Bill Text: NY S01192 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Establishes the police officer and firefighter loan forgiveness program for eligible police officers and firefighters who attend certain colleges and reside in a city with a population between 250,000 and one million.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-06 - REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION [S01192 Detail]

Download: New_York-2009-S01192-Introduced.html

---

                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
           S. 1192                                                  A. 3481
                              2009-2010 Regular Sessions
                             S E N A T E - A S S E M B L Y
                                   January 27, 2009
                                      ___________
       IN  SENATE  -- Introduced by Sens. THOMPSON, DUANE, C. JOHNSON, ONORATO,
         PARKER, STACHOWSKI -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed
         to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education
       IN ASSEMBLY -- Introduced by M. of A. PEOPLES -- read once and  referred
         to the Committee on Education
       AN  ACT  to  amend  the  education  law, in relation to establishing the
         police officer and firefighter loan forgiveness program
         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 677-b
    2  to read as follows:
    3    S 677-B. POLICE OFFICER AND FIREFIGHTER LOAN FORGIVENESS  PROGRAM.  1.
    4  CERTIFICATION.  POLICE  OFFICER  AND FIREFIGHTER LOAN FORGIVENESS AWARDS
    5  SHALL BE AWARDED EACH YEAR. SUCH AWARDS SHALL BE ALLOCATED  AS  PROVIDED
    6  IN THIS SECTION TO ELIGIBLE POLICE OFFICERS AND ELIGIBLE FIREFIGHTERS AS
    7  CERTIFIED TO THE COMMISSIONER BY THE PRESIDENT.
    8    2.  ELIGIBILITY. A POLICE OFFICER OR FIREFIGHTER SHALL BE ELIGIBLE FOR
    9  AN AWARD UNDER THIS SECTION PROVIDED THAT: (I) SUCH PERSON RESIDES IN  A
   10  CITY  WITH  A  POPULATION  BETWEEN  TWO  HUNDRED  FIFTY THOUSAND AND ONE
   11  MILLION WHICH HAS ENACTED A LOCAL LAW PROVIDING FOR SUCH POLICE  OFFICER
   12  AND  FIREFIGHTER  LOAN  FORGIVENESS PROGRAM, (II) SUCH POLICE OFFICER OR
   13  FIREFIGHTER IS EMPLOYED IN SUCH CITY AS A POLICE OFFICER OR FIREFIGHTER,
   14  AND (III) SUCH POLICE  OFFICER  OR  FIREFIGHTER  INCURRED  STUDENT  LOAN
   15  EXPENSE  WHILE ATTENDING BUFFALO STATE COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO OR
   16  ERIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
   17    3. DURATION. EACH AWARD SHALL ENTITLE THE RECIPIENT TO AN ANNUAL AWARD
   18  AND A RECIPIENT SHALL BE ELIGIBLE FOR NO MORE THAN A TOTAL OF TWO  THOU-
   19  SAND DOLLARS A YEAR FOR A MAXIMUM OF SIX YEARS.
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD04681-01-9
       S. 1192                             2                            A. 3481
    1    4. CALCULATION OF AWARD AMOUNTS. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE
    2  FOR CALCULATING THE DOLLAR AMOUNT OF EACH AWARD THAT ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES
    3  MAY RECEIVE FROM THIS PROGRAM.
    4    5.  STUDENT  LOAN EXPENSE. STUDENT LOAN EXPENSE SHALL MEAN THE CUMULA-
    5  TIVE TOTAL OF THE ANNUAL STUDENT LOANS COVERING THE COST  OF  ATTENDANCE
    6  AT  BUFFALO  STATE  COLLEGE,  UNIVERSITY  OF  BUFFALO  OR ERIE COMMUNITY
    7  COLLEGE WHICH ARE OUTSTANDING WHEN APPLICATION FOR SUCH PROGRAM IS  MADE
    8  PURSUANT  TO  SUBDIVISION  SIX  OF THIS SECTION. INTEREST PAID OR DUE ON
    9  SUCH STUDENT LOANS THAT AN APPLICANT HAS TAKEN OUT FOR USE IN PAYING FOR
   10  SUCH EDUCATION SHALL BE CONSIDERED ELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSEMENT UNDER THIS
   11  PROGRAM.
   12    6. APPLICATION AND SELECTION. APPLICATION SHALL BE MADE TO THE COMMIS-
   13  SIONER IN A MANNER PRESCRIBED BY THE COMMISSIONER.
   14    7. AWARD DISBURSEMENT. ANNUAL AWARD DISBURSEMENTS SHALL BE THE RESPON-
   15  SIBILITY OF THE COMMISSIONER. THE COMMISSIONER  SHALL  FORWARD  APPROVED
   16  APPLICATIONS TO THE PRESIDENT NO LATER THAN NINETY DAYS AFTER RECEIPT OF
   17  SUCH  APPLICATIONS.  WITHIN  FORTY-FIVE DAYS, THE PRESIDENT SHALL VERIFY
   18  THE APPROVED APPLICANTS' ELIGIBILITY AND TOTAL STUDENT LOAN EXPENSE.
   19    8. NOTIFICATION. THE PRESIDENT SHALL NOTIFY THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  THE
   20  AWARD  ENTITLEMENT FOR EACH APPROVED APPLICANT PURSUANT TO THE VERIFICA-
   21  TION PERFORMED IN SUBDIVISION SEVEN OF THIS SECTION.
   22    S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.