Bill Text: NY S04963 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced

New York Senate Bill 4963 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Relates to providing loan forgiveness for agriculture educators.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2016-06-15 - referred to higher education [S04963 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-S04963-Introduced.html

                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         4963
                              2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                    April 24, 2015
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen. RITCHIE -- 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  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-h
    2  to read as follows:
    3    S  679-H. 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 AN AGRICULTURE EDUCATOR IN NEW YORK STATE;
   22    (D) APPLY FOR THIS PROGRAM WITHIN TWO YEARS OF COLLEGE GRADUATION; AND
   23    (E)  COMPLY  WITH  SUBDIVISIONS  THREE AND FIVE OF SECTION SIX HUNDRED
   24  SIXTY-ONE OF THIS PART.
   25    4. AWARDS. THE CORPORATION SHALL  GRANT  SUCH  AWARDS  WITHIN  AMOUNTS
   26  APPROPRIATED FOR SUCH PURPOSES AND BASED ON THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.
   27    S  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
   28  have become a law.
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD07577-02-5