A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIP LOANS TO STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE PARAMEDIC‑TO‑BSN PROGRAM OFFERED AT TRI‑COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE BY WINSTON‑SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Article 24 of Chapter 116 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 116‑209.34.  Scholarship loans for certain students enrolled in the Paramedic‑to‑BSN Program offered by Winston‑Salem State University.
(a)	A scholarship loan fund is established for out‑of‑state students enrolled in the Paramedic‑to‑BSN Program offered at Tri‑County Community College by Winston‑Salem State University. The annual amount of each scholarship loan shall be the difference between the in‑State and the out‑of‑state tuition for the program. The State Education Assistance Authority shall administer the fund.
(b)	The Authority shall develop the criteria for awarding the scholarship loan, and the criteria shall include all of the following:
(1)	All recipients of scholarship loans shall be enrolled in the Paramedic‑to‑BSN Program;
(2)	All recipients shall enter into a legal agreement and promissory note with the Authority to work full‑time as a nurse in North Carolina;
(3)	All scholarship loans shall be evidenced by notes made payable to the Authority that bear interest at the rate of ten percent (10%) per annum beginning upon completion of the Program or upon termination of the scholarship, whichever is earlier. The Authority may forgive or reduce any loan repayment if the Authority considers that extenuating circumstances exist that would make repayment impossible.
(4)	The Authority shall forgive one year of the loan for each year that a recipient works full-time, within two years of completion of the program, as a nurse in North Carolina; and
(5)	Any additional criteria that the Authority considers necessary to administer the program effectively.
(c)	The Authority shall adopt rules to implement this section."
SECTION 2.  There shall be a separate early registration period for in‑State students for the Paramedic‑to‑BSN Program offered at Tri‑County Community College by Winston‑Salem State University to ensure that no out‑of‑state student displaces an in‑State student in the Program.
SECTION 3.  Winston‑Salem State University and Tri‑County Community College shall thoroughly evaluate the effects of the scholarship loans in this act on the production, retention, and utilization of registered nurses in the State.  They shall report their findings and their recommendation on continuing the scholarship loans to  the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina and the State Board of Community Colleges prior to January 1, 2009.
SECTION 4.  This act is effective when it becomes law and expires July 31, 2009. Students who enter the Paramedic‑to‑BSN Program offered at Tri‑County Community College by Winston‑Salem State University or enter the Program at Winston‑Salem State University prior to July 31, 2009, shall continue to receive the scholarship loans while attending the Program so long as they remain in good standing in the Paramedic‑to‑BSN Program and comply with the criteria established under G.S. 116‑209.34 for the Program.