Bill Text: AZ SB1120 | 2010 | Forty-ninth Legislature 2nd Regular | Engrossed
Bill Title: Teacher student loan program; expansion
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2010-03-15 - Referred to House RULES Committee [SB1120 Detail]
Download: Arizona-2010-SB1120-Engrossed.html
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Senate Engrossed |
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State of Arizona Senate Forty-ninth Legislature Second Regular Session 2010
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SENATE BILL 1120 |
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AN ACT
amending sections 15‑1781, 15‑1782, 15‑1783, 15-1784 and 15-1851, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to the mathematics, science and special education teacher student loan program.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 15-1781, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-1781. Definitions
In this article, unless the context otherwise requires: ,
1. "Board Commission" means the Arizona board of regents commission for postsecondary education.
2. "Qualified applicant" or "qualified student" means an Arizona resident who is a citizen or legal resident of the United States or who is otherwise lawfully present in the United States, who attends a qualifying postsecondary institution and, if attending a university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents, who qualifies for in-state tuition pursuant to section 15-1802.
3. "Qualifying postsecondary institution" means a regionally or nationally accredited public or private postsecondary educational institution in this state.
Sec. 2. Section 15-1782, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-1782. Mathematics, science and special education teacher student loans; requirements; report
A. Beginning with the spring semester of school year 2007‑2008, The board commission may grant loans from the mathematics, science and special education teacher student loan fund established by section 15‑1784 to defray in-state tuition, instructional materials and mandatory fees of the education of students who are pursuing a teaching degree at a university under the jurisdiction of the board qualifying postsecondary institution and who are deemed qualified by the board commission to receive these loans. Loans shall be granted on such terms and conditions as may be imposed by the board commission and shall be distributed on a first come, first served basis.
B. The board commission shall grant loans to qualified applicants who are classified as in-state students for tuition purposes pursuant to section 15‑1802 and agree to provide instruction in the areas area of mathematics, science or special education in a public school in this state.
C. The loans granted by the board commission shall be sufficient to fully used to cover the costs of resident tuition and mandatory fees for each loan recipient and may also defray the cost of instructional materials, but shall not exceed seven thousand dollars each year, excluding all grants, scholarships and tuition benefits such as military, tribal and employee grants, scholarships and benefits. If an applicant qualifies for federal financial aid and receives federal grant aid, the loan amount shall be limited to the amount of tuition and mandatory fees not covered by the federal grant aid and may include a stipend for instructional materials.
D. The board commission shall adopt policies for screening qualified applicants based on ability, character and financial need, including requiring all applicants to complete a free application for student federal aid.
E. The board commission shall grant loans on the terms and conditions the board commission imposes. The board commission shall establish procedures for the timely repayment of loans plus interest at a rate determined by the board commission. The board commission is responsible for the collection of loans that are in default loan repayments.
F. The board commission may delegate authority to administer the loans pursuant to this article to an institution under the jurisdiction of the board partner with qualifying postsecondary institutions to administer these loans. If the board delegates authority, students pursuing a teaching degree at each institution under the jurisdiction of the board shall be equally eligible to participate. The board commission shall retain responsibility of making provide initial public notice of the availability of the loans and collect the application forms directly from each qualified applicant. The board commission shall forward the applications to the institution selected to administer the loans a request for verification of attendance, satisfactory academic progress, financial need and enrollment in a qualified program to the institution.
G. On or before December 1 of each year, the Arizona board of regents commission shall submit an approved report to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate and the joint legislative budget committee. The board commission shall provide a copy of this report to the secretary of state and the director of the Arizona state library, archives and public records. The report shall include the number of applicants, the number of loan recipients, the university qualifying postsecondary institution each loan recipient attends, the name of the school at which each loan recipient is employed, the number of good cause repayment exceptions granted by the board commission, the reason for each good cause exception granted and teacher retention data. The board commission shall collect and maintain data on the retention of mathematics, science and special education teachers who received loans pursuant to this article. The board commission shall collect this data for at least five years after each loan recipient completes the recipient's service commitment.
Sec. 3. Section 15-1783, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-1783. Mathematics, science and special education teacher student loans; interest; obligations; repayment; authority of attorney general
A. Each applicant who is approved for a loan by the board commission may be granted a loan for a period of up to five years.
