NY State Senate Bill 2023-S7301

Current 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 03, 2024	referred to higher education
May 19, 2023	referred to higher education

2023-S7301 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Higher Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Add §679-k, Ed L

2023-S7301 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes the New York state veteran student loan forgiveness program; awards up to $10,000 per year for five years, for eligible applicants.

2023-S7301 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7301

SPONSOR: SCARCELLA-SPANTON
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the New
York state veteran student loan forgiveness program

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section: The education law is amended by adding a new section 679-k.
The New York State Veteran Student Loan Forgiveness Program. Veteran
shall be a member of the armed forces of the United States who served an
was honorably discharged or released under conditions other than
dishonorable from such service, and presents an authorized veteran iden-
tification card, and who is a resident of the state of New York.

To be eligible for an award pursuant to this section, applicant shall:
(a) have graduated and obtained a degree from an approved New York state
college or university; (b) have an outstanding student loan debt from
obtaining such degree; (c) be employed full-time in New York State at
the time of application; (d) agree to reside in New York State for no
less than five years; (f) not receive or have received student loan

forgiveness or discharge from the federal government; and (f) comply
with subdivisions three and five of section six hundred sixty-one of
this part.

Awards shall be granted to qualified applicants for 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 availability of funds. No one applicant shall
receive more than a total of fifty thousand dollar upon the end of a
five-year period.

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 an applicant who can demonstrate
economic need and applicants having been awarded a disability rating of
forty percent or higher from the federal veteran's administration or
from the United States Department of Defense, where that disability was
incurred in the lone of duty in the active military, naval or air
service, as documented. If larger numbers of applicants are eligible
pursuant to this subdivision than funds available, applicants shall be
chosen pursuant to rues and regulation promulgated by the corporation.
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.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Service members on active duty can qualify for student loan deferments
and forbearances that help them through periods in which service inhib-
its their ability to make payments. However this legislation would
address members of the armed forces of the Unite States who served and
were honorably discharged or released under condition other than
dishonorable to apply for student loan forgiveness as long as they have
graduated and obtained a degree from an approved New York state college
or university, have an outstanding student loan debt from obtaining a
degree and employed full-time in New York State at the time of applica-
tion, agree to reside in New York State for no less than five years and
have not received or have received student loan forgiveness or discharge
from the federal government.

Purpose of this bill is to grant student loan forgiveness awards for
alleviating the burden of student loan debt for veterans. These awards
will be made on a competitive basis, in accordance with the rules and
regulations by the corporation in consultation with the division of
military and naval affairs, especially consideration of applicants who
are economically disadvantaged.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Yet to be determined

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become law.

2023-S7301 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7301
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 19, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing  the  New
   York state veteran student loan forgiveness 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 VETERAN STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM. 1.
 DEFINITION. FOR THE PURPOSES OF  THIS  SECTION,  "VETERAN"  SHALL  BE  A
 MEMBER  OF  THE  ARMED  FORCES  OF  THE UNITED STATES WHO SERVED AND WAS
 HONORABLY DISCHARGED OR RELEASED UNDER CONDITIONS OTHER  THAN  DISHONOR-
 ABLE  FROM  SUCH SERVICE, AND PRESENTS AN AUTHORIZED VETERAN IDENTIFICA-
 TION CARD, AND WHO IS A RESIDENT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
   2. PURPOSE. THE PRESIDENT SHALL GRANT STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS  AWARDS
 FOR  THE  PURPOSE  OF  ALLEVIATING  THE  BURDEN OF STUDENT LOAN DEBT FOR
 VETERANS.  SUCH AWARDS SHALL BE MADE ON A COMPETITIVE BASIS, IN  ACCORD-
 ANCE  WITH  RULES  AND  REGULATIONS  PROMULGATED  BY  THE CORPORATION IN
 CONSULTATION WITH THE DIVISION OF MILITARY AND NAVAL AFFAIRS,  FOR  SUCH
 PURPOSES,  TO  APPLICANTS  WHO MEET THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA. SUCH RULES
 AND REGULATIONS SHALL INCLUDE PROVISIONS FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF APPLI-
 CANTS WHO ARE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED.
   3. ELIGIBILITY. TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR AN AWARD PURSUANT TO THIS  SECTION,
 APPLICANTS  SHALL:  (A)  HAVE  GRADUATED  AND  OBTAINED A DEGREE FROM AN
 APPROVED NEW YORK STATE COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY; (B) HAVE  AN  OUTSTANDING
 STUDENT  LOAN DEBT FROM OBTAINING SUCH DEGREE; (C) BE EMPLOYED FULL-TIME
 IN NEW YORK STATE AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION; (D) AGREE TO RESIDE IN NEW
 YORK STATE FOR NO LESS THAN FIVE YEARS; (E) NOT RECEIVE OR HAVE RECEIVED
 STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS OR DISCHARGE FROM THE FEDERAL  GOVERNMENT;  AND
 (F)  COMPLY  WITH  SUBDIVISION  FIVE OF SECTION SIX HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE OF
 THIS PART.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11566-01-3

 S. 7301                             2
 
   4. 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
 AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS. NO ONE APPLICANT SHALL RECEIVE MORE THAN A  TOTAL
 OF FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS UPON THE END OF A FIVE-YEAR PERIOD.
   5.  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 AN APPLICANT WHO
 CAN DEMONSTRATE ECONOMIC NEED AND APPLICANTS HAVING BEEN AWARDED A DISA-
 BILITY RATING OF FORTY PERCENT OR HIGHER FROM THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT  OF
 VETERAN'S AFFAIRS OR FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, WHERE
 THAT DISABILITY WAS INCURRED IN THE LINE OF DUTY IN THE ACTIVE MILITARY,
 NAVAL  OR  AIR  SERVICE,  AS  DOCUMENTED  BY  THE CORPORATION. IF LARGER
 NUMBERS OF APPLICANTS ARE ELIGIBLE PURSUANT  TO  THIS  SUBDIVISION  THAN
 FUNDS  AVAILABLE, APPLICANTS SHALL BE CHOSEN PURSUANT TO RULES AND REGU-
 LATIONS PROMULGATED BY THE CORPORATION.  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.
   6.  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 on the ninetieth day after it shall
 have become a law.

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Senate Bill S7301

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

2023-S7301 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S7301 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S7301 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S7301 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S7301

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Sponsored By

Jessica Scarcella-Spanton

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

2023-S7301 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S7301 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S7301 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S7301 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments