Nursing loan program-amendments.

WORKING DRAFT

ORIGINAL SENATE

FILE

NO.
0099

ENROLLED ACT NO. 89, SENATE

FIFTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2005 GENERAL SESSION

AN ACT relating to the Wyoming investment in nursing loan and grant program; modifying specified eligibility requirements; specifying qualified work loan repayment for graduate level recipients;
transferring administration of the program from the higher education assistance authority to the community college commission;
and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.

W.S. 9
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123(a), (c)(i), (ii) and (iii), (e)(intro), (g)(iii), (j)(intro), (k), (n) and by creating a new subsection (q) is amended to read:

9
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123.

Wyoming investment in nursing loan and grant program; eligibility criteria; procedures.

(a)

There is created the Wyoming investment in nursing program administered by the Wyoming
higher education assistance authority
community college commission
created under W.S.
21-16-703
21-18-201
. The program shall be known as the WYIN program. Applicants shall be residents of this state or graduates of a Wyoming high school and may apply for loans from the WYIN program in accordance with this section.

(c)

Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for this program, loans under the WYIN program may be granted to applicants enrolled or planning to enroll in nursing education programs as follows:

(i)

An applicant who is accepted into a Wyoming licensed practical nurse or registered nursing education program or a baccalaureate degree program in nursing may be eligible for a loan to pay the unmet need, as determined by the Wyoming
higher education assistance authority
community college commission
or its designee, of attendance at the licensed practical nursing education program or the registered nursing education program leading to an associate's or baccalaureate degree;

(ii)

A registered nurse with a baccalaureate degree who holds an unencumbered license with the Wyoming board of nursing, has the equivalent of at least one (1) year of full-time service teaching in a nursing education program in Wyoming as a registered nurse with a baccalaureate degree
, with preference given to a registered nurse currently teaching at the University of Wyoming or a Wyoming college,
and
the registered nurse
is accepted into a nursing education program at the University of Wyoming leading to a master's degree in nursing or nursing education may be eligible for a loan to pay the unmet need of attendance, as determined by the Wyoming
higher education assistance authority
community college commission
or its designee, provided that in order to receive a loan for a master's degree program, the applicant shall agree to repay the loan by teaching at a Wyoming college or the University of Wyoming
. If the applicant registered nurse is not accepted into a nursing education program at the University of Wyoming and upon approval of the Wyoming community college commission, the applicant registered nurse may be accepted into an accredited nursing education program at a university located outside of the state. Loans awarded for applicants accepted into programs outside of Wyoming shall not exceed the loan amounts available for programs at the University of Wyoming
;

(iii)

A registered nurse with a master's degree in nursing who holds an unencumbered license with the Wyoming board of nursing, has the equivalent of at least one (1) year of full-time service teaching in a nursing education program in Wyoming as a registered nurse with a master's degree in nursing and is accepted into a nursing education program at an institution providing the required nursing education courses under contract with the western interstate commission for higher education or in a distance nursing education program at a university that is regionally accredited leading to a doctorate level degree in nursing may be eligible for a loan to pay the unmet need of attendance, as determined by the Wyoming
higher education assistance authority
community college commission
or its designee, provided that in order to receive a loan for a doctorate level degree program, the applicant shall agree to repay the loan by teaching at the University of Wyoming.

(e)

A recipient of a WYIN loan under this section may repay the loan without cash payment by working in Wyoming as a nurse or nurse educator as provided in subsection (f) of this section. To qualify as repayment under this subsection,
and except for graduate students as provided under subsection (q) of this section,
work shall be performed within the following time periods which begin with the calendar month following the month in which the student completed the academic program:

(g)

Any recipient of a WYIN loan who fails:

(iii)

The appropriate certification or licensure examination on the first attempt may retake the examination at the next available opportunity before commencing repayment of the loan. The recipient shall notify the Wyoming
higher education assistance authority
community college commission
or its contractor of the intent to retake the examination and the date the examination will be taken. Any recipient of a WYIN loan who fails the examination after the second attempt shall commence cash repayment of the loan within forty-five (45) days after receipt of notification of the second failure by the board of nursing. If the recipient of a WYIN loan who fails the examination on the first attempt does not retake the examination at the next available opportunity, cash repayment shall commence within forty-five (45) days after the next available examination is conducted.

(j)

The Wyoming
higher education assistance authority
community college commission
shall have the powers and duties specified in W.S.
21-16-705
21-18-202
to implement this section and shall establish terms and conditions of loans issued under this section, including:

(k)

Funding of the loan program established under this section shall be by appropriation of the legislature. The
authority
Wyoming community college commission
shall transfer approved loan amounts to the University of Wyoming and to Wyoming community colleges at which loan recipients are enrolled. In consultation with the university and affected community colleges, the
authority
commission
shall establish procedures for transferring loan amounts and for reporting requirements on the expenditure of transferred loan amounts.

(n)

The
authority
Wyoming community college commission
shall annually review the loan program established under this section and report to the governor and the legislature in accordance with W.S. 9-2-1014, regarding program results, funds received and loans issued during the preceding academic year, together with the status of all outstanding loan commitments and repayments under the program.

(q)

A recipient of a WYIN loan under this section and attending a master's or doctorate nursing level program may begin loan repayment through qualified work as authorized under subsections (e) and (f) of this section concurrently with enrollment in the nursing education program, subject to the following:

(i)

If the recipient is enrolled in a master's nursing degree program, the recipient shall perform qualified work for not less that one (1) year following completion of the education program;

(ii)

If the recipient is enrolled in a doctorate nursing degree program, the recipient shall perform qualified work for not less than two (2) years following completion of the education program.

Section 2.
The Wyoming investment in nursing program is hereby transferred to the Wyoming community college commission by a Type 1 transfer as provided by W.S. 9
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1707(b)(i) and all positions, personnel, property and appropriated funds shall be transferred to the commission for the purposes of administering the Wyoming investment in nursing program.

Section 3.

This act is effective July 1, 2005.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the Senate.

Chief Clerk

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