AB40: Bill Text

AB40,561,20 (4) A procedure for handling and resolving complaints.

AB40,561,24 37.44 License plate scholarship program. (1) The board shall establish a scholarship program funded by the fees collected under s. 341.14 (6r) (b) 4. for the university. The scholarships shall be awarded by the chancellor according to criteria developed by the chancellor.

AB40,562,6 37.48 Alcohol and other drug abuse prevention and intervention programs. The board shall appoint alcohol and other drug abuse prevention and intervention program counselors for the university. The counselors shall develop alcohol and other drug abuse prevention and intervention programs and train faculty, academic staff, and classified staff in the prevention of and early intervention in alcohol and other drug abuse.

AB40,562,9 37.51 Nutritional improvement for elderly. (1) In this section, "authorized elderly person" means any resident of this state who is 60 years of age or older, and the spouse of any such person.

AB40,562,13 (2) The board may establish a system to provide the opportunity for authorized elderly persons to participate in its meal program. If the board establishes such a service, it shall develop a plan and annually notify the department of public instruction of the plan.

AB40,562,17 (3) The plan shall provide at least one meal per day for each day that school is in regular session. The board may provide additional service at other times in its discretion, if the number of eligible persons in the area is of sufficient size, in the opinion of the board, so that unwarranted production expense is not incurred.

AB40,562,22 (4) If the board operates a food services plan for elderly persons under this section, it shall make facilities available for service to elderly persons at every facility that provides hot food service to its students unless there is reason not to do so due to concerns regarding safety, convenience, or insufficient interest in a given neighborhood.

AB40,563,3 (5) Meals may be served at schools where they are served to students or at any site more convenient to the majority of authorized elderly persons interested in the service. Food may be transported to authorized elderly persons who are unable to leave their homes or distributed to nonprofit organizations for such purposes. However, no state funds under this section may be used for food delivery to individual homes.

AB40,563,10 (6) The board may file a claim with the department of public instruction for reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred, excluding capital equipment costs, but not to exceed 15 percent of the cost of the meal or 50 cents per meal, whichever is less. Any cost in excess of the lesser amount may be charged to participants. If the department of public instruction approves the claim, it shall certify that payment is due and the secretary of administration shall pay the claim from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (cn).

AB40,563,17 (7) All meals served must meet the approval of the board, which shall establish minimum nutritional standards and reasonable expenditure limits consistent with the standards and limits established by the state superintendent of public instruction under s. 115.345 (6). The board shall give special consideration to the dietary problems of elderly persons in formulating a nutritional plan. However, the board is not required to provide special foods for individual persons with allergies or medical disorders.

AB40,563,22 (8) Participants in a program under this section may be required to document their Wisconsin residency in a manner approved by the board. The board may issue identification cards to such persons if necessary. The board may admit nonresidents who would otherwise qualify into its program, but no state funds under this section may be used to subsidize any portion of the meals served to such persons.

AB40,563,24 (9) The board shall adopt reasonable policies necessary to implement this section.

AB40,564,3 37.53 Tuition gift certificates. The board may establish a gift certificate program for the payment of nonresident tuition and academic fees. The program shall include all of the following components:

AB40,564,6 (1) The individual named in a gift certificate may use the gift certificate to pay all or a portion of his or her nonresident tuition or academic fees, or for a study-abroad program, at the university.

AB40,564,8 (2) A gift certificate is not transferable, except to a parent, child, spouse, or sibling of the named individual in sub. (1).

AB40,564,9 (3) A gift certificate does not expire.

AB40,564,10 37.60 Physician loan assistance program. (1) Definitions. In this section:

AB40,564,11 (ac) "Clinic hours" means hours spent working with patients in a clinic.

AB40,564,12 (d) "Rural area" has the meaning given in s. 37.63 (1) (c).

AB40,564,16 (2) Eligibility. (a) 1. Except as provided in subd. 2., the board may repay, on behalf of a physician, up to $50,000 in educational loans obtained by the physician from a public or private lending institution for education in an accredited school of medicine or for postgraduate medical training.

AB40,564,20 (b) A physician who is a participant in the national health service corps scholarship program under 42 USC 254n, or a physician who was a participant in that program and who failed to carry out his or her obligations under that program, is not eligible for loan repayment under this section.

AB40,564,24 (3) Agreement. (b) The agreement shall specify that the responsibility of the board to make the payments under the agreement is subject to the availability of funds in the appropriations under s. 20.280 (1) (ks) and (qj) or collected as contributions under sub. (6) or as penalties under sub. (6m) (b).

