Do you support this bill?

Senate Bill S1277

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Provides for loan forgiveness for mental health nurses

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

Please enter your contact information

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

co-Sponsors

2025-S1277 (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: S5552
2019-2020: S1429
2021-2022: S2664
2023-2024: S7486

2025-S1277 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides for loan forgiveness for mental health nurses that make a commitment to practice in a "rural" tract or county.

2025-S1277 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S1277 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1277
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 9, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. GALLIVAN, BORRELLO -- read twice and ordered print-
   ed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Educa-
   tion
 
 AN ACT to amend  the  education  law,  in  relation  to  providing  loan
   forgiveness for mental health nurses
 
   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 MENTAL HEALTH NURSE LOAN FORGIVENESS INCENTIVE
 PROGRAM. 1.  PURPOSE. THE PRESIDENT SHALL GRANT STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS
 AWARDS  FOR  THE  PURPOSE OF ALLEVIATING THE BURDEN OF STUDENT LOAN DEBT
 FOR MENTAL HEALTH NURSES IN NEW YORK STATE. SUCH AWARDS SHALL BE MADE ON
 A COMPETITIVE BASIS AS PROMULGATED BY THE CORPORATION FOR SUCH PURPOSES,
 TO APPLICANTS WHO MEET THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA. SUCH  RULES  AND  REGU-
 LATIONS SHALL INCLUDE PROVISIONS FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF APPLICANTS WHO
 ARE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED.
   2.  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  AS A PROFESSIONAL OR PRACTICAL NURSE, NURSE PRACTI-
 TIONER, OR CLINICAL NURSE SPECIALIST IN NEW  YORK  STATE  IN  ACCORDANCE
 WITH  SECTIONS SIX THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED FIVE, SIX THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED
 SIX, SIX THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED TEN AND SIX THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED  ELEVEN
 OF THIS CHAPTER;
   (D) APPLY FOR THIS PROGRAM WITHIN TWO YEARS OF COLLEGE GRADUATION;
   (E)  COMPLY  WITH  SUBDIVISIONS  THREE AND 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.
                                                            LBD04131-01-5
 S. 1277                             2

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.