Senate Bill S987

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S987

 TITLE OF BILL :

An act to amend the judiciary law, in relation to waiving the biennial
attorney registration fee for New York attorneys who meet the federal
public service loan forgiveness program employment qualifications

 PURPOSE :

Waives the biennial registration fee for New York attorneys who meet
the federal public service loan forgiveness program employment
qualifications

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section 1 amends Section 468-a of the Judiciary Law, to allow New York
attorneys who meet the employment requirements for participation in
the federal public service loan forgiveness program, as set forth by
34 C.F.R. 685.219, to similarly be eligible for a waiver of the
biennial attorney registration fee collected by the New York Office of
Court Administration.

Section 2 sets forth the effective date of this legislation.

 JUSTIFICATION :
              

As the nation's student debt crisis has continued to balloon in recent
years, law school graduates have been especially crippled by the cost
of their education. In 2015, The New York Times reported that the
average student loan debt carried by an American law school graduate
was approximately $140,000. This is in stark contrast to the average
student loan debt of $37,712 carried by students receiving an
undergraduate degree in 2016.

Recognizing that massive student loan debt brings a negative impact
upon the nation's economy, often disenabling professionals from making
'big ticket' purchases for up to thirty years in their futures, the
federal government implemented several reforms related to the
repayment of student loan debt. These included the establishment of
the income-based repayment programs, as well as the Public Service
Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLFP), now codified at 34 C.F.R. 685.219.
Graduates who are employed full-time by government organizations and
most 501(c)(3) nonprofit groups are eligible for participation in the
PSLFP, which forgives the balance of a graduate's student loan debt
after making ten years of payments on student loans, while employed by
such an organization. The PSLFP seeks to incentivize students to work
in government and/or non-profit positions where employers typically
cannot afford the salaries that can be earned in the private sector.

Building upon this theme, this legislation seeks to waive the biennial
attorney registration fee for New York attorneys who also qualify for
participation in the PSLFP. This fee, currently pegged at $375 every
two years, comes in addition to costly aspects of maintaining one's
bar license, including fees associated with mandatory continued legal
education and an attorney's admission to practice before federal
courts.  As the State of New York and other organizations necessarily
seek out the best and brightest attorneys to work on behalf of the
People, this legislation takes an important step toward incentivizing
lawyers to accept positions in public service.

 PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

New bill.

 FISCAL IMPACT :
To be determined.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law; provided, however that effective immediately, the
addition, amendment and/or repeal of the rules or regulations
necessary for the implementation of the foregoing provisions of this
act on its effective date are authorized and directed to be made and
completed on or before such effective date.