S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3915
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 1, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sens. KENNEDY, KAMINSKY -- 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  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  SUBDIVISION 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.
              

                                                            LBD07921-01-1

 S. 3915                             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.