1 ~__p?-
2 Chairman Phil Mendelson
3 at the request of the
4 State Board of Education
5
6 A BILL
7
8 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
9
10 To amend the District of Columbia Public School Nurse Assignment Act of 1987 to require the
11 assignment of nurses to each public and public charter school for a minimum of 40 hours
12 per week during each week school is open to students for instruction and to establish a
13 student loan repayment program for school nurses.
14
15 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
16 act may be cited as the "Universal Public School Nurses for Safer Students Amendment Act of
17 2024".
18 TITLE I. UNIVERSAL FULL-TIME PUBLIC SCHOOL NURSE REQUIREMENT.
19 Sec. 101. Short title.
20 This title may be cited as the "Universal Full-Time Public School Nurse Requirement
21 Amendment Act of 2024".
22 Sec. 102. Section 2 of the District of Columbia Public School Nurse Assignment Act of
23 1987, effective December 10, 1987 (D.C. Law 7-45; D.C. Official Code§ 38-621), is amended
24 as follows:
25 (a) Subsection (a) is amended to read as follows:
26 "(a)(l) Beginning August 1, 2028, a registered nurse shall be assigned to each public and
27 public charter school for a minimum of 40 hours per week during each week the school is open
28 to students for instruction.".
29 (2) All public and public charter schools shall provide nursing services as
30 required in paragraph (1) of this subsection even if they do not qualify or participate with the
31 formal Department of Health (“DC Health”) School Health Services Program (“Program”).”.
32 (3) In scheduling the 40 hours per week for each school nurse, the schedule should
33 endeavor to provide coverage during any before-or-after-school out-of-school-time programs.
34 (b) Subsection (b) is repealed.
35 (c) Subsection (c-1) is repealed.
36 TITLE II. SCHOOL NURSE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION LOAN
37 REPAYMENT PROGRAM.
38 Sec. 201. Short title.
39 This title may be cited as the “School Nurse Recruitment and Retention Loan Repayment
40 Program Establishment Act of 2024”.
41 Sec. 202. Definitions.
42 For the purposes of this chapter, the term:
43 (1) “Commercial loans” means loans made by banks, credit unions, savings and loan
44 associations, insurance companies, schools, and either financial or credit institutions that are
45 subject to examination and supervision in their capacity as lenders by an agency of the United
46 States or of the State or District in which the lender has its principal place of business.
47 (2) “Director” means Director of the Department of Health or his or her designee.
48 (3) “Reasonable educational expenses” means the costs of education, exclusive of tuition,
49 which is considered to be required by the school’s degree program or an eligible program of
50 study, such as fees for room, board, transportation and commuting costs, books, supplies,
51 educational equipment and materials, or clinical travel, which were part of the estimated student
52 budget of the school in which the participant was enrolled.
53 Sec. 203. Establishment of Program.
54 (a) There is hereby established the School Nurse Recruitment and Retention Loan
55 Repayment Program (“Program”) to serve as a recruitment and retention tool for school nurses
56 within District of Columbia public and public charter schools.
57 (b) The Program shall pay for the cost of undergraduate and graduate education necessary
58 to obtain a health professional degree. The Program may pay toward the outstanding principal,
59 interest, and related expenses of federal, state, or local government loans and commercial loans
60 obtained by the participant for:
61 (1) School tuition and required fees incurred by the participant; and
62 (2) Reasonable educational expenses.
63 Sec. 204. Eligibility requirements.
64 (a) Individuals eligible for the Program must:
65 (1) Be a registered nurse working at a DC Public School or a public charter
66 school;
67 (2) Be licensed or eligible to practice in the District of Columbia; and
68 (3) Submit a completed application to participate in the Program;
69 (b) Participants in the Program must submit the following to DC Health by July 31 of
70 each year:
71 (1) A form approved by DC Health where they confirm their continued eligibility
72 and intent to remain in the program; and
73 (2) Documentation demonstrating that the individual spent funds on eligible uses
74 under Section 203(b) between August 1 to July 31. Examples of eligible uses include:
75 (A) Student loan payments the individual had made over the course of the
76 year;
77 (B) A lump-sum payment to pay down principal owed on student loans
78 after receiving the funds on June 30.
