2025 -- H 5984

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LC001740

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- THE MEDICAL PRIMARY CARE

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

     Introduced By: Representatives Fogarty, Carson, Cortvriend, Shallcross Smith, Knight,
Casimiro, Stewart, Donovan, Alzate, and Cruz

     Date Introduced: February 28, 2025

     Referred To: House Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. The general assembly hereby makes the following findings of fact:

     (1) Primary care healthcare in the State of Rhode Island is in crisis.

     (2) There currently exists a national and regional shortage of primary care healthcare

     providers.

     (3) Many primary care healthcare providers are retiring early and many more are

     approaching retirement age.

     (4) Primary care healthcare is provided by physicians, nurse practitioners and physician

     assistants and the overall numbers of medical professionals entering the field of primary

care

     healthcare is declining.

     (5) It is increasingly difficult for primary care practices to hire nurses, medical assistants,

     behavioral health clinicians and other key staff, which is leading to even higher burnout

among

     primary care providers.

     (6) Fewer students are going into primary care as a profession due to lower salaries, high

     student loans and increasing administrative burden leading to provider burnout.

     (7) Our aging Rhode Island population requires more medical care.

     (8) As a state, we must recruit, train, retain and sustain the number of primary care

     providers sufficient to meet the population health needs of all Rhode Islanders.

     (9) Investments in primary care are essential for access to health services, improving the

     health of the population and reducing overall healthcare costs.

     SECTION 2. Title 23 of the General Laws entitled "HEALTH AND SAFETY" is hereby

     amended by adding thereto the following chapter:

CHAPTER 1.12

THE MEDICAL PRIMARY CARE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

     23-1.12-1. Short title.

     This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "The Medical Primary Care

Scholarship Program".

     23-1.12-2. Establishment of scholarship program.

     There is hereby established the medical primary care scholarship program to be

administered by the director of the department of health in consultation with the commissioner of

post-secondary education. This program shall be aligned with the RIDOH office of primary care

and rural health and leverage existing infrastructure with the loan repayment program.

     23-1.12-3. Definitions.

     When used in this chapter, the following words are construed as follows:

     (1) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of postsecondary education appointed

pursuant to the provisions of § 16-59-6.

     (2) "Director" means the director of the department of health holding office pursuant to the

provisions of §§ 42-6-9 and 42-6-10.

     (3) "Primary care" means healthcare services that cover a range of prevention, wellness

and treatment for common illnesses and injuries. Primary care includes patients making an initial

approach to a healthcare professional for treatment as well as long-term relationships established

between a patient and a healthcare professional and may include family medicine or medical care,

general internal medicine or medical care, and general medical practice.

     (4) "Scholarship program" means the medical primary care scholarship program

established pursuant to § 23-1.12-2.

     23-1.12-4. Powers.

     The director, in consultation with the commissioner, is authorized and empowered:

     (1) To adopt rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this chapter if necessary;

     (2) To adopt selection criteria, consistent with the provisions of this chapter to include, but

not be limited to:

     (i) Identification of exemplary scholars seeking to serve as a medical professional;

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     (ii) Identification of scholars demonstrating a strong desire to establish and work in the

primary care healthcare area;

     (iii) Identification of scholars who have a demonstrated connection to or desire to establish

a long-term professional commitment to serving as a primary care provider in the State of Rhode

Island; and

     (iv) Identification of scholars to match the diversity of Rhode Island's population;

     (3) To establish, if the director deems it advisable, a nonprofit organization registered with

the secretary of state, as the entity to administer and operate all administrative program services to

be operated under the direct supervision of the director;

     (4) To leverage loan repayment infrastructure to establish an application procedure for

scholarship consideration and awarding of scholarships;

     (5) To supervise the disbursement of the scholarship fund; and

     (6) To perform all other acts necessary to carry out the intent, purpose and provisions of

this chapter.

     23-1.12-5. Eligibility for medical school scholarship.

     To be eligible for medical school scholarship consideration, an applicant shall:

     (1) Complete the application procedure established by the director;

     (2) Be graduating or having graduated from an accredited college or university;

     (3) Have an established record of excellent academic standing;

     (4) Have been accepted for admission in a medical school in the United States;

     (5) Comply with all requirements and conditions of the scholarship program and the

provisions of this chapter.

     23-1.12-6. Eligibility for nurse practitioner or physician assistant scholarship.

     To be eligible for a scholarship for attendance at a nurse practitioner or physician assistant

     educational training institution or program, an applicant shall:

     (1) Complete the application procedure established by the director;

     (2) Have completed all educational requirements for admission to the nurse practitioner or

physician assistant educational training program;

     (3) Have an established record of excellent academic standing;

     (4) Have been accepted for admission in a degree or educational training program located

in the United States for nurse practitioners or physician assistants; and

     (5) Comply with all requirements and conditions of the program established pursuant to

the provisions of this chapter.

     23-1.12-7. Award of scholarship - Conditions.

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     (a) At any time that sufficient funds become available, the director may award up to five

(5) new medical school scholarships per academic year, five (5) new nurse practitioner scholarships

per academic year, and five (5) new physician assistant scholarships per academic year.

     (b) Any medical school scholarship awarded shall continue for a period of four (4) years

and any nurse practitioner or physician assistant scholarship shall continue for a period of two (2)

years; provided the recipient maintains good academic standing and continues to comply with all

rules, regulations and conditions of the scholarship program.

     (c) The maximum award for a recipient of the medical school scholarship shall be seventy

thousand dollars ($70,000) per academic year.

