Assembly Actions -
Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE |
|
---|---|
May 02, 2012 |
referred to finance |
Senate Bill S7319
2011-2012 Legislative Session
Sponsored By
(D, WF) 21st Senate District
Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance 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
Actions
2011-S7319 (ACTIVE) - Details
- Current Committee:
- Senate Finance
- Law Section:
- State Finance Law
- Laws Affected:
- Add §99-u, St Fin L; amd §§465 & 212, add Art 15-A §§499-a - 499-c, Judy L
- Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
-
2013-2014:
S2643
2015-2016: S773
2011-S7319 (ACTIVE) - Summary
Establishes the "public interest legal services loan assistance fund" of the state of New York (to consist of a portion of bar examination fees and other funds appropriated by the legislature therefor and such other monies as may be credited or otherwise transferred from any other fund or source pursuant to law, including voluntary contributions); provides for administration of such fund to assist public service attorneys practicing public interest law in repaying their student loans; defines certain terms and adds other related provisions.
2011-S7319 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo
BILL NUMBER:S7319 TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the state finance law and the judiciary law, in relation to the retention of qualified public service attorneys through assistance in repaying student loans PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: To increase the number of attorneys willing to make a commitment to public service work. SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: This bill, entitled the "public interest legal services loan assistance act," would establish a special fund and program designed to reimburse attorneys who work for public sector institutions, such as district attorneys offices, or civil legal services for loans incurred for their legal education. After working three years as an "eligible attorney," such attorneys could apply for annual grants up to $6,000 for the next six years to cover the cost of their student loans. The grant program would be administered by the Office of Court Administration and would be subject to the appropriations provided therefor. The fee for taking
2011-S7319 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 7319 I N S E N A T E May 2, 2012 ___________ Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance AN ACT to amend the state finance law and the judiciary law, in relation to the retention of qualified public service attorneys through assist- ance in repaying student loans THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "public interest legal services loan assistance act." S 2. Declaration of policy and legislative intent. The legislature reaffirms that the efficient and effective provision of high-quality legal services on behalf of the state, its political subdivisions and the populations therein depends on competent, dedicated attorneys making a long-term commitment to public-service work, whether as prosecutors, public defenders or other indigent defense attorneys, civil legal services attorneys, or the equivalent. The legislature finds, however, that because these attorneys often carry significant and increasing student loan debt burdens and have grave difficulty in repaying such debts on the relatively low salaries paid by most public interest posi- tions, many of these attorneys are being forced to leave public service. The loss of so many capable public interest attorneys, often at the very time they have achieved sufficient training and experience to handle the most complex matters of public concern, has had an adverse impact on government generally and reduced the capacity of the criminal and civil justice systems to provide the consistently high-quality legal services the people of New York state deserve. The legislature finds that the difficulty of attracting and retaining well-trained public interest lawyers due to student loan debt frustrates the achievement of important constitutional and statutory policy objectives, increases the cost of state and local government, and diminishes public confidence in the criminal and civil justice systems. The legislature therefore recognizes the value of retaining these seasoned public servants in public interest positions and finds that it is in the public interest to provide finan- cial assistance to help these attorneys repay their student loans. EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted.
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