NY State Senate Bill 2025-S5252

Senate Bill S5252

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Establishes a loan forgiveness program for licensed mental health professionals in jails and prisons

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Feb 20, 2025	referred to higher education

2025-S5252 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Higher Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Add §679-k, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S7257

2025-S5252 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes a loan forgiveness program for licensed mental health professionals in jails and prisons for the purpose of increasing the number of mental health professionals rendering mental health services in correctional institutions; provides for eligibility and priority; provides for awards in the amount of $2,000; makes related provisions.

2025-S5252 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S5252

SPONSOR: CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to a loan forgiveness
program for licensed mental health professionals in jails and prisons

 
PURPOSE:

To provide student-loan forgiveness awards to licensed mental health
professionals rendering mental health services in correctional insti-
tutions

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 adds section 679-k to the education law. This section estab-
lishes a program providing loan forgiveness. awards for the purpose of
increasing the number of mental health professionals rendering mental
health services in Correctional facilities in New York State. This
section provides that applicants must be a licensed mental health
professional pursuant to Article 163 of the Education Law, they must

comply with student loan requirements outlined in part 3 and part 5 of
section 661 of the Education Law, and they must have outstanding student
loan debt.

Section 1 further provides that awards will be annually disbursed, to
applicants who have provided full-time mental health services to incar-
cerated individuals and/or correction staff in a correctional facility
in the year prior to their application, first prioritizing applicants
who have already earned an award under this section, followed by those
who have not yet received an award under this section, and giving third
priority to those currently providing, such services and have been doing
so for less than one year.

Section 1 further provides that awards shall be granted in the value of
two thousand dollars, and that no recipient shall receive an award that
exceeds the total remaining balance of the student loan debt, nor shall
any recipient receive cumulative awards pursuant to this section in
excess of twenty thousand dollars.

Section one further authorizes the promulgation of rules and regulations
necessary for implementation of provisions of this section. The head of
the entity responsible for disbursing such awards shall also establish
regulations for how to distribute awards in circumstances where there
applicants in the highest priority category.

Section 2 provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Mental health professionals in corrections face unique challenges as
they are expected to provide desperately needed mental health services
to a high acuity population while facing strict security and confinement
regulations, and the legal and public health considerations unique to
this specialty. In addition to a growing workforce shortage in the
mental health field generally, only exacerbated in correctional insti-
tutions, the demand for mental health services in correctional insti-
tutions is increasing. In New York City alone, half of the population on
Rikers Island in 2021 had a mental health diagnosis - about 2,780 people
- and 16% had a serious mental health diagnosis, per the Mayor of the
City of New York's September 2022 Management Report.

According to the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, mental
health care in jails and prisons may be an individual's only opportunity
for treatment, and providing appropriate care reduces risk, improves
safety, and reduces recidivism. According to an estimate by the federal
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), there will be a
shortage of over 250,000 mental health professionals by 2025. In correc-
tional institutions, this mental health, professionals workforce short-
age is even graver. This bill is aimed at attracting more candidates to
the mental health in corrections field, retaining current mental health
professionals in correctional institutions, and ultimately increasing
the number of mental health professionals rendering mental health
services in correctional institutions, by providing student loan
forgiveness to eligible mental health professionals.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-24: S.7257 Referred to Higher Education

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S5252 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5252
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 20, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK  --  read  twice and ordered
   printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Higher
   Education
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the education law, in relation to a loan forgiveness
   program for licensed mental health professionals in jails and prisons

