Bill Text: NY S03360 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes the New York state volunteer first responder loan forgiveness incentive program for the purpose of attracting and retaining volunteer ambulance workers and volunteer firefighters in the state.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-06 - RECOMMIT, ENACTING CLAUSE STRICKEN [S03360 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S03360-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          3360

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 31, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen. KENNEDY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education

        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing  the  New
          York  state  volunteer  first  responder  loan  forgiveness  incentive
          program

          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 volunteer  first  responder  loan  forgiveness
     4  incentive  program.   1. Purpose. The president shall grant student loan
     5  forgiveness awards for the purpose of attracting and retaining volunteer
     6  ambulance workers, as defined in section three of  the  volunteer  ambu-
     7  lance  workers'  benefit  law, and volunteer firefighters, as defined in
     8  section three of the volunteer firefighters' benefit  law.  Such  awards
     9  shall be made on a competitive basis, in accordance with rules and regu-
    10  lations  promulgated by the corporation for such purposes, to applicants
    11  who meet the eligibility criteria.
    12    2. Eligibility. To be eligible for an award pursuant to this  section,
    13  applicants shall:
    14    a.  have outstanding student loan debt;
    15    b.  agree  to work in a voluntary fire or ambulatory department in New
    16  York state for a period of no less than five years;
    17    c. apply for this program within five years of college graduation; and
    18    d. comply with subdivision five of section six  hundred  sixty-one  of
    19  this part.
    20    3.  Awards.  Awards  shall  be  granted to qualified applicants in the
    21  amount of up to ten thousand dollars per year,  per  applicant,  not  to
    22  exceed  a  duration  of five years and not to exceed the total amount of
    23  such applicant's student loan debt. The  corporation  shall  grant  such
    24  awards  within  amounts  appropriated for such purposes and based on the

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07832-01-3
        S. 3360                             2

     1  availability of funds. No one applicant shall receive more than a  total
     2  of fifty thousand dollars upon the end of a five-year period.
     3    4.  Priority.  First  priority  shall  be given to applicants who have
     4  received payment of an award pursuant to this section in  a  prior  year
     5  and  remain eligible.   Second priority shall be given to applicants who
     6  have graduated and obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree  from  a
     7  college or university located in New York state. Third priority shall be
     8  given  to  applicants  who  are  completing the second, third, fourth or
     9  fifth year of service at a voluntary fire or  ambulatory  department  in
    10  New  York. Fourth priority shall be given to an applicant who can demon-
    11  strate economic need but did not receive an award during the first  year
    12  of  this program's operation. If larger numbers of applicants are eligi-
    13  ble pursuant to this subdivision than funds available, applicants  shall
    14  be  chosen  pursuant  to rules and regulations promulgated by the corpo-
    15  ration; provided, however, that each applicant chosen shall  receive  an
    16  award  of  up  to  ten  thousand  dollars in each year such applicant is
    17  accepted into the program.
    18    5. Rules and regulations. The corporation is authorized to  promulgate
    19  rules  and regulations, and may promulgate emergency regulations, neces-
    20  sary for the implementation of the provisions of this section.
    21    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.