2024 -- S 2867 SUBSTITUTE A | |
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LC005661/SUB A | |
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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 | |
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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: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND |
2 | GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: |
3 | CHAPTER 166 |
4 | THE LADDERS TO LICENSURE PROGRAM |
5 | 42-166-1. The ladders to licensure grant program. |
6 | The executive office of health and human services is hereby directed to establish the ladders |
7 | to licensure grant program, a public-private partnership to: |
8 | (1) Increase the number of licensed health professionals; |
9 | (2) Increase racial, ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity of health professionals; |
10 | (3) Provide academic, financial and wrap around supports to enable working adults to |
11 | obtain health professional higher education degrees and license; |
12 | (4) Leverage employer support for academic, financial and wraparound supports; |
13 | (5) Align with existing state workforce and higher education initiatives; |
14 | (6) Develop and implement career ladders with tiered training and education requirements |
15 | and corresponding salary increases; |
16 | (7) Develop and implement interscholastic and interdepartmental agreements that accept |
17 | prior learning, credentials, work experience, and academic credits towards requirement for higher |
18 | education health professional degrees; |
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1 | (8) Establish policies and initiatives to counter systemic racism and other institutional |
2 | barriers to participation and advancement of underrepresented populations; |
3 | (9) Establish policies and initiatives that provide flexible scheduling of work hours and/or |
4 | academic programs to reduce barriers to participation; and |
5 | (10) Identify state policy barriers to entry and advancement in the field. |
6 | 42-166-2. Use of appropriated funds. |
7 | Any appropriated funds shall be used to provide grants to three (3) or four (4) grantee |
8 | partnerships, consisting of multiple private sector health and human services employer |
9 | organizations and education grantee partnerships (with at least one focused on behavioral health |
10 | and one focused on nursing). Employers will be required to contribute a twenty-five percent (25%) |
11 | in-kind match and a ten percent (10%) cash match. |
12 | 42-166-3. Oversight. |
13 | The executive office of health and human services shall collaborate and coordinate with |
14 | the department of labor and training and the office of the postsecondary commissioner in the |
15 | development, implementation and oversight of the program. |
16 | 42-166-4. Reporting. |
17 | The executive office of health and human services shall provide quarterly reports to the |
18 | speaker of the house of representatives and senate president documenting the progress of the |
19 | implementation of the program. |
20 | SECTION 2. 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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1 | This act would direct the executive office of health and human services (EOHHS), in |
2 | conjunction with the department of labor and training (DLT) and the office of the postsecondary |
3 | commissioner, to implement a grant program to fund public or private partnerships that provide |
4 | opportunities for healthcare paraprofessionals to pursue higher education degrees and health |
5 | professional licensure. This program would increase the diversity of the health professional |
6 | workforce. |
7 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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