Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
Assemblywoman LUANNE M. PETERPAUL
District 11 (Monmouth)
Assemblyman REGINALD W. ATKINS
District 20 (Union)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Drulis
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Reproductive Health Care Professional Loan Redemption Program; appropriates $5 million.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing a loan redemption program for reproductive health care professionals, supplementing chapter 71C of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares:
a. The cost of becoming a physician has increased exponentially, with some health care professionals accruing more than $200,000 in student loans.
b. One-third of New Jerseys counties, home to more than a quarter of all New Jersey women, do not have an abortion provider.
c. Geographic proximity to reproductive health care services is imperative and a lack of nearby providers remains a key barrier to timely, quality care.
d. Since the Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, 21 states and counting have banned or severely restricted abortion access, leading New Jersey to become a vital resource for people seeking abortions.
e. Abortion providers have experienced an increase in out-of-State patients, many of whom come to New Jersey because abortion is illegal in their home state.
f. Establishing a loan redemption program for reproductive health care professionals will reduce the costs associated with becoming a health care professional and increase the number of providers available in the State who care for the increasing number of patients requiring reproductive health care services.
2. As used in this act:
Abortion means any medical treatment intended to induce the termination of a pregnancy and services rendered to facilitate the termination which may include follow up care, except for the purpose of producing a live birth. Abortion includes, but is not limited to, aspiration abortion and medication abortion.
Approved site means a site providing reproductive health care services, which shall be approved by the authority in consultation with the Department of Health. Approved sites may include, but are not limited to, sites operated by a nonprofit organization, hospitals, clinics, physicians offices, and other facilities providing reproductive health care services. An approved site shall include sites providing abortions.
Aspiration abortion means a procedure that terminates a pregnancy utilizing manual or electric suction to empty the uterus.
Authority means the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.
Eligible reproductive health care professional means a person who: is licensed, certified, or otherwise authorized to provide health care services pursuant to Title 45 of the Revised Statutes and is providing reproductive health care services in the State.
Executive director means the executive director of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.
Program means the Reproductive Health Care Professional Loan Redemption Program established pursuant to this act.
Program participant means an eligible reproductive health care professional who contracts with the authority to engage in the clinical practice of reproductive health care services at an approved site in exchange for the redemption of qualifying student loan amounts.
Qualifying student loan amounts means the cumulative outstanding balance of State, federal, or commercial student loans at the time an applicant is selected for the program, which an applicant has borrowed to pay for the cost of attendance for undergraduate or graduate education at an institution of higher education. Interest paid or due on qualifying student loan amounts shall be considered eligible for reimbursement under the program.
Reproductive health care services means and includes medical, surgical, counseling, or referral services relating to the human reproductive system including, but not limited to, services relating to pregnancy, contraception, or abortion.
Total and permanent disability means a physical or mental disability that is expected to continue indefinitely or result in death and renders a program participant unable to perform the program participants contractual obligation, as determined by the executive director or the executive directors designee.
3. There is established a Reproductive Health Care Professional Loan Redemption Program within the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. The program shall provide for the redemption of a portion of the qualifying student loan amounts of a program participant for each period of service at an approved site.
4. a. To be eligible to participate in the program, an applicant shall:
(1) be a resident of the State;
(2) be employed as an eligible reproductive health care professional at an approved site; and
(3) submit an application in a manner determined by the executive director.
b. The executive director, or the executive directors designee, shall select the program participants from among those applicants who meet the eligibility criteria, subject to available funds. The executive director shall give preference to applicants employed as an eligible reproductive health care professional in a county facing a shortage of reproductive health care professionals.
c. The program participant shall enter into a written contract with the authority to participate in the program. The contract shall specify the duration of the program participants required service and the total amount of qualifying student loan amounts to be redeemed by the State in return for service.
d. The redemption of loans under the program shall amount to 18 percent of the program participants qualifying student loan amounts in return for one full year of service at an approved site, an additional 26 percent for a second full year of service, an additional 28 percent for a third full year of service, and an additional 28 percent for a fourth full year of service. Total redemption of qualifying student loan amounts under the program shall not exceed $200,000.
e. The period of service shall commence on or after the date of enactment of this act.
f. No amount of qualifying student loan amounts shall be redeemed for services performed for less than a full year.
5. a. A program participant who has entered into a redemption contract with the authority may nullify that contract by submitting written notification to the authority and assuming full responsibility for repayment of the full amount of the program participants student loan amounts.
b. In the case of a program participants death or total and permanent disability, the authority shall nullify the service obligation of the program participant.
c. The authority may nullify or suspend a program participants service obligation if continued enforcement of the contract may result in extreme hardship.
6. A reproductive health care professional who is participating in the federal