B. The board commission, on behalf of this state, shall enter into a written contract with the qualified student. The contract shall set forth the methods and terms of repayment by the loan recipient to this state and shall be on terms and conditions and in a form provided by the board commission. The contract shall provide for the following:
1. The loan recipient shall begin the service commitment providing instruction in the areas area of mathematics, science or special education in a public school in this state within one calendar year after attaining a bachelor's degree at an accredited university in this state a qualifying postsecondary institution. The service commitment shall be full-time as determined by the board commission and requires one year of service for each year of loan support plus one additional year of service.
2. If the loan recipient engages in postgraduate studies without a lapse of more than one calendar year following the completion of the loan recipient's bachelor's degree at an accredited university in this state a qualifying postsecondary institution, the loan recipient shall begin the service commitment required under paragraph 1 within one calendar year after completing postgraduate studies.
3. If the loan recipient is inducted into military service, or for any other cause beyond the loan recipient's control deemed sufficient by the board commission is unable to begin the service commitment required under paragraph 1 within one calendar year after completing a bachelor's degree and any graduate studies, the loan recipient shall begin the service commitment required under paragraph 1 within one calendar year after completing the required military service or the termination of any other cause.
4. If the loan recipient fulfills the service commitment required under paragraph 1 in a public school in this state or while completing military service resulting from induction, the loan recipient's indebtedness to this state may be discharged in one of the following ways:
(a) One year of full‑time service required under paragraph 1 for each year of loan support plus one additional year of service.
(b) Repayment to this state of the total loan amount for each year of support with interest at the rate prescribed in subsection C.
5. If the loan recipient fails to complete the required course of study, if the course of study is interrupted by one academic year or more for a cause or causes not resulting from induction into military service or any other cause beyond the loan recipient's control deemed sufficient by the board commission or if the loan recipient fails to fully discharge the service commitment required under paragraph 1, except for delays resulting from an excusable cause as prescribed in this section, the amount of the loan not repaid or fully discharged shall be due and payable with interest at the rate prescribed in subsection C. The board commission may extend the time of payment over a period not exceeding fifteen years and shall not require payment of interest during the existence of any excusable cause as prescribed in this section.
6. If the loan recipient does not begin the service commitment required under paragraph 1 within the time prescribed in this section but paid an agreed part of the loan, the board commission may allow the loan recipient to discharge the balance of the obligation by subsequent teaching in this state.
7. If the loan recipient dies during the period of the loan recipient's education or practice as a teacher, the loan recipient's obligation to this state under this article ceases.
C. The loan recipient shall repay the full amount borrowed at an interest rate of at least seven per cent.
D. On receipt of supporting documentation, the board commission for good cause shown may defer the loan recipient's service commitment or repayment obligation or may enter into repayment arrangements with the loan recipient or allow service that is equivalent to full-time service if the board commission determines that this action is justified after a review of the individual's circumstances. At the discretion of the board commission, the board commission may allow service by teaching in another area of recognized need in this state that is not specified in the qualified student's contract, but only following prior written approval by the board commission.
E. The attorney general may commence whatever actions are necessary to enforce the contract and achieve repayment of loans provided by the board commission pursuant to this article.
Sec. 4. Section 15-1784, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-1784. Mathematics, science and special education teacher student loan fund
A. The mathematics, science and special education teacher student loan fund is established. All monies appropriated to carry out the purposes of sections 15‑1782 and 15‑1783 shall be deposited in the fund, and all payments of principal and interest that are received by the board commission shall be deposited, pursuant to sections 35‑146 and 35‑147, in the fund.
B. Monies in the fund are continuously appropriated for use by the board Commission. The commission may retain up to ten per cent of the amount deposited in each fiscal year into the fund for the purposes of administering the loan program established by this article and may use the interest deposited into the fund to cover the administrative costs of the loan repayment responsibilities established by this article.
C. On notice from the board commission, the state treasurer shall invest and divest monies in the fund as provided by section 35‑313, and monies earned from investment shall be credited to the fund.
Sec. 5. Section 15-1851, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-1851. Commission for postsecondary education; purpose; report; members; terms; powers and duties; compensation; quorum; immunity; definition
A. The commission for postsecondary education is established and shall administer the applicable programs identified under section 1203 of the higher education act amendments of 1998 (P.L. 105‑244), including the leveraging educational assistance partnership program, the federal family education loan program and the Paul Douglas teacher scholarships program, and shall supervise the state guarantee agency under the higher education act amendments of 1998.