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 679-k
 to read as follows:
   § 679-K. NEW YORK STATE LICENSED MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN  JAILS
 AND  PRISONS  LOAN  FORGIVENESS  PROGRAM.  1. PURPOSE. (A) THE PRESIDENT
 SHALL GRANT STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS AWARDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF  INCREAS-
 ING  THE  NUMBER  OF MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS RENDERING MENTAL HEALTH
 SERVICES IN CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN NEW YORK STATE.
   (B) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, THE  TERM  "CORRECTIONAL  INSTI-
 TUTIONS"  SHALL MEAN ANY PLACE OPERATED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
 AND COMMUNITY SUPERVISION AS A PLACE  FOR  THE  CONFINEMENT  OF  PERSONS
 UNDER SENTENCE OF IMPRISONMENT OR PERSONS COMMITTED FOR FAILURE TO PAY A
 FINE,  INCLUDING  ANY  PLACE  OWNED  AND OPERATED BY COUNTY OR MUNICIPAL
 GOVERNMENTS WITHIN NEW YORK AS A PLACE FOR THE  CONFINEMENT  OF  PERSONS
 UNDER SENTENCE OF DETENTION, IMPRISONMENT OR PERSONS COMMITTED FOR FAIL-
 URE TO PAY A FINE.
   2.  ELIGIBILITY. TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR AN AWARD PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION,
 APPLICANTS SHALL: (A) BE LICENSED AS A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL PURSU-
 ANT TO ARTICLE ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-THREE OF THIS CHAPTER; (B) COMPLY  WITH
 SUBDIVISIONS  THREE  AND  FIVE  OF SECTION SIX HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE OF THIS
 PART; AND (C) HAVE AN OUTSTANDING STUDENT LOAN DEBT.
   3. PRIORITY. SUCH AWARDS SHALL BE MADE ANNUALLY TO APPLICANTS  IN  THE
 FOLLOWING PRIORITY:
   (A)  FIRST  PRIORITY  SHALL  BE GIVEN TO AN APPLICANT WHO HAS RECEIVED
 PAYMENT OF AN AWARD PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION IN A PRIOR YEAR AND WHO, IN
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01817-01-5

 S. 5252                             2
 
 THE YEAR PRIOR TO APPLICATION, HAS PROVIDED MENTAL  HEALTH  SERVICES  TO
 INCARCERATED  INDIVIDUALS  AND/OR  CORRECTION  STAFF  IN  A CORRECTIONAL
 INSTITUTION;
   (B) SECOND PRIORITY SHALL BE GIVEN TO APPLICANTS WHO HAVE NOT RECEIVED
 PAYMENT  OF  AN  AWARD  PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION IN A PRIOR YEAR AND WHO
 HAVE PROVIDED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES TO INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS  AND/OR
 CORRECTION STAFF IN A CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION; AND
   (C)  THIRD  PRIORITY  SHALL  BE  GIVEN TO APPLICANTS WHO ARE CURRENTLY
 PROVIDING MENTAL HEALTH  SERVICES  TO  INCARCERATED  INDIVIDUALS  AND/OR
 CORRECTION STAFF IN A CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION FOR LESS THAN ONE YEAR.
   4.  AWARDS.  THE  CORPORATION  SHALL  GRANT AWARDS IN THE VALUE OF TWO
 THOUSAND DOLLARS TO  INDIVIDUALS  WHO  HAVE  PROVIDED  FULL-TIME  MENTAL
 HEALTH SERVICES TO INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS AND/OR CORRECTION STAFF IN A
 CORRECTIONAL  INSTITUTION,  PROVIDED  THAT NO RECIPIENT SHALL RECEIVE AN
 AWARD THAT EXCEEDS THE TOTAL REMAINING BALANCE OF THE STUDENT LOAN  DEBT
 AND  THAT NO RECIPIENT SHALL RECEIVE CUMULATIVE AWARDS, PURSUANT TO THIS
 SECTION, IN EXCESS OF TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. AWARDS  SHALL  BE  WITHIN
 THE  AMOUNT  APPROPRIATED  FOR SUCH PURPOSE AND BASED ON AVAILABILITY OF
 FUNDS.
   5. RULES AND REGULATIONS. THE CORPORATION IS AUTHORIZED TO  PROMULGATE
 RULES AND REGULATIONS NECESSARY FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROVISIONS
 OF  THIS  SECTION.  IN THE EVENT THAT THERE ARE MORE APPLICANTS WHO HAVE
 THE SAME PRIORITY, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION  THREE  OF  THIS  SECTION,
 THAN  THERE ARE REMAINING AWARDS, THE CORPORATION SHALL PROVIDE IN REGU-
 LATION THE METHOD OF DISTRIBUTING THE REMAINING NUMBER OF  SUCH  AWARDS,
 WHICH MAY INCLUDE A LOTTERY OR OTHER FORM OF RANDOM SELECTION.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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