AB40,565,2 (4) Loan repayment. Except as provided in sub. (4m), principal and interest due on loans, exclusive of any penalties, may be repaid by the board at the following rate:

AB40,565,4 (a) Up to 40 percent of the principal of the loan or $20,000, whichever is less, during the first year of participation in the program under this section.

AB40,565,7 (b) Up to an additional 40 percent of the principal of the loan or $20,000, whichever is less, during the 2nd year of participation in the program under this section.

AB40,565,10 (c) Up to an additional 20 percent of the principal of the loan or $10,000, whichever is less, during the 3rd year of participation in the program under this section.

AB40,565,14 (5) Availability of funds; right of action against state. (a) The obligation of the board to make payments under an agreement entered into under sub. (3) (b) is subject to the availability of funds in the appropriations under s. 20.280 (1) (ks) and (qj) or collected as contributions under sub. (6) or as penalties under sub. (6m) (b).

AB40,565,20 (b) If the cost of repaying the loans of all eligible applicants, when added to the cost of loan repayments scheduled under existing agreements, exceeds the total amount in the appropriations under s. 20.280 (1) (ks) and (qj) or collected as contributions under sub. (6) or as penalties under sub. (6m) (b), the board shall establish priorities among the eligible applicants based upon the following considerations:

AB40,565,23 1. The degree to which there is an extremely high need for medical care in the eligible practice area, health professional shortage area, or rural area in which a physician desires to practice.

AB40,566,3 2. The likelihood that a physician will remain in the eligible practice area, health professional shortage area, or rural area in which he or she desires to practice after the loan repayment period.

AB40,566,5 3. The per capita income of the eligible practice area, health professional shortage area, or rural area in which a physician desires to practice.

AB40,566,9 4. The financial or other support for physician recruitment and retention provided by individuals, organizations, or local governments in the eligible practice area, health professional shortage area, or rural area in which a physician desires to practice.

AB40,566,13 5. The geographic distribution of the physicians who have entered into loan repayment agreements under this section and the geographic distribution of the eligible practice areas, health professional shortage areas, and rural areas in which the eligible applicants desire to practice.

AB40,566,14 6. Other considerations that the board may specify.

AB40,566,17 (d) An agreement under sub. (3) does not create a right of action against the state, university, or other instrumentalities of the state on the part of the physician or lending institution for failure to make the payments specified in the agreement.

AB40,566,19 (6) Local participation. The board shall encourage contributions to the program under this section by counties, cities, villages, and towns.

AB40,566,22 (6m) Penalties. (a) The board shall establish requirements for penalties to be assessed by the board against physicians who breach agreements entered into under sub. (3). The requirements shall do all of the following:

AB40,566,23 1. Specify what actions constitute a breach of the agreement.

AB40,566,24 2. Provide specific penalty amounts for specific breaches.

AB40,567,2 3. Provide exceptions for certain actions, including breaches resulting from death or disability.

AB40,567,4 (b) The board shall use any penalties assessed and collected under this subsection for the program under this section.

AB40,567,5 (8) Administration. The board shall do all of the following:

AB40,567,7 (b) Identify eligible practice areas and rural areas with an extremely high need for medical care.

AB40,567,9 (d) Publicize the program under this section to physicians and eligible communities.

AB40,567,11 (e) Assist physicians who are interested in applying for the program under this section.

AB40,567,13 (f) Assist communities in obtaining physicians' services through the program under this section.

AB40,567,14 (g) Make recommendations to the governor on all of the following:

AB40,567,16 1. Ways to improve the delivery of health care to persons living in rural areas of the state that constitute shortage areas.

AB40,567,18 2. Ways to help communities evaluate and utilize the linkage between rural health facilities and economic development.

AB40,567,20 3. Coordination of state and federal programs available to assist rural health care service delivery.

AB40,567,22 4. Strengthening coordination and maintenance of rural services and the delivery system.

AB40,567,24 5. Development of mechanisms to reduce shortages of health care providers in rural areas.

AB40,568,3 (h) Notwithstanding subs. (3) (b) and (5) (a) and (b), ensure that moneys appropriated under s. 20.280 (1) (qj) are used under this section only to repay loans on behalf of physicians who agree to practice in a rural area.

AB40,568,9 (9) Expanded loan assistance program. The board may agree to repay loans as provided under this section on behalf of a physician under an expanded physician loan assistance program that is funded through federal funds in addition to state matching funds. To be eligible for loan repayment under the expanded physician loan assistance program, a physician must fulfill all of the requirements for loan repayment under this section, as well as all of the following:

AB40,568,10 (a) The physician must be a U.S. citizen.

AB40,568,12 (b) The physician may not have a judgment lien against his or her property for a debt to the United States.

AB40,568,13 (c) The physician must agree to do all of the following:

AB40,568,15 1. Accept medicare assignment as payment in full for services or articles provided.

