‘An Act To Create a Tax Credit for Primary Care Professionals Practicing in Underserved Areas’
| SP0172 LD 440 |
Session - 126th Maine Legislature C "B", Filing Number S-548, Sponsored by
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LR 313 Item 6 |
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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-KK is enacted to read:
§ 5219-KK. 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.
Sec. 2. Transfer from the Medical Use of Marijuana Fund. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the State Controller shall transfer $23,000 by June 30, 2015 from the Medical Use of Marijuana Fund, Other Special Revenue Funds account in the Department of Health and Human Services to the unappropriated surplus of the General Fund.’
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.
This amendment also provides that the primary care access credit is available for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 but before January 1, 2019. It requires the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Maine Revenue Services to submit an annual report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over taxation matters beginning on January 1, 2016 indicating the number of eligible primary care professionals certified and decertified each year by the Department of Health and Human Services and the total annual loss of revenue attributable to the primary care access credit. This amendment also adds a $23,000 transfer from the Medical Use of Marijuana Fund, Other Special Revenue Funds account in the Department of Health and Human Services to the unappropriated surplus of the General Fund no later than June 30, 2015.