NY State Senate Bill 2019-S6732

Senate Bill S6732

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Relates to establishing the New York state volunteer first responder loan forgiveness incentive program

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2020	referred to higher education
Sep 20, 2019	referred to rules

co-Sponsors

2019-S6732 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Higher Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Add §679-k, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2017-2018: S8359
2021-2022: S3915
2023-2024: S3360

2019-S6732 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes the New York state volunteer first responder loan forgiveness incentive program for the purpose of attracting and retaining volunteer ambulance workers and volunteer firefighters in the state.

2019-S6732 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S6732

SPONSOR: KENNEDY
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the education law, in relation to
establishing the New York state volunteer first responder loan forgive-
ness incentive program

 
PURPOSE:

To provide student loan forgiveness to volunteer first responders who
make a five year commitment to work in a voluntary fire or ambulatory
department in New York state.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Amends the education law by adding a new section § 679-k.

1. Establishes the purpose of this legislation

2. Provides the eligibility requirements for the award, applicants must:

a. have outstanding student loan debt

b. make a five year commitment to the volunteer fire or ambulatory
company

c. apply within five years of college graduation

d. Comply with section 661 of the education law

3. Establishes amount of the awards for eligible applicants

4. States how the priority of application will be applied

5. Mandate that the rules and regulations will be established by the
State Education Department

Section 2. Effective date.

 
EXISTING LAW:

New legislation.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In New York State, nearly 95%1 of fire departments are partially or
entirely volunteer-run, often including emergency medical services with-
in their departments. Currently, these organizations are facing major
obstacles in terms of retention and recruitment. Volunteer emergency
personnel are an aging demographic; additionally, it's often difficult
to attract new volunteers when there are more demands than ever in young
people's lives.

The aging workforce and the difficulty with retention, combined with the
fact that in the last 30 years call volume has tripled,*has left volun-
teer fire and ambulatory departments across New York State strapped for
resources.


In New York State, the average college debt burden is $30,000 per
student, ranking New York as having the 18th highest student debt among
the states**.This legislation would establish a loan forgiveness program
for New York State residents that commitment a minimum of five years to
a volunteer fire or ambulatory department. This will incentivize members
of the community to become volunteer first responders, while lifting a
major financial burden for young people in our communities.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2018: S8359

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
*. U.S. Fire Department Profile - 2015. National Fire Protection Associ-
ation, Quincy, MA, April 2017
**. Institute for College Access & Success NYS

2019-S6732 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6732
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                            September 20, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. KENNEDY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing  the  New
   York  state  volunteer  first  responder  loan  forgiveness  incentive
   program

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 679-k
 to read as follows:
   § 679-K. NEW YORK STATE VOLUNTEER  FIRST  RESPONDER  LOAN  FORGIVENESS
 INCENTIVE  PROGRAM.   1. PURPOSE. THE PRESIDENT SHALL GRANT STUDENT LOAN
 FORGIVENESS AWARDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF ATTRACTING AND RETAINING VOLUNTEER
 AMBULANCE WORKERS, AS DEFINED IN SECTION THREE OF  THE  VOLUNTEER  AMBU-
 LANCE  WORKERS'  BENEFIT  LAW, AND VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS, AS DEFINED IN
 SECTION THREE OF THE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS' BENEFIT  LAW.  SUCH  AWARDS
 SHALL BE MADE ON A COMPETITIVE BASIS, IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULES AND REGU-
 LATIONS  PROMULGATED BY THE CORPORATION FOR SUCH PURPOSES, TO APPLICANTS
 WHO MEET THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA.
   2. ELIGIBILITY. TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR AN AWARD PURSUANT TO THIS  SECTION,
 APPLICANTS SHALL:
   A.  HAVE OUTSTANDING STUDENT LOAN DEBT;
   B.  AGREE  TO WORK IN A VOLUNTARY FIRE OR AMBULATORY DEPARTMENT IN NEW
 YORK STATE FOR A PERIOD OF NO LESS THAN FIVE YEARS;
   C. APPLY FOR THIS PROGRAM WITHIN FIVE YEARS OF COLLEGE GRADUATION; AND
   D. COMPLY WITH SUBDIVISIONS THREE AND  FIVE  OF  SECTION  SIX  HUNDRED
 SIXTY-ONE OF THIS PART.
   3.  AWARDS.  AWARDS  SHALL  BE  GRANTED TO QUALIFIED APPLICANTS IN THE
 AMOUNT OF UP TO TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS PER YEAR,  PER  APPLICANT,  NOT  TO
 EXCEED  A  DURATION  OF FIVE YEARS AND NOT TO EXCEED THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF
 SUCH APPLICANT'S STUDENT LOAN DEBT. THE  CORPORATION  SHALL  GRANT  SUCH
 AWARDS  WITHIN  AMOUNTS  APPROPRIATED FOR SUCH PURPOSES AND BASED ON THE
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD04272-01-9

 S. 6732                             2
 
 AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS. NO ONE APPLICANT SHALL RECEIVE MORE THAN A  TOTAL
 OF FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS UPON THE END OF A FIVE-YEAR PERIOD.
   4.  PRIORITY.  FIRST  PRIORITY  SHALL  BE GIVEN TO APPLICANTS WHO HAVE
 RECEIVED PAYMENT OF AN AWARD PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION IN  A  PRIOR  YEAR
 AND  REMAIN ELIGIBLE.   SECOND PRIORITY SHALL BE GIVEN TO APPLICANTS WHO
 HAVE GRADUATED AND OBTAINED AN UNDERGRADUATE OR GRADUATE DEGREE  FROM  A
 COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY LOCATED IN NEW YORK STATE. THIRD PRIORITY SHALL BE
 GIVEN  TO  APPLICANTS  WHO  ARE  COMPLETING THE SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH OR
 FIFTH YEAR OF SERVICE AT A VOLUNTARY FIRE OR  AMBULATORY  DEPARTMENT  IN
 NEW  YORK. FOURTH PRIORITY SHALL BE GIVEN TO AN APPLICANT WHO CAN DEMON-
 STRATE ECONOMIC NEED BUT DID NOT RECEIVE AN AWARD DURING THE FIRST  YEAR
 OF  THIS PROGRAM'S OPERATION. IF LARGER NUMBERS OF APPLICANTS ARE ELIGI-
 BLE PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION THAN FUNDS AVAILABLE, APPLICANTS  SHALL
 BE  CHOSEN  PURSUANT  TO RULES AND REGULATIONS PROMULGATED BY THE CORPO-
 RATION; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT EACH APPLICANT CHOSEN SHALL  RECEIVE  AN
 AWARD  OF  UP  TO  TEN  THOUSAND  DOLLARS IN EACH YEAR SUCH APPLICANT IS
 ACCEPTED INTO THE PROGRAM.
   5. RULES AND REGULATIONS. THE CORPORATION IS AUTHORIZED TO  PROMULGATE
 RULES  AND REGULATIONS, AND MAY PROMULGATE EMERGENCY REGULATIONS, NECES-
 SARY FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S6732

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Sponsored By

Timothy M. Kennedy