B. In addition to the responsibilities prescribed in subsection A of this section, the commission shall:
1. Provide a forum to public and private postsecondary education institutions for discussion of issues of mutual interest, including the following:
(a) The postsecondary needs of unserved and underserved individuals in this state.
(b) The resources of public and private institutions, organizations and agencies that are located in this state and that are capable of providing postsecondary education opportunities.
(c) Enrollment demand and public policy options to meet statewide needs for postsecondary education services.
(d) Cooperative comprehensive instructional and capital planning.
2. Provide reports pursuant to this subsection on discussions of issues of mutual interest.
3. Coordinate and promote collaborative studies on issues of mutual interest to public and private postsecondary education institutions.
4. Compile and disseminate information to the public regarding postsecondary education opportunities in this state.
5. Prepare an annual report that summarizes the results of the commission's activities prescribed in this section and section 15‑1852. The annual report shall be submitted to the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, the governor and the Arizona state library, archives and public records by December 28.
6. Administer the mathematics, science and special education teacher student loan program established under chapter 13, article 11 of this title.
C. The commission consists of the executive director of the Arizona board of regents, the executive director of the state board for private postsecondary education and the following additional members who shall be appointed by the governor pursuant to section 38‑211:
1. Two members who hold senior executive or managerial positions in a university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents.
2. Two members who hold senior executive or managerial positions in a community college district, one representing a community college district in a county with a population of five hundred thousand persons or more and one representing a community college district in a county with a population of less than five hundred thousand persons.
3. Two members who hold senior executive or managerial positions in private postsecondary institutions of higher education that are licensed under title 32, chapter 30, that are located in this state, that offer bachelor or higher degrees and that are accredited by a regional accreditation agency approved by the United States department of education.
4. Two members who hold senior executive or managerial positions in private postsecondary institutions of higher education that are licensed under title 32, chapter 30, that are located in this state, that offer vocational education programs and that are accredited by a national accreditation agency approved by the United States department of education.
5. One member who holds a senior executive or managerial position in a private cosmetology school that is licensed under title 32, chapter 5, that is located in this state, that offers cosmetology programs approved by the board of cosmetology and that is accredited by a national accreditation agency approved by the United States department of education.
6. One member who holds a senior executive or managerial position in an institution that is licensed under title 32, chapter 23 or under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations part 147, that offers vocational education programs at the postsecondary level, that is located in this state and that is not an institution that is qualified under any other category.
7. One member who has held a senior executive or managerial level position in commerce or industry in this state for at least three years before the member's appointment and who is not qualified to serve under any other category.
8. Two members who hold senior executive or managerial positions in the high school education system in this state.
9. One member who is an owner, operator or administrator of a charter school in this state.
D. Members of the commission appointed pursuant to subsection C, paragraphs 1 through 9 of this section shall serve four year terms. Appointed members of the commission shall be residents of this state. Appointed members of the commission at all times during their terms shall continue to be eligible for appointment under the category that they were appointed to represent. Terms of appointed members of the commission begin on the third Monday in January. No appointed member of the commission may serve more than two consecutive terms.
E. The executive director of the Arizona board of regents and the executive director of the state board for private postsecondary education serve as members of the commission during their respective terms of office and are not eligible to vote with respect to the commission's review of any postsecondary institution.
F. Members appointed pursuant to subsection C, paragraphs 1 through 9 of this section are eligible to receive compensation pursuant to section 38‑611 for each day spent in the performance of commission duties and may be reimbursed for expenses properly incurred in connection with the attendance at meetings or hearings of the commission.
G. The governor shall appoint a chairman from among the members of the commission who shall serve a one year term that begins on the third Monday in January.
H. A majority of the members of the commission constitutes constitute a quorum for the transaction of commission business. The vote of a majority of the quorum constitutes authority for the commission to act.
I. Members of the commission are immune from personal liability with respect to all actions that are taken in good faith and within the scope of the commission's authority.
J. For the purposes of this section, "community college district" means a community college district that is established pursuant to sections 15‑1402 and 15‑1403 and that is a political subdivision of this state.
Sec. 6. Effective date
This act is effective from and after June 30, 2011.
