HB 45 Summary

• Amends the Alabama Board of Nursing's loan-repayment program for advanced-practice nurses to allow loans to currently certified nurses who immediately begin practicing in medically underserved areas.

• Expands eligibility to include currently approved Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners (CRNPs), Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs), and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), in addition to students pursuing graduate degrees in these specialties.

• Extends the five-year window for completed graduate degrees to include those who have completed degrees within the five years immediately preceding the current loan term.

• Maintains the annual loan cap of $15,000, with allowance for annual increases based on the average percentage increase in in-state tuition for graduate advanced-practice nursing programs at Alabama public colleges and universities.

• Requires participants to work 18 months in a medically underserved area for each year of loans received, with a minimum of three years if changing work locations.