School Nurse Grant Program

School nurse grant program - appropriation. The act creates the school nurse grant program (grant program) in the department of public health and environment (department).

The grant program awards grants to local education providers, as defined in the act, to hire school nurses to serve in public schools. Grants are awarded on a 5-year grant cycle, with an initial one-year grant, renewable for an additional 4 years, as long as there is a school nurse in the grant-funded position and the grant money is being used for authorized purposes.

Subject to annual appropriations from the general assembly, the department shall recommend grant recipients, and the state board of health shall annually award up to $3 million during the 5-year grant cycle. Once the 5-year grant cycle is complete, the department shall administer a new grant cycle.

The department may expend a portion of the grant money for reasonable and necessary administrative expenses. In each year in which school nurse grants are awarded, the department shall report to certain committees of the general assembly concerning the grant program.

For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $2,944,809 from the marijuana tax cash fund to the department of public health and environment for use by the prevention services division for the school nurse grant program. The act also appropriates $55,121 and 0.8 FTE from the marijuana tax cash fund to the department of public health and environment for the prevention services division for the primary care office.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)