S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  5927--A
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 16, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. STAVISKY, JACKSON, PARKER -- read twice and ordered
   printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Higher
   Education  --  recommitted  to  the  Committee  on Higher Education in
   accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 --  committee  discharged,  bill
   amended,  ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
   tee
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to the  establishment  of
   the PRODi-G EOP to PhD loan forgiveness program
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 355 of the education law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 20 to read as follows:
   20. PRODI-G EOP TO PHD LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM. A. PROGRAM.  NOTWITH-
 STANDING ANY PROVISION OF LAW, RULE OR REGULATION TO THE  CONTRARY,  THE
 STATE  UNIVERSITY TRUSTEES ARE AUTHORIZED TO GRANT STUDENT LOAN FORGIVE-
 NESS AWARDS PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION IN ORDER TO RECRUIT AND  RETAIN
 FACULTY  MEMBERS  FROM  DIVERSE  AND UNDERREPRESENTED BACKGROUNDS AT THE
 STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK.
   B. ELIGIBILITY. FIRST PRIORITY FOR AWARDS PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION
 SHALL GO TO APPLICANTS WHO WERE PREVIOUSLY ENROLLED IN  THE  EDUCATIONAL
 OPPORTUNITY  PROGRAM  AS DEFINED IN SECTION SIXTY-FOUR HUNDRED FIFTY-TWO
 OF THIS CHAPTER. TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR AN AWARD PURSUANT TO  THIS  SUBDIVI-
 SION,  AN APPLICANT SHALL: (I) HAVE GRADUATED FROM A HIGH SCHOOL LOCATED
 IN NEW YORK STATE OR ATTENDED AN APPROVED NEW YORK STATE PROGRAM  FOR  A
 STATE  HIGH  SCHOOL  EQUIVALENCY  DIPLOMA  AND RECEIVED SUCH HIGH SCHOOL
 EQUIVALENCY DIPLOMA; (II) HAVE GRADUATED AND OBTAINED A GRADUATE  DEGREE
 FROM A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY FROM THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK IN OR
 AFTER THE TWO THOUSAND TWENTY--TWENTY-ONE ACADEMIC YEAR; (III) APPLY FOR
 THIS  PROGRAM  WITHIN  TWO  YEARS  OF OBTAINING SUCH DEGREE; AND (IV) BE
 EMPLOYED AS AN ELIGIBLE FACULTY MEMBER, AT THE STATE UNIVERSITY  OF  NEW
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11819-02-0
              

 S. 5927--A                          2
 
 YORK.  THE  STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK MAY ESTABLISH ADDITIONAL ELIGI-
 BILITY CRITERIA AS IT DEEMS NECESSARY AND APPROPRIATE.
   C. SELECTION PROCESS. THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK SHALL ESTABLISH
 A  PROCESS  FOR SELECTING AWARD RECIPIENTS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
 SETTING APPLICATION SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND A  METHOD  OF  SELECTING
 RECIPIENTS  IF  THERE  ARE  INSUFFICIENT FUNDS TO COVER THE NEEDS OF ALL
 APPLICANTS.
   D. AWARDS. LOAN FORGIVENESS AWARDS MAY  BE  GRANTED  TO  REIMBURSE  AN
 AWARD  RECIPIENT'S STUDENT LOAN EXPENSES UP TO A MAXIMUM OF TEN THOUSAND
 DOLLARS PER QUALIFYING YEAR OF ACADEMIC SERVICE, AS DEFINED BY THE STATE
 UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, UP TO A MAXIMUM OF FIVE YEARS. AWARDS  SHALL  BE
 GRANTED  WITHIN  THE  AMOUNTS APPROPRIATED FOR SUCH PURPOSE AND BASED ON
 THE AVAILABILITY  OF  FUNDS.  FOR  THE  PURPOSES  OF  THIS  SUBDIVISION,
 "STUDENT  LOAN EXPENSE" SHALL MEAN THE TOTAL LOAN BALANCE REQUIRED TO BE
 PAID BY THE AWARD RECIPIENT ON THE CUMULATIVE TOTAL OF THE AWARD RECIPI-
 ENT'S OUTSTANDING STUDENT LOANS COVERING HIS OR HER COST  OF  ATTENDANCE
 AT  AN  UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION AND/OR GRADUATE SCHOOL, AT THE TIME OF
 THE AWARD RECIPIENT'S FIRST APPLICATION  FOR  REIMBURSEMENT.    INTEREST
 PAID OR DUE ON SUCH LOANS SHALL BE CONSIDERED ELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSEMENT
 UNDER  THIS PROGRAM. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS CALCULATION, THE AMOUNT OF THE
 STUDENT LOAN EXPENSES SHALL BE REDUCED BY ANY GRANTS, LOAN  FORGIVENESS,
 OR  SIMILAR  REDUCTIONS  TO  THE  FACULTY MEMBER'S INDEBTEDNESS THAT THE
 FACULTY MEMBER HAS RECEIVED OR SHALL RECEIVE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED
 TO, GRADUATE SCHOOL LOAN FORGIVENESS AND  PUBLIC  SERVICE  SCHOLARSHIPS.
 THE  STATE  UNIVERSITY  OF  NEW  YORK  IS  AUTHORIZED  TO IMPOSE SERVICE
 REQUIREMENTS OR OTHER SIMILAR CONDITIONS UPON  ACCEPTANCE  OF  AN  AWARD
 PURSUANT TO THIS SUBDIVISION.
   E.  RULES AND REGULATIONS. THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK IS AUTHOR-
 IZED TO PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS, AND MAY  PROMULGATE  EMERGENCY
 REGULATIONS  NECESSARY  FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROVISIONS OF THIS
 SUBDIVISION.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.