Brief ⁽¹⁾

SB 266 adds emergency medicine to the specialties a medical student loan recipient can use to fulfill their service obligation as a faculty member of the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Background

Under the Medical Student Loan Program, one way students who receive financial assistance from the state may satisfy their service obligation is by serving as a faculty member of the University of Kansas Medical Center for two years for each year of assistance received. Currently, the service obligation is limited to faculty members who teach in general internal medicine, general pediatrics, family medicine, or family practice. Recipients can also satisfy their service obligation by practicing medicine in certain specialties in medically underserved areas of the state, on the basis of one year of practice for each year of state assistance.

During Committee hearings in 1999, representatives of the University of Kansas Medical Center testified in favor of the bill. Representatives of the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians initially indicated opposition to the bill, but subsequently withdrew their objections.

The fiscal note prepared by the Division of the Budget on SB 266 indicates that the bill would have little fiscal impact.

1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/bill_search.html