Bill Text: NJ S3765 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes Sign Language Interpreting Services Providers Loan Redemption Program; appropriates $2 million.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-10-07 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee [S3765 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S3765-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator RENEE C. BURGESS
District 28 (Essex and Union)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Sign Language Interpreting Services Providers Loan Redemption Program; appropriates $2 million.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing a loan redemption program for providers of sign language interpreting services, supplementing chapter 71C of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in this act:
"Approved site" means a nonprofit or State agency providing sign language interpreting services, the Judiciary, an entity providing healthcare or mental health services, a public or nonpublic school, an institution of higher education, a licensed child care provider, an entity providing video relay services and video remote interpreting services to residents of the State, or a nonprofit entity providing services for the general public good, as determined by the authority.
"Authority" means the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.
"Eligible provider of interpreting services" means an interpreter certified by the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc., listed by the State Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Department of Human Services or the New Jersey Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, and providing interpreting services in the State.
"Executive director" means the executive director of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.
"Qualifying student loan amounts" means the cumulative outstanding balance of State, federal, or commercial student loans at the time an applicant is selected for the program, which an applicant has borrowed to pay for the cost of attendance for undergraduate or graduate education at an institution of higher education. Interest paid or due on qualifying student loan amounts shall be considered eligible for reimbursement under the program.
"Program" means the Sign Language Interpreting Services Providers Loan Redemption Program established pursuant to this act.
"Program participant" means an eligible provider of interpreting services who contracts with the authority to engage in the practice of interpreting services at an approved site in exchange for the redemption of qualifying student loan amounts.
"Total and permanent
disability" means a physical or mental disability that is expected to continue
indefinitely or result in death and renders a program participant unable to
perform the program participant's contractual obligation, as determined by the
executive director or the executive director's designee.
2. There is established the Sign Language Interpreting Services Providers Loan Redemption Program within the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. The program shall provide for the redemption of a portion of the qualifying student loan amounts of a program participant for each period of service at an approved site.
3. a. To be eligible to participate in the program, an applicant shall:
(1) be a resident of the State;
(2) be employed as an eligible provider of interpreting services at an approved site; and
(3) submit an application in a manner and form to be determined by the executive director.
b. The executive director, or the executive director's designee, shall select the program participants from among those applicants who meet the eligibility criteria, subject to available funds. The executive director shall give preference to applicants employed as an eligible provider of interpreting services in a county facing a shortage of providers of interpreting services, as annually designated by the executive director pursuant to a methodology to be established by the executive director.
c. The program participant shall enter into a written contract with the authority to participate in the program. The contract shall specify the duration of the program participant's required service and the total amount of qualifying student loan amounts to be redeemed by the State in return for service.
d. The redemption of qualifying student loan amounts under the program shall amount to 18 percent of the program participant's qualifying student loan amounts in return for one full year of service at an approved site, an additional 26 percent for a second full year of service, an additional 28 percent for a third full year of service and an additional 28 percent for a fourth full year of service. Total redemption of qualifying student loan amounts under the program shall not exceed $200,000.
e. The period of service shall commence on or after the date of enactment of this act.
f. No amount of qualifying student loan amounts shall be redeemed for services performed for less than a full year.
4. a. A program participant who has entered into a redemption contract with the authority pursuant to this act may nullify that contract by submitting written notification to the authority and assuming full responsibility for repayment of the full amount of the program participant's student loan amounts.
b. In the case of a program participant's death or total and permanent disability, the authority shall nullify the service obligation of the program participant.
c. The authority may nullify or suspend a program participant's service obligation if continued enforcement of the contract may result in extreme hardship.
5. A provider of interpreting services who is participating in the federally administered National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program, section 338B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.s.254l-1), or any other loan redemption program administered by the authority shall not be eligible to participate simultaneously in the program.
6. The authority shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) necessary to implement the provisions of this act.
7. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority the sum of $2,000,000 to effectuate the provisions of this act.
8. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the Sign Language Interpreting Services Providers Loan Redemption Program in the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA).
This loan redemption program is to provide for the redemption of a portion of a program participant's State, federal, or commercial student loans in exchange for the program participant's service at a site approved by the authority. Under the bill, the sites are to include a nonprofit agency providing sign language interpreting services, the Judiciary, an entity providing healthcare or mental health services, a public or nonpublic school, an institution of higher education, a licensed childcare provider, an entity providing video relay services and video remote interpreting services, and a nonprofit entity providing services for the general public good, as approved by the authority.
To be eligible to participate in the program, an applicant is required to: (1) be a resident of the State; (2) be employed as an eligible provider of interpreting services, defined as an interpreter who is certified by the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc., listed by the State Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Department of Human Services or the New Jersey Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, and providing interpreting services in the State; and (3) submit an application in a manner and form to be determined by the executive director of the HESAA.
In selecting program participants, the executive director is required to give preference to applicants employed as an eligible provider of interpreting services in a county facing a shortage of providers of interpreting services. The bill stipulates that a selected program participant is to enter into a written contract with the authority. The contract is to specify the duration of the program participant's required service and the total amount of qualifying student loan amounts to be redeemed in return for the service.
Under the bill, loan redemption is to amount to 18 percent of a program participant's qualifying loan amounts in return for one full year of service at an approved site, an additional 26 percent for a second full year of service, an additional 28 percent for a third full year of service, and an additional 28 percent for a fourth full year of service. The total loan redemption for a program participant is not to exceed $200,000.
Finally, the bill stipulates that a provider of interpreting services, who is participating in the National Health Services Corps Loan Repayment Program or any other loan redemption program administered by the authority, is not eligible to simultaneously participate in the Sign Language Interpreting Services Providers Loan Redemption Program.
