S 8290: Relates to establishing an early intervention loan repayment program; provides funding is to be awarded regionally with 50% percent awarded to providers with a principal residence within NYC and the remaining fifty percent awarded to providers outside of NYC; provides that awards shall be given to providers who work in underserved areas for 3 consecutive years; provides loans shall be paid over a 3 year period; provides that a working group shall be established within 90 days to develop plans for the streamlined loan repayment program application process.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8290 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE May 30, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. C. RYAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Disabilities AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing an early intervention loan repayment program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2 2559-c to read as follows: 3 § 2559-c. Early intervention loan repayment program. 1. There is 4 hereby established within the department an early intervention loan 5 repayment program. 6 2. (a) Within sixty days of the effective date of this section, the 7 department shall develop a fund and make monies available, subject to 8 appropriations, for purposes of loan repayment awards for early inter- 9 vention providers as defined by the department, in accordance with the 10 provisions of this section. Such funding shall be awarded regionally 11 with fifty percent of the funds made available to providers with a prin- 12 cipal residence within the city of New York and the remaining fifty 13 percent made available to providers with a principal residence outside 14 the city of New York. Such funds shall be distributed in a manner to be 15 determined by the commissioner without a competitive bid or request for 16 proposals. 17 (b) Loan repayment awards under this section shall be awarded to repay 18 student loans for early intervention providers who work in areas deter- 19 mined to be underserved and who agree to serve families, in-person, in 20 underserved areas for a period of three consecutive years. "Underserved 21 areas" shall be located in New York state and shall include, but not be 22 limited to medically underserved populations, medically underserved 23 areas, health care provider shortage areas, and other areas and popu- 24 lations where there is a shortage of early intervention providers as 25 determined by the commissioner. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD05177-01-5 
 S. 8290 2 1 (c) Loan repayment awards made under this section shall not exceed the 2 total qualifying outstanding student loan debt amount of the early 3 intervention provider. Qualifying student loans under this section shall 4 include loans for tuition and other related education expenses, made by 5 or guaranteed by the federal or state government, or made by a lending 6 or educational institution approved under title IV of the federal higher 7 education act. Loan repayment awards shall only be used to repay such 8 outstanding debt. 9 (d) Early intervention providers shall be eligible for loan repayment 10 awards to be determined by the commissioner, over a three-year period 11 and distributed as follows: thirty percent of the total award for the 12 first year, thirty percent for the second year, and any unpaid balance 13 of the total awards not to exceed the maximum award amount for the third 14 year. 15 (e) In the event the three-year commitment as provided by paragraph 16 (b) of this subdivision is not fulfilled, the recipient shall be respon- 17 sible for repayment of amounts paid by the department, which shall be 18 calculated in accordance with a formula set forth in subdivision (b) of 19 section two-hundred fifty-four-o of title forty-two of the United States 20 code, as amended, or any regulations made thereunder. 21 3. The commissioner may postpone, change or waive the service obli- 22 gation and repayment amounts set forth in paragraphs (b) and (e) of 23 subdivision two of this section in individual circumstances where there 24 is compelling need or hardship. 25 4. Within ninety days following the effective date of this section, 26 the department shall establish a working group consisting of members 27 appointed from professional organizations representing early inter- 28 vention providers ("the working group"). The working group, no later 29 than September thirtieth, two thousand twenty-seven shall make recommen- 30 dations, to the department, on the development and implementation of a 31 streamlined application process for the early intervention loan repay- 32 ment program set forth under this section. 33 5. In the event there are undistributed funds available following the 34 three-year distribution period as provided under subdivision two of this 35 section, such funds shall be reallocated and distributed in current or 36 subsequent distribution periods in a manner determined by the commis- 37 sioner for the purpose set forth under this section. 38 § 2. This act shall take effect April 1, 2026.