| Student Loan Forgiveness Bill
Moving in State House
In the state House of Representatives, House Bill 282, introduced
again by Rep. Thomas C. Petrone (D-Allegheny) would allow employees
of publicly funded MH/MR treatment facilities, drug and alcohol
facilities, and behavioral health rehabilitation service programs
to receive student loan forgiveness of up to $5,000 per year ($20,000
total). This bill was reported out of the Health and Human Services
Committee in late February and was on the full House calendar
at press time.
In a letter to state legislators, PPA executive director Tom
DeWall noted that a qualified and stable workforce is a key for
the quality of these public sector behavioral health jobs. Unfortunately,
many qualified individuals may be drawn away from careers in public
sector programs because of low salaries and high work demands.
This loan forgiveness provision will do much to attract and retain
qualified people.
Recent graduates of doctoral programs in psychology face substantial
financial pressures. Data from a 2001 survey by the American Psychological
Association showed that the average graduate of a doctoral program
in psychology owes $53,000, and 26% owe $75,000 or more. Anecdotal
reports suggest that these debt loads have increased since that
report was issued six years ago. With these large debts it is
understandable that most recent graduates believe they can pay
off their loans only if they work in higher paying settings. House
Bill 282 will help make public sector behavioral health jobs more
attractive to these recent graduates.
A similar bill passed the House of Representatives in the 2005-2006
legislative session but died in the state Senate. PPA hopes to
see it through to final passage in the current two-year session.
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