Bill Text: NY A04636 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Creates a regents large animal veterinarian loan forgiveness program; establishes the number, criteria and notification requirements to receive an award under such program; establishes such awards shall be awarded annually to veterinarians who agree to practice in large animal veterinarian medicine.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-05-01 - print number 4636a [A04636 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-A04636-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4636--A 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY February 3, 2017 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. MAGEE, DiPIETRO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. HAWLEY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education -- recommitted to the Committee on Higher Education in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to creating a regents large animal veterinarian loan forgiveness program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 605 of the education law is amended by adding a new 2 subdivision 13 to read as follows: 3 13. Regents large animal veterinarian loan forgiveness program. 4 Regents veterinarian loan forgiveness awards shall be awarded annually 5 to large animal veterinarians who agree to practice veterinary medicine 6 in an area of New York state designated by the regents as having a shor- 7 tage of large animal veterinarians. Such awards shall be classified and 8 allocated in accordance with regents rules. 9 a. Eligibility. (1) The applicant must be a resident of New York state 10 and licensed to practice veterinary medicine. 11 (2) The applicant must have completed a professional residency program 12 within the five years immediately preceding the period for which the 13 first award would be granted, or be within two years of completion of an 14 accredited residency program in large animal veterinary medicine. 15 (3) The applicant must agree to practice large animal veterinary medi- 16 cine in an area in New York state designated as having a shortage of 17 large animal veterinarians. The regents, after consultation with the 18 commissioners of agriculture and markets and health, shall designate 19 those regions and facilities of New York state which have a shortage of 20 large animal veterinarians for the purposes of this section and estab- 21 lish relative rankings thereof. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD08827-03-8A. 4636--A 2 1 b. Selection. The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioners 2 of agriculture and markets and health, shall establish criteria for the 3 selection of participants in the program. An applicant must satisfy at 4 least one of the criteria established. A priority shall be accorded to 5 any applicant who is completing the second year of the service require- 6 ment and is reapplying for a new award. The criteria shall include but 7 not be limited to the following: 8 (i) reapplication for a new award by a person who is completing the 9 second year of a service requirement; 10 (ii) receipt of specific training in large animal veterinary medicine; 11 (iii) receipt of specific training or experience in serving a shortage 12 area; 13 (iv) receipt of specific training or experience matching a specific 14 large animal medical need existing in a shortage area; and 15 (v) agreement pursuant to paragraph d of this subdivision to practice 16 in an area determined by the regents to have a severe shortage of large 17 animal veterinary services. 18 c. Notification. (1) The commissioner shall then forward approved 19 applications to the president and shall notify unsuccessful applicants. 20 (2) The president shall verify the approved applicants': 21 (i) eligibility; and 22 (ii) total undergraduate and veterinary medical school student 23 expense; 24 (3) The president shall notify applicants of their award entitlement. 25 d. Service requirement. The commissioner shall convert to a student 26 loan the full amount of the award given pursuant to this section, plus 27 interest, according to a schedule to be determined by the commissioner 28 if: (1) two years after the completion of the residency degree program 29 it is found that a recipient is not practicing large animal veterinary 30 medicine in a specific area designated as having a shortage of large 31 animal veterinarians; or (2) a recipient has not practiced large animal 32 veterinary medicine in a specific area designated as having a shortage 33 of large animal veterinarians for five of the seven years after the 34 completion of the residency degree program; or (3) a recipient fails to 35 complete their residency degree program; or (4) a recipient fails to 36 receive or maintain their license to practice veterinary medicine; or 37 (5) a recipient fails to respond to requests by the commissioner for the 38 status of his or her academic or professional progress. The terms and 39 conditions of this paragraph shall be deferred for any interruption in 40 graduate study or employment as established by the rules and regulations 41 of the commissioner. Any obligation to comply with such provisions as 42 outlined in this section shall be cancelled upon the death of the recip- 43 ient. Notwithstanding any provisions of this paragraph to the contrary, 44 the commissioner is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to 45 provide for the waiver or suspension of any financial obligation which 46 would involve extreme hardship. 47 e. Reporting. A recipient of an award shall report annually to the New 48 York state higher education services corporation, the department of 49 agriculture and markets and the department of health on forms prescribed 50 by the president, as to the performance of the required services, 51 commencing with the calendar year in which the recipient begins to prac- 52 tice large animal veterinary medicine in a shortage area and continuing 53 until the recipient shall have completed, or it is determined that he or 54 she shall not be obligated to complete, the required services. If the 55 recipient shall fail to file any report required hereunder within thirty 56 days of written notice to the recipient, mailed to the address shown onA. 4636--A 3 1 the last application for an award or last report filed, whichever is 2 later, the president of the corporation may impose a fine of up to one 3 thousand dollars. The president shall have the discretion to waive the 4 filing of a report, excuse a delay in filing or a failure to file a 5 report, or waive or reduce any fine imposed for good cause shown. 6 f. Other awards. Award recipients shall be eligible to apply for one 7 additional award. 8 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 672-c to 9 read as follows: 10 § 672-c. Regents large animal veterinarian loan forgiveness program. 11 1. Number and certification. Eighty regents large animal veterinarian 12 loan forgiveness awards shall be awarded each year. Such awards shall be 13 allocated as provided in article thirteen of this title to eligible 14 large animal veterinarians as certified to the president by the commis- 15 sioner. 16 2. Calculation of award amounts. Each award shall consist of two 17 consecutive annual loan forgiveness payments. Each of the annual 18 payments shall be for an amount equal to the total of undergraduate and 19 veterinary medical school student loan expense or ten thousand dollars, 20 whichever is less. The president shall be responsible for calculating 21 the dollar amount of each award that eligible candidates may receive 22 from this program. For the purposes of this section, student loan 23 expense shall mean the cumulative total of the annual student loans 24 covering the cost of attendance at an undergraduate institution and/or 25 veterinary medical school. Interest paid or due on student loans that an 26 applicant has taken out for use in paying for such undergraduate and/or 27 veterinarian medical education shall be considered eligible for 28 reimbursement under this program. 29 3. Award disbursement. a. Annual award disbursements shall be the 30 responsibility of the president and shall occur prior to the beginning 31 of each of the required terms of service as specified in the service 32 contract. The board of trustees of the higher education services corpo- 33 ration shall adopt rules and regulations regarding criteria for deter- 34 mining successful completion of the service contract and any appeal 35 process that may be required to implement this paragraph upon recommen- 36 dation of the president in consultation with the commissioner. 37 b. The disbursement of the second annual award shall be dependent upon 38 successful completion of the first year requirement of the service 39 contract as defined by the president as well as other criteria set forth 40 in this section. 41 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding 42 the date on which it shall have become a law.
