‘An Act To Create a Tax Credit for Primary Care Professionals Practicing in Underserved Areas’
| SP0172 LD 440 |
Session - 126th Maine Legislature C "A", Filing Number S-24, Sponsored by
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LR 313 Item 2 |
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| Bill Tracking, Additional Documents | Chamber Status | ||
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
‘An Act To Create a Tax Credit for Primary Care Professionals Practicing in Underserved Areas’
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the summary and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1. 36 MRSA §5219-II is enacted to read:
§ 5219-II. Primary care access credit
(1) First begins practicing primary care medicine in the State by joining an existing health care practice in an underserved area or establishing a new health care practice or purchasing an existing health care practice in an underserved area;
(2) Agrees to practice full time for at least 5 years in an underserved area;
(3) Is certified under subsection 3 to be eligible by the Department of Health and Human Services; and
(4) Has an unpaid student loan owed to an institution for course work directly related to that person's training in primary care medicine.
SUMMARY
This amendment eliminates the provision in the bill that extends the existing dental care access tax credit. It clarifies that in order to be eligible for the primary care access tax credit, the person's unpaid student loan must be owed to an institution for course work directly related to that person's training in primary care medicine. It adds an area with a medically underserved population to the definition of "underserved area." It creates a graduated schedule for claiming the credit allowing an eligible primary care professional to claim an amount equal to the annual payments made on the professional's student loan not to exceed $6,000 in the first year, $9,000 in the 2nd year, $12,000 in the 3rd year, $15,000 in the 4th year and $18,000 in the 5th year.