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