Bill Text: NY A02052 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to providing loan forgiveness for agriculture educators who provide didactic instruction to students about agriculture, food, and natural resources.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 8-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-14 - referred to higher education [A02052 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-A02052-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2052

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 14, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M. of A. MAHER, E. BROWN, DeSTEFANO, LEMONDES, BRABENEC,
          McDONOUGH, HAWLEY, BENDETT -- read once and referred to the  Committee
          on Higher Education

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  education  law,  in  relation to providing loan
          forgiveness for agriculture educators

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 679-k
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 679-k. New York state agriculture educators loan forgiveness  incen-
     4  tive  program.  1.  Definition. The term "agriculture educator" means an
     5  instructor who provides didactic instruction to students about  agricul-
     6  ture,  food  and natural resources delivered through lessons in science,
     7  communications, leadership, management and technology.
     8    2. Purpose. The president shall grant student loan forgiveness  awards
     9  for the purpose of alleviating the burden of student loan debt for agri-
    10  culture  educators teaching in the field of agriculture education in New
    11  York state. Such awards shall be made on a competitive basis as  promul-
    12  gated  by  the corporation for such purposes, to applicants who meet the
    13  eligibility  criteria.  Such  rules  and   regulations   shall   include
    14  provisions  for  the  consideration  of  applicants who are economically
    15  disadvantaged.
    16    3. Eligibility. To be eligible for an award pursuant to this  section,
    17  applicants shall:
    18    (a)  have  graduated  and  obtained a degree from an approved New York
    19  state college or university;
    20    (b) have an outstanding student loan debt from obtaining such degree;
    21    (c) be employed as a full-time agriculture educator in New York  state
    22  for at least two years;
    23    (d) reside in New York state for at least two years post graduation;
    24    (e) apply for this program within two years of college graduation; and

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04847-01-5
        A. 2052                             2

     1    (f)  comply  with subdivision five of section six hundred sixty-one of
     2  this part.
     3    4.  Awards.  The  corporation  shall  grant such awards within amounts
     4  appropriated for such purposes and based on the availability of funds.
     5    § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
     6  have become a law.