     (d) The maximum award for a recipient of the nurse practitioner or the physician assistant

scholarship shall be forty seven thousand dollars ($47,000) per academic year.

     (e) All recipients for scholarship funds shall execute a contract agreeing to work in Rhode

Island providing primary care healthcare services upon completion of their respective education,

licensing and any applicable internship. In addition to the contract, each recipient shall sign a

promissory note for all funds received from the scholarship program. The contract and promissory

note shall be prepared by the commissioner in consultation with the attorney general.

     (f) Every contract shall be negotiated and approved pursuant to the provisions of § 42-11-

11.

     23-1.12-8. Contract and promissory note.

     (a) Every recipient of scholarship funds pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall

execute a contract negotiated and approved pursuant to § 42-11-11, and a promissory note prior to

the receipt of any funds.

     (b) The contract shall require the recipient to:

     (1) Attend full-time the specified academic institution or educational program which shall

qualify the recipient to provide primary care healthcare services;

     (2) Maintain academic good standing;

     (3) Graduate on time for a full-time student attending the academic institution or program;

and

     (4) Agree upon graduation and licensing to provide two (2) years of full-time work or part-

time work, defined as twenty-four (24) hours per week. Part-time work commitment would be

prorated to the number of years required to fulfill the work obligation, providing primary care health

services in Rhode Island for each year a scholarship award was received.

     (c) The contract shall provide that for every two (2) year period that the scholarship

recipient following graduation, works full-time in Rhode Island providing primary care healthcare

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services, then the amount of the scholarship award received by the recipient for one academic year

shall be forgiven and cancelled. If the recipient has received the maximum scholarship award over

four (4) academic years then upon eight (8) years of working full-time, or the prorated equivalent

for part time work, in Rhode Island providing primary care healthcare services then all scholarship

funds received shall be forgiven and the promissory note cancelled.

     23-1.12-9. Repayment of funds.

     (a) Any recipient of scholarship funds who fails to comply with the rules or regulations

promulgated pursuant to § 23-1.12-3, the provisions of this chapter or the terms of the contract for

receipt of funds shall immediately pay and return all funds received to the director.

     (b) All scholarship funds shall be repaid to the director if:

     (1) The student fails to complete the educational program;

     (2) The student fails to comply with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section; or

     (3) The student fails to work full-time or part-time providing primary care healthcare

services in the Rhode Island for any of the required contract period of time following graduation

and licensing.

     (c) Partial scholarship funds shall be repaid to the director should the recipient partially

fulfill the contract obligation but fails to work two (2) years providing full-time or part-time

prorated equivalent primary care healthcare service in Rhode Island for every year scholarship

funds were received. The reimbursement shall be pro-rated for qualified time working applied to

the gross amount received by the recipient.

     (d) Interest shall accrue on all funds owed by the recipient pursuant to the provisions of §

9-21-10.

     (e) The attorney general is authorized and empowered to bring proceedings to recover all

amounts due under the provisions of this section.

     (f) All sums recovered pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be redeposited in the

restricted receipt account to implement the scholarship program.

     23-1.12-10. Appropriations.

     (a) For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, there is hereby appropriated, a transfer of

the sum of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) from the Wavemaker Program established in

chapter 64.26 of title 42, and out of money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of

five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for a total of one million dollars ($1,000,000) per year

deposited into a restricted receipt account to implement the scholarship program established in §

23-1.12-2; and the state controller is hereby authorized and directed to draw to the controller's

orders upon the general treasurer for payment of said sum, or so much thereof as may be from time

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to time required, upon the receipt by the general treasurer of properly authenticated vouchers

submitted by the commissioner on an annual basis over a minimum period of four (4) years. A

portion of the funding may be used for one full-time employee to administer the scholarship

program.

     (b) For fiscal year 2026-2027, and each fiscal year thereafter, the general assembly shall

annually appropriate a sum as it may deem necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter, and

the state controller is hereby authorized and directed to draw the controller's orders upon the general

treasurer for the payment of the sum or sums or so much thereof as may be required from time to

time to be deposited in a restricted receipt account upon receipt by the general treasurer of properly

authenticated vouchers submitted by the commissioner.

     23-1.12-11. Audits.

     (a) The commissioner shall submit annually all financial records and receipts of

disbursements to the auditor general and the director of administration.

     (b) The auditor general and the director of administration are authorized to review and audit

all records, receipts, disbursements and transactions concerning the scholarship program and the

funds associated with the scholarship program.

     23-1.12-12. Reports.

     The commissioner shall report annually to the general assembly and the governor no later

than December 31 of each year on the status and progress of the scholarship program established

and administered pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.

     23-1.12-13. Severability.

     If any provision of this chapter or any rule or regulation promulgated pursuant to the

provisions of this chapter, or its application to any person or circumstance, is held invalid by a court

of competent jurisdiction, the remainder of the chapter, rule or regulation and the application of the

provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected by its invalidity. The invalidity of

any section or sections or portion of any section or sections of this chapter shall not affect the

validity of the remainder of this chapter.

     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- THE MEDICAL PRIMARY CARE

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

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     This act would establish the medical primary care scholarship program to be administered

by the commissioner of postsecondary education. This act would appropriate one million dollars

($1,000,000) for fiscal year 2025-2026 which would be utilized to provide scholarships for four (4)

years for doctors, and for two (2) years for physician assistants and nurse practitioners to provide

primary care services in Rhode Island. For every year a medical practitioner received a scholarship

the recipient would be required to provide two (2) years of work in the field of primary care in the

state upon graduation.

     This act would take effect on July 1, 2025.

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