Bill Text: NY A08323 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Establishes the PRODi-G EOP to PhD loan forgiveness program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to higher education [A08323 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A08323-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8323

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      June 14, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. PICHARDO -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Higher Education

        AN  ACT  to amend the education law, in relation to the establishment of
          the PRODi-G EOP to PhD loan forgiveness program

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Section 355 of the education law is amended by adding a new
     2  subdivision 20 to read as follows:
     3    20. PRODi-G EOP to PhD loan forgiveness program. a. Program.  Notwith-
     4  standing  any  provision of law, rule or regulation to the contrary, the
     5  state university trustees are authorized to grant student loan  forgive-
     6  ness  awards pursuant to this subdivision in order to recruit and retain
     7  faculty members from diverse and  underrepresented  backgrounds  at  the
     8  state university of New York.
     9    b. Eligibility. First priority for awards pursuant to this subdivision
    10  shall  go  to applicants who were previously enrolled in the educational
    11  opportunity program as defined in section sixty-four  hundred  fifty-two
    12  of  this  chapter. To be eligible for an award pursuant to this subdivi-
    13  sion, an applicant shall: (i) have graduated from a high school  located
    14  in  New  York state or attended an approved New York state program for a
    15  state high school equivalency diploma  and  received  such  high  school
    16  equivalency  diploma; (ii) have graduated and obtained a graduate degree
    17  from a college or university from the state university of New York in or
    18  after the two thousand nineteen--twenty academic year; (iii)  apply  for
    19  this  program  within  two  years  of obtaining such degree; and (iv) be
    20  employed as an eligible faculty member, at the state university  of  New
    21  York.  The  state university of New York may establish additional eligi-
    22  bility criteria as it deems necessary and appropriate.
    23    c. Selection process. The state university of New York shall establish
    24  a process for selecting award recipients, including but not  limited  to
    25  setting  application  submission  requirements and a method of selecting

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD11819-01-9
        A. 8323                             2

     1  recipients if there are insufficient funds to cover  the  needs  of  all
     2  applicants.
     3    d.  Awards.  Loan  forgiveness  awards  may be granted to reimburse an
     4  award recipient's student loan expenses up to a maximum of ten  thousand
     5  dollars per qualifying year of academic service, as defined by the state
     6  university  of  New York, up to a maximum of five years. Awards shall be
     7  granted within the amounts appropriated for such purpose  and  based  on
     8  the  availability  of  funds.  For  the  purposes  of  this subdivision,
     9  "student loan expense" shall mean the total loan balance required to  be
    10  paid by the award recipient on the cumulative total of the award recipi-
    11  ent's  outstanding  student loans covering his or her cost of attendance
    12  at an undergraduate institution and/or graduate school, at the  time  of
    13  the  award  recipient's  first application for reimbursement.   Interest
    14  paid or due on such loans shall be considered eligible for reimbursement
    15  under this program. For purposes of this calculation, the amount of  the
    16  student  loan expenses shall be reduced by any grants, loan forgiveness,
    17  or similar reductions to the  faculty  member's  indebtedness  that  the
    18  faculty member has received or shall receive, including, but not limited
    19  to,  graduate  school  loan forgiveness and public service scholarships.
    20  The state university  of  New  York  is  authorized  to  impose  service
    21  requirements  or  other  similar  conditions upon acceptance of an award
    22  pursuant to this subdivision.
    23    e. Rules and regulations. The state university of New York is  author-
    24  ized  to  promulgate rules and regulations, and may promulgate emergency
    25  regulations necessary for the implementation of the provisions  of  this
    26  subdivision.
    27    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.