560.17(1)(a)
(a) "Board" means the rural economic development board.
560.17(1)(c)
(c) "Professional services" includes all of the following:
560.17(1)(c)1.
1. Preparation of preliminary feasibility studies, feasibility studies or business and financial plans.
560.17(1)(c)3.
3. Engineering studies, appraisals or marketing assistance.
560.17(1)(d)
(d) "Rural municipality" means any of the following:
560.17(1)(d)1.
1. A city, town or village that is located in a county with a population density of less than 150 persons per square mile.
560.17(1)(d)2.
2. A city, town or village with a population of 4,000 or less.
560.17(2)(a)(a) At the request of the board, the department shall make a grant or loan to a business to which the board has awarded a grant or loan under this section.
560.17(3)
(3) The board may award a grant or loan under this subsection to a business if all of the following apply:
560.17(3)(a)
(a) The amount of the grant or loan does not exceed $30,000.
560.17(3)(b)
(b) The business, together with any affiliate, subsidiary or parent entity, has fewer than 25 employes.
560.17(3)(c)
(c) The business is located in a rural municipality.
560.17(3)(d)
(d) The business is starting or expanding its operations.
560.17(3)(e)
(e) The proceeds of the grant or loan will be used by the business as provided in
sub. (5).
560.17(4)
(4) Before awarding a grant or loan under
sub. (3), the board shall consider all of the following:
560.17(4)(a)
(a) The extent to which the start-up or expansion of the business will create new jobs.
560.17(4)(b)
(b) The economic condition of the rural municipality.
560.17(4)(c)
(c) The number of new jobs created by the business in relation to the amount of the grant or loan.
560.17(4)(d)
(d) The degree to which the new or expanded operations of the business will provide beneficial services to the rural municipality where it is located.
560.17(4)(e)
(e) Whether financing is available from other sources.
560.17(4)(f)
(f) Whether the business would be able to start or expand its operations without a grant or loan.
560.17(5)
(5) A business shall use the proceeds of a grant or loan under
sub. (3) to pay for any of the following:
560.17(5)(a)
(a) Professional services related to starting or expanding the business.
560.17(5)(b)
(b) Management assistance continuing after the start-up or expansion.
560.17(5m)(a)(a) Subject to
par. (c), the board may award a loan under this subsection that does not exceed $25,000 to a business if all of the following apply:
560.17(5m)(a)1.
1. The business, together with any affiliate, subsidiary or parent entity, has fewer than 25 employes.
560.17(5m)(a)4.
4. The business received a grant or loan under
sub. (3) and with the proceeds successfully demonstrated its feasibility.
560.17(5m)(a)5.
5. Financing is unavailable from any other source on reasonably equivalent terms.
560.17(5m)(b)
(b) A business shall use the proceeds of a loan under this subsection for any of the following:
560.17(5m)(bm)
(bm) If a business receives a loan under this subsection for the purpose specified in
par. (b) 3., the department shall ensure that an employe of the business has the option of accepting or declining any relocation assistance that is available as a result of the loan.
560.17(5m)(c)
(c) In any fiscal biennium, the board may not award more than 20% of the sum of the funds appropriated for the fiscal biennium under
s. 20.143 (1) (er) and
(ir) for loans under this subsection.
560.17(6)
(6) Before awarding a loan under this section, the board shall do all of the following:
560.17(6)(a)
(a) Determine the terms for repayment of the principal amount of the loan.
560.17(6)(c)
(c) Establish all other terms and conditions of the loan after considering the circumstances of the particular business.
560.17(6m)
(6m) The board may require that in order to receive a grant or loan under this section a business contribute from a source other than the state a portion of the cost of the project for which the business is applying for a grant or loan. The contribution may be in cash or in kind. The board shall determine what services or materials may be used as in-kind contributions.
560.17(7)(a)(a) The department shall designate staff to evaluate applications for grants or loans and assist the board under this section. The board shall act on an application for a grant or loan at its next regularly scheduled meeting after the department determines that the application is complete.
560.17(7)(b)
(b) The board or department shall deposit all interest or principal payments received for loans made under this section in the appropriation under
s. 20.143 (1) (ir).
560.17(7)(d)
(d) The department or board may not limit the time period during which applications for grants and loans under this section may be accepted.
560.183
560.183
Physician loan assistance program. 560.183(1)(ag)
(ag) "Eligible practice area" means a primary care shortage area, an obstetric shortage area, a psychiatric shortage area, a state or federal prison, an area health education center program established under
42 USC 295g-1, an American Indian reservation or trust lands of an American Indian tribe.
560.183(1)(ar)
(ar) "Obstetric shortage area" means a shortage area established under
sub. (7), in which there is a chronic unmet need for obstetric services, and in which there are sufficient resident or occurrence births per year, and sufficient medical personnel to provide backup services, to support an additional obstetric services provider.
