§ 36D — Payback provisions in learning contracts; interest accrual; annual report

Section 36D. The board of trustees of the university of Massachusetts, in conjunction with the state health education center at the university of Massachusetts medical center, shall develop and implement provisions for payback in learning contracts entered into by students admitted for the academic year commencing in nineteen hundred and ninety-five and for every year thereafter, which shall require payback service, so-called, of at least four years within the commonwealth in areas of primary care, public or community service, or underserved areas as determined by the commissioner of the department of public health and the learning contract committee in coordination with the area health education center and state and regional health planning agencies. In the case of any student who has entered into a learning contract and who does not perform payback service, the difference between the tuition paid and the amount of the tuition charged shall be required to be repaid together with eight percent interest per annum; provided, however, that no payback service or tuition loan repayment shall be required prior to the termination of any internship and residency requirements; provided, further, that interest shall begin to accrue upon completion of any internship requirement. The dean shall provide, on an annual basis, a report of the number of students participating in said learning contracts, the area of medicine within which payback will be performed, and the number of students utilizing the repayment option. The report shall also outline the effects of payback in the underserved areas of the commonwealth. The first of such annual reports shall be submitted to the house and senate committees on ways and means by September first, nineteen hundred and ninety-five.