Bill Text: NY A05479 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

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) 2024-01-03 - referred to higher education [A05479 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A05479-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5479

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     March 13, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. MAHER -- 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.
                                                                   LBD09176-01-3
        A. 5479                             2

     1    (f) comply with subdivisions three and five  of  section  six  hundred
     2  sixty-one of 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.