AB40,568,18 2. Use a sliding fee scale or a comparable method of determining payment arrangements for patients who are not eligible for medicare or medical assistance and who are unable to pay the customary fee for the physician's services.

AB40,568,20 3. Practice at a public or private nonprofit entity in a health professional shortage area.

AB40,568,22 37.61 Health care provider loan assistance program. (1) Definitions. In this section:

AB40,568,23 (ac) "Clinic hours" has the meaning given in s. 37.60 (1) (ac).

AB40,568,24 (ad) "Council" means the rural health development council.

AB40,568,25 (e) "Rural area" has the meaning given in s. 37.63 (1) (c).

AB40,569,4 (2) Eligibility. The board may repay, on behalf of a health care provider, up to $25,000 in educational loans obtained by the health care provider from a public or private lending institution for education related to the health care provider's field of practice, as determined by the board with the advice of the council.

AB40,569,10 (3) Agreement. (a) The board shall enter into a written agreement with the health care provider. In the agreement, the health care provider shall agree to practice at least 32 clinic hours per week for 3 years in one or more eligible practice areas in this state or in a rural area, except that a health care provider in the expanded loan assistance program under sub. (8) may only agree to practice at a public or private nonprofit entity in a health professional shortage area.

AB40,569,14 (b) The agreement shall specify that the responsibility of the board to make the payments under the agreement is subject to the availability of funds in the appropriations under s. 20.280 (1) (ks) and (qj) or collected as contributions under sub. (6) or as penalties under sub. (6m) (b).

AB40,569,16 (4) Loan repayment. Principal and interest due on loans, exclusive of any penalties, may be repaid by the board at the following rate:

AB40,569,18 (a) Up to 40 percent of the principal of the loan or $10,000, whichever is less, during the first year of participation in the program under this section.

AB40,569,21 (b) Up to an additional 40 percent of the principal of the loan or $10,000, whichever is less, during the 2nd year of participation in the program under this section.

AB40,569,24 (c) Up to an additional 20 percent of the principal of the loan or $5,000, whichever is less, during the 3rd year of participation in the program under this section.

AB40,570,4 (5) Availability of funds; right of action against state. (a) The obligation of the board to make payments under an agreement entered into under sub. (3) is subject to the availability of funds in the appropriations under s. 20.280 (1) (ks) and (qj) or collected as contributions under sub. (6) or as penalties under sub. (6m) (b).

AB40,570,10 (b) If the cost of repaying the loans of all eligible applicants, when added to the cost of loan repayments scheduled under existing agreements, exceeds the total amount in the appropriations under s. 20.280 (1) (ks) and (qj) or collected as contributions under sub. (6) or as penalties under sub. (6m) (b), the board shall establish priorities among the eligible applicants based upon the following considerations:

AB40,570,13 1. The degree to which there is an extremely high need for medical care in the eligible practice area, health professional shortage area, or rural area in which an eligible applicant desires to practice.

AB40,570,16 2. The likelihood that an eligible applicant will remain in the eligible practice area, health professional shortage area, or rural area in which he or she desires to practice after the loan repayment period.

AB40,570,18 3. The per capita income of the eligible practice area, health professional shortage area, or rural area in which an eligible applicant desires to practice.

AB40,570,22 4. The financial or other support for health care provider recruitment and retention provided by individuals, organizations, or local governments in the eligible practice area, health professional shortage area, or rural area in which an eligible applicant desires to practice.

AB40,571,2 5. The geographic distribution of the health care providers who have entered into loan repayment agreements under this section and the geographic location of the eligible practice area, health professional shortage area, or rural area in which an eligible applicant desires to practice.

AB40,571,3 6. Other considerations that the board may specify.

AB40,571,7 (c) An agreement under sub. (3) does not create a right of action against the state, the university, or other instrumentalities of the state on the part of the health care provider or the lending institution for failure to make the payments specified in the agreement.

AB40,571,9 (6) Local participation. The board shall encourage contributions to the program under this section by counties, cities, villages, and towns.

AB40,571,12 (6m) Penalties. (a) The board shall establish requirements for penalties to be assessed by the board against health care providers who breach an agreement entered into under sub. (3) (a). The requirements shall do all of the following:

AB40,571,13 1. Specify what actions constitute a breach of the agreement.

AB40,571,14 2. Provide specific penalty amounts for specific breaches.

AB40,571,16 3. Provide exceptions for certain actions, including breaches resulting from death or disability.

AB40,571,18 (b) The board shall use any penalties assessed and collected under this subsection for the program under this section.

AB40,571,19 (7) Administration. The board shall do all of the following: