2024 -- S 2867

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LC005661

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2024

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- THE LADDERS TO

LICENSURE PROGRAM

     

     Introduced By: Senators Cano, DiMario, Pearson, Mack, McKenney, Zurier, and Lawson

     Date Introduced: March 22, 2024

     Referred To: Senate Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Legislative findings.

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     The general assembly hereby finds that:

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     (1) Rhode Island is experiencing workforce shortages across health and human services,

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the state’s largest employment sector, with a projected sixty-seven thousand five hundred (67,500)

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open health and related social assistance positions between 2020 and 2030;

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     (2) There is a current and projected shortage of licensed health professionals including

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registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, mental health

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counselors, marriage and family therapists and post-secondary healthcare educators;

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     (3) The licensed health professional workforce is declining due to age and burnout;

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     (4) The number of applications to most health professional higher education programs is

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declining;

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     (5) The current healthcare provider shortage has reduced timely access to quality patient

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care and contributes to increased healthcare costs, factors that will be exacerbated over time;

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     (6) The high turnover among paraprofessional healthcare workers is attributable in part to

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limited career advancement opportunities;

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     (7) The current health professional workforce does not reflect the racial, ethnic, linguistic

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and cultural diversity of the population it serves which adversely impacts health outcomes;

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     (8) The paraprofessional healthcare workforce is significantly more racially, ethnically,

 

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culturally and linguistical diverse than the licensed health professional workforce;

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     (9) Advancement of the paraprofessional workforce will increase the diversity of the

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licensed heath professional workforce;

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     (10) Improving the supply and diversity of the health professional workforce will require

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removing historical and ongoing barriers to training and education among underrepresented groups

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and establishing innovate public-private partnerships among healthcare providers, educators and

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state agencies; and

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     (11) The executive office of health and human services in partnership with the office of the

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postsecondary commissioner has successfully piloted the health professional equity initiative using

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one-time ARPA funds to support over one hundred (100) healthcare paraprofessionals from diverse

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backgrounds to pursue a higher education degree and health professional license in behavioral

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health and nursing careers.

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     SECTION 2. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND

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GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter:

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CHAPTER 166

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THE LADDERS TO LICENSURE PROGRAM

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     42-166-1. The ladders to licensure grant program.

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     The executive office of health and human services is hereby directed to establish the ladders

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to licensure grant program, a public-private partnership to:

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     (1) Increase the number of licensed health professionals;

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     (2) Increase racial, ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity of health professionals;

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     (3) Provide academic, financial and wrap around supports to enable working adults to

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obtain health professional higher education degrees and license;

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     (4) Leverage employer support for academic, financial and wraparound supports;

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     (5) Align with existing state workforce and higher education initiatives;

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     (6) Develop and implement career ladders with tiered training and education requirements

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and corresponding salary increases;

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     (7) Develop and implement interscholastic and interdepartmental agreements that accept

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prior learning, credentials, work experience, and academic credits towards requirement for higher

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education health professional degrees;

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     (8) Establish policies and initiatives to counter systemic racism and other institutional

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barriers to participation and advancement of underrepresented populations;

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     (9) Establish policies and initiatives that provide flexible scheduling of work hours and/or

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academic programs to reduce barriers to participation; and

 

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     (10) Identify state policy barriers to entry and advancement in the field.

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     42-166-2. Appropriation.

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     There is hereby appropriated to the executive office of health and human services the sum

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of one million dollars ($1,000,000) for fiscal year 2025 to support the first year of this three (3)

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year initiative. These funds shall be used to provide grants to three (3) or four (4) grantee

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partnerships, consisting of multiple private sector health and human services employer

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organizations and public education grantee partnerships (with at least one focused on behavioral

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health and one focused on nursing). Employers will be required to contribute a twenty-five percent

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(25%) in-kind match and a ten percent (10%) cash match.

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     42-166-3. Oversight.

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     The executive office of health and human services shall collaborate and coordinate with

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the department of labor and training and the office of the postsecondary commissioner in the

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development, implementation and oversight of the program.

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     42-166-4. Reporting.

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     The executive office of health and human services shall provide quarterly reports to the

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speaker of the house of representatives and senate president documenting the progress of the

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implementation of the program.

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     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- THE LADDERS TO

LICENSURE PROGRAM

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     This act would direct the executive office of health and human services (EOHHS), in

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conjunction with the department of labor and training (DLT) and the office of the postsecondary

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commissioner, to implement a grant program to fund public or private partnerships that provide

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opportunities for healthcare paraprofessionals to pursue higher education degrees and health

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professional licensure. This program would increase the diversity of the health professional

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workforce.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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