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Introduced Version Senate Bill 259 History

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Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted
Senate Bill No. 259

(By Senators Hunter, Dempsey and Unger)

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[Introduced February 23, 2005; referred to the Committee

on Health and Human Resources; and then to the Committee on Finance.]

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A BILL to amend and reenact §30-7B-4, §30-7B-8 and §30-7B-10 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to directing funds from the Center for Nursing Fund to loan forgiveness programs; continuing the Center for Nursing until 2013; and requiring the Center for Nursing to collect information on workers' compensation-related injuries.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §30-7B-4, §30-7B-8 and §30-7B-10 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 7B. PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS.
§30-7B-4. Center's powers and duties.
The West Virginia center for nursing shall have the following powers and duties:
(1) Establish a statewide strategic plan to address the nursing shortage in West Virginia;
(2) Establish and maintain a database of statistical information regarding nursing supply, demand and turnover rates in West Virginia and future projections;
(3) Coordinate communication between the organizations that represent nurses, health care providers, businesses, consumers, legislators and educators;
(4) Enhance and promote recruitment and retention of nurses by creating reward, recognition and renewal programs;
(5) Promote media and positive image building efforts for nursing, including establishing a statewide media campaign to recruit students of all ages and backgrounds to the various nursing programs throughout West Virginia;
(6) Promote nursing careers through educational and scholarship programs, programs directed at nontraditional students and other workforce initiatives;
(7) Explore solutions to improve working environments for nurses to foster recruitment and retention;
(8) Explore and establish loan repayment and scholarship programs designed to benefit nurses who remain in West Virginia after graduation and work in hospitals and other health care institutions;
(9) Establish grants and other programs to provide financial incentives for employers to encourage and assist with nursing education, internships and residency programs;
(10) Develop incentive and training programs for long-term care facilities and other health care institutions to use self-assessment tools documented to correlate with nurse retention, such as the magnet hospital program;
(11) Explore and evaluate the use of year-round day, evening and weekend nursing training and education programs;
(12) Establish a statewide hotline and website for information about the center and its mission and nursing careers and educational opportunities in West Virginia;
(13) Evaluate capacity for expansion of nursing programs, including the availability of faculty, clinical laboratories, computers and software, library holdings and supplies;
(14) Oversee development and implementation of education and matriculation programs for health care providers covering certified nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses, registered professional nurses, advanced nurse practitioners and other advanced degrees;
(15) Seek to improve the compensation of all nurses, including nursing educators; and
(16) Collect data regarding workers' compensation claims and the injuries related thereto; and
(16) (17) Perform such other activities as needed to alleviate the nursing shortage in West Virginia.

§30-7B-8.
Special revenue account.
(a) A special revenue account known as the "center for nursing fund" is hereby established in the State Treasury to be administered by the board to carry out the purposes of this article.
(b) The account shall be funded by:
(1) Assessing all nurses licensed by the board of examiners for registered professional nurses, pursuant to section eight-a, article seven of this chapter, and the board of examiners for licensed practical nurses, pursuant to section seven-a, article seven-a of this chapter, a supplemental licensure fee not to exceed ten dollars per year; and
(2) Other public and private funds.
(c) Beginning the first day of January, two thousand six, and continuing at least two years, a minimum of an equivalent of one third of the funding from the annual supplemental licensure fees shall be used for loan, loan forgiveness and scholarship programs.

§30-7B-10. Continuation.
The West Virginia center for nursing shall continue to exist until the first day of July, two thousand eight thirteen, unless sooner terminated, continued or reestablished pursuant to the provisions of article ten, chapter four of this code.




NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to direct funds from the center for nursing fund to loan forgiveness programs; continue the center for nursing until 2013; and require the center for nursing to collect information on workers' compensation related injuries.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.
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