HB228 Summary

• Creates the Alabama Loan-Repayment Program for Advanced-Practice Nursing, administered by the Alabama Board of Nursing and funded by direct appropriation from the Education Trust Fund.

• Awards annual loans up to $15,000 (adjustable annually for tuition increases) to students pursuing graduate degrees as certified registered nurse practitioners (CRNP), certified nurse midwives (CNM), or certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA), for up to 3 years for master's degrees or 4 years for doctorates.

• Requires loan recipients to work 18 months per year of loan received in full-time practice within designated "areas of critical need" (primary care health professional shortage areas or federally qualified health centers with specific HPSA scores).

• Provides a $5,000 annual state income tax credit for participants working in critical need areas, usable for a maximum of 10 tax years total.

• Imposes penalties for default ranging from 20-100 percent of principal plus 8 percent interest (or prime lending rate if higher), and allows license revocation for non-payment; permits loan forgiveness for death, disability, or extreme hardship.