560.183(1)(c)
(c) "Primary care" means family medical practice, general internal medicine and pediatrics.
560.183(1)(cm)
(cm) "Primary care shortage area" means a shortage area established under
sub. (7), in which the ratio of the population to the number of physicians who provide primary care is more than 2,500 to one, or an area that is in a primary care health professional shortage area as determined by the federal department of health and human services under
42 CFR part 5, appendix A.
560.183(1)(d)
(d) "Psychiatric shortage area" means an area that is designated by the federal department of health and human services under
42 CFR part 5, appendix C, as having a shortage of psychiatric manpower.
560.183(2)(a)(a) The department 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.
560.183(2)(b)
(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.
560.183(3)(a)(a) The department shall enter into a written agreement with the physician. In the agreement, the physician shall agree to practice in this state primarily in an eligible practice area except that a physician specializing in obstetrics may only agree to practice obstetrics in an obstetric shortage area and a physician specializing in psychiatry may only agree to practice psychiatry in a psychiatric shortage area. The physician shall also agree to care for patients who are insured or for whom health benefits are payable under medicare, medical assistance or any other governmental program.
560.183(3)(b)
(b) The agreement shall specify that the responsibility of the department to make the payments under the agreement is subject to the availability of funds in the appropriations under
s. 20.143 (1) (fe) and
(jm).
560.183(4)
(4) Loan repayment. Principal and interest due on loans, exclusive of any penalties, may be repaid by the department at the following rate:
560.183(4)(a)
(a) Ten percent of the principal of the loan or $5,000, whichever is less, during the first year of practice.
560.183(4)(b)
(b) An additional 12.5% of the principal of the loan or $6,250, whichever is less, during the 2nd year of practice.
560.183(4)(c)
(c) An additional 15% of the principal of the loan or $7,500, whichever is less, during the 3rd year of practice.
560.183(4)(d)
(d) An additional 20% of the principal of the loan or $10,000, whichever is less, during the 4th year of practice.
560.183(4)(e)
(e) An additional 42.5% of the principal of the loan or $21,250, whichever is less, during the 5th year of practice.
560.183(5)
(5) Availability of funds; right of action against state. 560.183(5)(a)(a) The obligation of the department to make payments under an agreement entered into under
sub. (3) (b) is subject to the availability of funds in the appropriations under
s. 20.143 (1) (fe) and
(jm).
560.183(5)(b)
(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. 20.143 (1) (fe) and
(jm), the department shall establish priorities among the eligible applicants based upon the following considerations:
560.183(5)(b)1.
1. The degree to which there is an extremely high need for medical care in the eligible practice area in which the physician desires to practice.
560.183(5)(b)2.
2. The likelihood that a physician will remain in the eligible practice area in which he or she desires to practice after the loan repayment period.
560.183(5)(b)3.
3. The per capita income of the eligible practice area in which a physician desires to practice.
560.183(5)(b)4.
4. The financial or other support for physician recruitment and retention provided by individuals, organizations, or local governments in the eligible practice area in which a physician desires to practice.
560.183(5)(b)5.
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 in which the eligible applicants desire to practice.
560.183(5)(b)6.
6. Other considerations that the department may specify by rule.
560.183(5)(d)
(d) An agreement under
sub. (3) does not create a right of action against the state on the part of the physician or the lending institution for failure to make the payments specified in the agreement.
560.183(6)
(6) Local participation. The department shall encourage contributions to the program under this section by counties, cities, villages and towns. Funds received under this subsection shall be deposited in the appropriation under
s. 20.143 (1) (jm).
560.183(7)
(7) Shortage areas. With the advice of the council, the department shall establish primary care shortage areas under
sub. (1) (cm) and obstetric shortage areas under
sub. (1) (ar).
560.183(8)
(8) Administrative contract. From the appropriation under
s. 20.143 (1) (fd), the department shall contract with the board of regents of the University of Wisconsin System for administrative services from the office of rural health of the department of professional and community development of the University of Wisconsin Medical School. Under the contract, the office of rural health shall do all of the following:
560.183(8)(a)
(a) Provide recommendations to the department and council regarding the establishment of shortage areas under
sub. (7).
560.183(8)(b)
(b) Advise the department and council on the identification of eligible practice areas with an extremely high need for medical care.
560.183(8)(d)
(d) Assist the department to publicize the program under this section to physicians and eligible communities.
