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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT:
Carolyn E. Touma |
State Rep. Thomas C.
Petrone
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House passes Petrone’s MH/MR, drug and alcohol treatment loan forgiveness bill
HARRISBURG, June 7 – State Rep. Thomas Petrone’s bill to offer loan forgiveness to college students pursuing careers in mental health/mental retardation and alcohol and drug treatment passed the House of Representatives today.
“My staff and I have been working on this bill for years and I am pleased with how quickly it has moved this session,” said Petrone, D-Allegheny. “Working in the mental health, mental retardation and alcohol and drug treatment professions is difficult and emotionally demanding. Today, my colleagues demonstrated they share my belief that people who commit themselves to serving our residents in these ways deserve an incentive and reward for pursuing these careers.”
Petrone’s bill (H.B. 49) would create a Mental Health and Mental Retardation Staff Member and Alcohol and Drug Addiction Counselor Loan Forgiveness Program within the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.
Petrone said people who have successfully completed the first six months of full-time employment and who remain in good standing as a staff member at a county mental health or mental retardation service agency or contracted private provider, or as a counselor at a licensed alcohol and drug addiction treatment facility, would be eligible to have up to $20,000 of their college student loans forgiven.
“A qualified and stable work force is key to quality community mental health, mental retardation and alcohol and drug treatment services,” he said. “Unfortunately, the pool of qualified staff members continues to diminish, and the number of college students planning to enter these fields does not meet the need for qualified staff members in this Commonwealth.”
Petrone said only PHEAA-administered loans would be forgiven over four years of full-time staff work, with no more than $5,000 being forgiven each year. Applicants would be required to have a two- or four-year academic degree or diploma.
The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
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