79 Sec. 205. Administration of the Program.
80 (a) The Department of Health shall administer the Program and shall:
81 (1) Establish an application process;
82 (2) Create a form for individuals enrolled in the program to renew enrollment;
83 (3) Conduct regular surveys to ensure participant compliance with the Program;
84 (4) Disburse all awarded funds by June 30 of each year; and
85 (5) Administer any other functions necessary to the Program.
86 (b) Participants shall not be disenrolled from the Program unless they do not meet the
87 eligibility requirements of Section 204.
88 (c) By August 15 of each year, DC Health shall notify each approved Program participant
89 of the amount of funds they will receive on June 30 of the next calendar year.
90 (d) In determining disbursement amounts DC Health shall:
91 (1) Avoid reducing awards paid in the prior year, unless available funds for the
92 Program have been reduced in the annual appropriations process.
93 (2) Avoid approving new applications for the Program if it would necessitate a
94 reduction in awards to current Program participants.
95 Sec. 206. Release of information.
 96 (a) Any applicant to the Program shall agree to execute a release to allow the Department
97 access to loan records, credit information, and information from lenders necessary to verify
98 eligibility and to determine loan repayments. The applicant is required to submit all requested
99 loan documentation prior to approval by the Program.
100 (b) It is the responsibility of the participant to negotiate with each lending institution for
101 the terms and conditions of the educational loan repayments. Any penalties associated with early
102 repayment shall be the responsibility of the participant.
103 Sec. 207. Selection criteria.
104 (a) Applicants shall be reviewed and selected for participation in the Program based on
105 professional qualifications and relevant experience.
106 (b) Preferential consideration, in order of priority, shall be given to:
107 (1) Residents of the District of Columbia;
108 (2) Applicants’ years of service as a school nurse in DC; and
109 (3) Graduates of accredited District of Columbia health profession schools or
110 programs.
111 Sec. 208. Loan repayment.
112 (a) School nurses who are full-time participants in the Program shall be eligible to have
113 100% of their total debt, repaid by the Program over 20 years of service, in an amount not to
114 exceed $10,000 per year, or $200,000 in total.
115 (b) The Director is permitted to increase the dollar amount of the total loan repayment
116 annually to adjust for inflation. All disbursements shall be adjusted accordingly.
117 Sec. 209. Disbursement procedure.
118 The Department of Health shall disburse loan repayment funds, in annual lump sum
119 payments by June 30 of each year, to Program participants who served the entire year of school.
120 Sec. 210. Tax implications.
121 For purposes of the District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue, all loan repayment
122 awards shall not be considered income and are therefore not taxable, provided that they are used
123 for eligible expenses.
124 Sec. 211. Annual Reporting.
125 By October 1 of each year, DC Health shall provide the Council of the District of
126 Columbia and the State Board of Education with a report on the Program that includes the
127 following information:
128 (a) The number of Program participants who received funds by June 30;
129 (b) The amount of funds paid by the Program;
130 (c) The number of applications received for the Program;
131 (d) The number of applications approved by August 15; and
132 (e) The estimated amount of funds required next fiscal year to award all eligible
133 applicants the maximum $10,000 annual amount.
134 Sec. 212. Rulemaking.
135 The Mayor is authorized to promulgate rules necessary to implement this chapter.
136 TITLE III. APPLICABILITY; FISCAL IMPACT; EFFECTIVE DATE
137 Sec. 301. Applicability.
138 (a) Sections 102(a), (b), and (c) of this act shall apply upon the date of inclusion of their
139 fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan.
140 (b) The Chief Financial Officer shall certify the date of the inclusion of the fiscal effect in
141 an approved budget and financial plan, and provide notice to the Budget Director of the Council
142 of the certification.
143 (c)(1) The Budget Director shall cause the notice of the certification to be published in
144 the District of Columbia Register.
145 (2) The date of publication of the notice of the certification shall not affect the
146 applicability of this act.
147 Sec. 302. Fiscal impact statement.
148 The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal
149 impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975,
150 approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a).
151 Sec. 303. Effective date.
152 The act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the
153 Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as
154 provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December
155 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of
156 Columbia Register.