funds for loan
repayments or tuition reimbursement for health care professionals who become
employees of the partner hospital.
���� e.���� Upon execution of the
grant agreement required by subsection d. of this section, the department shall
award the applicant a grant.
���� 4.��� a. A recipient may not
award an individual health care professional student or a health care
professional employed by a partner hospital more than $10,000 per year, or
$30,000 in the aggregate, of grant money for loan repayment or tuition
reimbursement assistance provided pursuant to this act.
���� b.��� The recipient shall
return to the department any grant funds that remain unencumbered after three
years.
���� c.���� An employment agreement
entered into by a health care professional with a partner hospital or with a
qualified recruitment and retention servicer, or an agreement entered into by a
qualified recruitment and retention servicer, on behalf of the health care
professional, with a partner hospital shall include a stipulation that the
health care professional will be required to work a minimum of three years at
the partner hospital.
���� 5.��� In any fiscal year in
which the Legislature appropriates funding for the grant program established
pursuant to subsection a. of section 3 of this act, and within 60 days of the
funds appropriated for the program, the department shall open an application period
of not more than 30 days to receive applications under section 3 of this act.�
The department shall make grant awards under section 3 of this act within 30
days of the close of the application period for that fiscal year.
���� 6.��� No later than December
31, 2026, and each year thereafter, the Commissioner of Health shall submit a
report to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164
(C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature summarizing the effectiveness of the grants
provided by this act in improving the recruitment and retention of health care
professionals in the State.� The report shall include the names of all partner
hospitals involved in the program as of the date of the report and the number
and type of health care professionals that would receive loan repayment or
tuition reimbursement under the program.
���� 7.��� The Commissioner of
Health, pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410
(C.52:14B-1 et seq.), and within 60 days following the date of enactment of
this act, shall adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this
act.
���� 8.��� There is appropriated
from the General Fund to the Department of Health $5,000,000 to effectuate the
purposes of this act.
���� 9.��� This act shall take
effect immediately but shall remain inoperative for 60 days from the date of
enactment.
STATEMENT
���� This bill creates a new
program, the �Public-Private Alliance to Retain Talent and Expand Regional
Health Program,� within the State Department of Health.� The program would be a
public-private partnership intended to recruit and retain health care professionals
in the State by providing the health care professionals with student loan or
tuition relief.� Under this bill, the Department of Health would contract with
a qualified recruitment and retention servicer to provide student-debt or
tuition relief to students who have entered into a postgraduate employment
agreement with a partner hospital located within the State.
���� In addition to application
requirements, the bill requires that the qualified recruitment and retention
servicer secure agreements of a 200 percent match from partner hospitals to
secure State funds, unless the partner hospital is University Hospital.
���� Lastly, the bill appropriates
$5 million from the General Fund to effectuate the purposes of the program.