Bill Text: NY A08375 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Provides for loan forgiveness for social workers who commit to work in counties with less than two hundred thousand population, or towns which have a population of less than one hundred fifty persons per square mile for the duration of the award.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to higher education [A08375 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A08375-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8375

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    December 13, 2023
                                       ___________

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

        AN ACT to amend  the  education  law,  in  relation  to  providing  loan
          forgiveness for social workers

          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-k
     2  to read as follows:
     3    §  679-k.  New  York  state  social  worker loan forgiveness incentive
     4  program. 1.  Purpose. The president shall grant student loan forgiveness
     5  awards for the purpose of alleviating the burden of  student  loan  debt
     6  for  social  workers  in  New York state. Such awards shall be made on a
     7  competitive basis as promulgated by the corporation for  such  purposes,
     8  to  applicants  who  meet the eligibility criteria. Such rules and regu-
     9  lations shall include provisions for the consideration of applicants who
    10  are economically disadvantaged.
    11    2. Eligibility. To be eligible for an award pursuant to this  section,
    12  applicants shall:
    13    (a)  have  graduated  and  obtained a degree from an approved New York
    14  state college or university;
    15    (b) have an outstanding student loan debt from obtaining such degree;
    16    (c) be employed as a licensed master social worker or  licensed  clin-
    17  ical  social  worker  in  New  York state in accordance with article one
    18  hundred fifty-four of this chapter;
    19    (d) apply for this program within two years of college graduation;
    20    (e) comply with subdivisions three and five  of  section  six  hundred
    21  sixty-one of this part; and
    22    (f)  make  a  commitment  to  practice  in a county with less than two
    23  hundred thousand population, or any town which has a population of  less
    24  than  one  hundred fifty persons per square mile for the duration of the
    25  award.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13664-01-3
        A. 8375                             2

     1    3. Awards. The corporation shall  grant  such  awards  within  amounts
     2  appropriated for such purposes and based on the availability of funds.
     3    §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
     4  have become a law.