HB 720 Missouri House · 2025 Regular Session

Modifies provisions relating to a loan repayment program for health care professionals

HB 720 creates Missouri's State Loan Repayment Program (MOSLRP) to help healthcare professionals repay student loans in exchange for working in underserved areas. It directly affects qualified professionals including doctors (allopathic and osteopathic), dentists, nurses (including nurse practitioners and midwives), psychologists, social workers, counselors, pharmacists, and chiropractors (once federal guidelines exist). The program funds repayments for loan principal, interest, and related expenses - up to National Health Service Corps limits - for each year of service in designated shortage areas, such as regions with physician shortages, mental health gaps, or post-disaster needs. Administered by the Department of Health and Senior Services, the program uses a dedicated state fund financed by recovered payments and penalties, requiring participants to maintain licensure and fulfill service contracts.

Issues: ✓ Healthcare

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 2, 2025 Last action Apr 8, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → House Committee Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to expand eligibility for the Missouri State Loan Repayment Program by allowing the department to designate additional health disciplines through rulemaking rather than listing them in the statute. The changes also reorganized definitions to clarify terms like 'primary care physician' and 'areas of defined need', while maintaining existing protections for chiropractic coverage pending federal guidelines.

Scope change

The program's scope was broadened to allow the department of health and senior services to designate eligible health disciplines through administrative rules, rather than having them fixed in the statute. This provides greater flexibility in responding to healthcare workforce needs.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the fixed list of eligible health professions from the statute and replaced it with language allowing the department to designate disciplines via rulemaking, subject to National Health Service Corps limitations.

DEFINITION

Added specific definitions for 'primary care physician' and 'psychiatrist' to clarify which medical specialties qualify for the program.

REQUIREMENT

Reorganized the definition of 'areas of defined need' to focus on patient-health professional ratios, economic impact areas, and disaster-affected areas without listing specific professions.

FISCAL

Maintained the requirement that at least 35% of appropriated funds be designated for primary care physicians and general dentists, with unused funds available for other designated health professions.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 8, 2025

Lower · Passed

Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 8 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 0

lower

Apr 8, 2025

Lower · Passed

Voted Do Pass (H)

lower

Mar 27, 2025

Committee

Referred: Rules - Administrative(H)

lower

Mar 5, 2025

Lower · Passed

HCS Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 16 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 0

lower

Mar 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

HCS Voted Do Pass (H)

lower

Jan 22, 2025

Committee

Referred: Health and Mental Health(H)

lower

Jan 2, 2025

Introduced

Prefiled (H)

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors