Bill Text: NJ SJR23 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges President and Congress of United States to enact student loan forgiveness program for teachers in military-impacted communities.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Higher Education Committee [SJR23 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-SJR23-Introduced.html
No. 23
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator LATHAM TIVER
District 8 (Atlantic and Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Urges President and Congress of United States to enact student loan forgiveness program for teachers in military-impacted communities.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
A Joint Resolution urging the President and the Congress of the United States to enact a student loan forgiveness program for teachers in military-impacted communities.
Whereas, The dependent children of active duty United States military personnel often encounter educational and social-emotional challenges during the transition to a new school when the student's parent or guardian is relocated due to the active member's continued military service; and
Whereas, Teachers often serve as the initial point of contact for many military-connected students and can help ease entry into the new school environment for those students; and
Whereas, Legislation pending before the federal government makes teachers who teach in military-impacted communities eligible for student loan forgiveness; and
Whereas, A military-impacted community is defined as one that is served by a local educational agency for which at least 20 percent of the students in average daily attendance in all schools served by the agency during the preceding school year had a parent on active duty; and
Whereas, Specifically, the federal legislation directs the United States Department of Education to cancel up to $17,500 of federal student loans for a borrower who is an elementary or secondary school teacher employed for five consecutive years in a school in a military-impacted community; and
Whereas, According to the Education Data Initiative, student loan debt in the United States totals $1.76 trillion, the average federal student loan debt balance is $37,014, and the average student who attends a public institution of higher education borrows over $30,000 to attain a bachelor's degree; and
Whereas, Ensuring that schools recruit and retain educators who understand the unique experiences of military-connected students is critical to ensuring a high quality of life for military-impacted communities; and
Whereas, It is critically important that the federal government enact a student loan forgiveness program to help attract and retain highly qualified and skilled teachers to teach in military-impacted communities to ensure military-connected students receive a quality education; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The State of New Jersey urges the President and the Congress of the United States to enact a student loan forgiveness program for teachers who teach in military-impacted communities to help attract and retain highly qualified and skilled teachers to teach in those communities and ensure that military-connected students receive a quality education.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to each member of Congress elected from New Jersey.
3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This joint resolution urges the President and the Congress of the United States to enact a student loan forgiveness program for teachers who teach in military-impacted communities to help attract and retain highly qualified and skilled teachers to teach in those communities and ensure that military-connected students receive a quality education.
The dependent children of active duty United States military personnel often encounter educational and social-emotional challenges during the transition to a new school when the student's parent or guardian is relocated due to the active member's continued military service. Teachers often serve as the initial point of contact for many military-connected students and can help ease entry into the new school environment for those students.
