S 1003: Establishes a school-based mental health loan repayment program to aid youth mental health practitioners; provides for awards up to thirty thousand dollars to eligible applicants who agree to four years of service in underserved schools.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1003 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. BROUK -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to creating the school- based mental health loan repayment program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature acknowledges that 2 there is a mental health crisis among our youth, especially in our most 3 vulnerable communities. The legislature also acknowledges that there is 4 a shortage of mental health professionals working in schools across the 5 state. In order to combat the youth mental health crisis, the legisla- 6 ture acknowledges the benefits of a loan repayment program for the 7 professionals working in the most underserved schools. 8 § 2. Section 605 of the education law is amended by adding a new 9 subdivision 13 to read as follows: 10 13. New York state school-based mental health loan repayment program. 11 a. Purpose. The president shall grant loan repayment awards for the 12 purpose of increasing the number of youth mental health professionals 13 employed in underserved schools across New York state. Such awards shall 14 be made on a competitive basis to applicants who have graduated from an 15 institution of higher education approved or registered by the regents. 16 b. Eligibility. (1) To be eligible to receive an award pursuant to 17 this subdivision, an applicant must be a resident of New York state who 18 has graduated from an institution of higher education and has an 19 outstanding student loan debt. 20 (2) For purposes of this subdivision, a youth mental health profes- 21 sional can be a certified or licensed school psychologist, school coun- 22 selor, or social worker. 23 (3) Underserved schools shall be schools with student to mental health 24 professional ratios below the recommended levels promulgated by the EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02214-01-5 
 S. 1003 2 1 president in conjunction with the commissioner for purposes of this 2 subdivision. 3 (4) Such award shall be made annually to eligible applicants who, 4 prior to accepting such award, are committed to at least four years of 5 service as a youth mental health professional in an underserved school, 6 and such award shall not exceed thirty thousand dollars per year and 7 shall be made to applicants pursuant to the following schedule: 8 (i) thirty percent of the total award for the first year; 9 (ii) thirty percent for the second year; and 10 (iii) any unpaid balance of the total award not to exceed the maximum 11 award amount for the third year. 12 (5) Recipients of such awards shall be eligible to apply for other 13 awards established under this chapter. 14 c. Duration. Such award shall be made annually, for no more than four 15 years, to applicants who remain eligible under this subdivision and who 16 are certified as such by the corporation. 17 d. Amount. The corporation shall grant such awards within the amount 18 appropriated for such purpose and based on availability of funds in an 19 amount not to exceed the total cost of the completion of such degree 20 programs. Cost of completion of such degrees shall include tuition at an 21 institution of higher education approved or registered by the regents 22 and other required or reasonable student fees. 23 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.