Bill Text: NY A07809 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Creates a volunteer firefighter scholarship program; rewards volunteer firefighters who respond to twenty-five percent of emergency calls for eight years with a student loan award equal to four times the SUNY tuition rate; makes an appropriation therefor.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 8-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to higher education [A07809 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A07809-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7809

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      May 23, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. NORRIS -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Higher Education

        AN  ACT  to amend the education law, in relation to creating a volunteer
          firefighter scholarship program; and making an appropriation  relating
          therefor

          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  669-i
     2  to read as follows:
     3    §  669-i.  Volunteer firefighter scholarship program. 1.  Eligibility.
     4  (a) A volunteer firefighter scholarship award shall be made to an appli-
     5  cant who:
     6    (i) serves as an active volunteer firefighter as defined  in  subdivi-
     7  sion one of section two hundred fifteen of the general municipal law who
     8  has attended twenty-five percent of emergency calls for each year; and
     9    (ii)  complies  with the applicable provisions of this article and all
    10  requirements promulgated by the office of higher education,  hereinafter
    11  referred to as the "office", for the administration of the program.
    12    (b) Student loans eligible for this program are:
    13    (i) student loans accrued while attending a private or public institu-
    14  tion  of higher education within New York state from which the recipient
    15  received credits which were used to acquire a bachelor's  degree  at  an
    16  approved program; or
    17    (ii)  student loans accrued while attending an accredited trade school
    18  or vocational program within New York state  from  which  the  recipient
    19  received a certificate or license.
    20    2.  Amount.  Within  amounts appropriated therefor and based on avail-
    21  ability of funds, awards shall be granted to applicants that the  office
    22  has  determined  are  eligible  to receive such awards. The office shall
    23  grant such awards in an amount up to four times the current tuition rate
    24  at a state university of New York college. Upon notification of an award

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD11337-02-9

        A. 7809                             2

     1  under this program, the office shall pay the interest on the recipient's
     2  student loans for eight years and, upon the completion of the  program's
     3  requirements,  any  remaining  student loan interest and principal up to
     4  four  times  the  current tuition rate at a state university of New York
     5  college. If the amount of the recipient's remaining student loan  inter-
     6  est  and principal is less than four times the current tuition rate at a
     7  state university of New York college at  the  end  of  the  program,  an
     8  amount  equal  to  the  difference  between  (a)  four times the current
     9  tuition rate at a state university of New York college  or  the  initial
    10  principal  on  the recipient's student loans, whichever is less, and (b)
    11  the amount of principal and interest paid at  the  end  of  the  program
    12  shall be issued to the recipient. In the event that a recipient fails to
    13  maintain  eligibility  in the program, no further payments shall be made
    14  until the recipient again becomes eligible for the program.
    15    3. Conditions. (a) A recipient shall agree to  reside  exclusively  in
    16  New  York  state and shall not be employed in any other state, for eight
    17  years.
    18    (b) A recipient shall be an active volunteer firefighter as defined in
    19  subdivision one of section two hundred fifteen of the general  municipal
    20  law  who  has  attended  twenty-five percent of emergency calls for each
    21  year, for eight years. The recipient shall annually submit to the office
    22  an affidavit signed by his or her chief or  company  director  verifying
    23  the  recipient's participation in emergency calls is at or above twenty-
    24  five percent for the prior year.
    25    4. Contract. (a) A recipient shall sign a contract with the office  to
    26  have  his  or  her full award converted to a student loan according to a
    27  schedule to be determined by the  office  if  such  recipient  fails  to
    28  fulfill  the  requirements  set out in subdivision three of this section
    29  unless such requirement is waived by the  commissioner.  The  terms  and
    30  conditions  of  the contract shall be established by the rules and regu-
    31  lations by the office. A waiver issued by the commissioner shall only be
    32  for up to one year of requirements and must be renewed by the commission
    33  to waive requirements for additional years.  Any  obligation  to  comply
    34  with  such  provisions  as outlined in this paragraph shall be cancelled
    35  upon the death of the recipient.
    36    (b) The commissioner may, in extreme circumstances including, but  not
    37  limited  to, temporary or permanent disability, illness and family emer-
    38  gency resulting in relocation or extended family leave, waive an  amount
    39  of  the  award  converted into a student loan equal to the amount of the
    40  award multiplied by  the  years  the  recipient  fulfilled  his  or  her
    41  requirements under subdivision three of this section divided by eight.
    42    (c)  Notwithstanding any provisions of this paragraph to the contrary,
    43  the office is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to  provide
    44  for  the  waiver  or  suspension of any financial obligation which would
    45  involve extreme hardship.
    46    5. Recipient selection. The office shall establish: (a) an application
    47  deadline of within two years of completing a qualifying course of study;
    48  (b) a method of selecting recipients if in  any  given  year  there  are
    49  insufficient  funds  to  cover  the needs of all the applicants provided
    50  that priority shall be given to eligible applicants; and (c) a method of
    51  recording how much each recipient owes in student loans at any time, how
    52  much each recipient had taken out in principal in student loans and  how
    53  much has been paid on each recipient's student loans by the program.
    54    6. Rules and regulations. The office is authorized to promulgate rules
    55  and regulations, and may promulgate emergency regulations, necessary for
    56  the  implementation of the provisions of this section including, but not

        A. 7809                             3

     1  limited to, the criteria for distributing the awards, which may  include
     2  a lottery or other form of random selection.
     3    §  2.  The sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000), or so much thereof
     4  as may be necessary, is hereby annually appropriated out  of  moneys  in
     5  the  state  treasury  in  the  general  fund  to the credit of the state
     6  purposes account,  not  otherwise  appropriated,  and  made  immediately
     7  available  to the office of higher education of the department of educa-
     8  tion for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of  this  act.  Such
     9  moneys  shall  be payable on the audit and warrant of the comptroller on
    10  vouchers certified or approved in the manner prescribed by law.
    11    § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    12  it shall have become a law.
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