NY State Senate Bill 2021-S5298

Archive: Last 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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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 05, 2022	referred to higher education
Mar 01, 2021	referred to higher education

2021-S5298 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Higher Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Add §682, Ed L; amd §§208 & 612, Tax L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2017-2018: S6240
2019-2020: S341
2023-2024: S5109

2021-S5298 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to establishing student loan repayment accounts; authorizes employers to establish student loan repayment accounts and provide matching funds up to $5000 a year; establishes tax deductions for participating employers.

2021-S5298 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S5298

SPONSOR: AKSHAR
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law and the tax law, in relation to estab-
lishing student loan repayment accounts

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF THE BILL:

This bill would allow employers to establish tax-deductible student loan
repayment accounts.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill amends the education law to authorize employers to
create student loan repayment accounts. Employees will be al lowed to
deposit up to $5,000 of their pre-taxable income annually.  Employers
may contribute matching funds to an employee's student loan repayment
account up to a maximum 100% of the employee's contribution. The student
loan accounts shall be managed by the comptroller and the higher educa-

tion services corporation.

Section 2 adds a new paragraph that establishes student loan repayment
accounts, which allow a deduction from entire net income in an amount
equal to the total amount of matching contributions made to employees'
student loan repayment accounts by a taxpayer during t he taxable year.

Section 3 establishes adds a new paragraph that states the amount equal
to the total of matching contributions made by a taxpayer during the
taxable year to employees' student loan repayment accounts be estab-
lished pursuant to section six hundred eighty-two of the education law.

Section 4 states that the aggregate of tax expenditure and taxes forgone
shall not exceed $70,000,000.

Section 5 lists the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

New Yorkers of all ages are currently facing heavy financial burdens due
to high amounts of student loan debt. Many families are struggling with
this burdensome debt while trying to provide for their families,
attempting to establish careers, and buy homes within the state.

In 2015, 17.9% of college graduates in New York State had accumulated
approximately $32,000 in student loan debt (The Federal Reserve Bank of
New York). Studies have shown that people younger than 40 years old
continue to have approximately 65% of outstanding higher education debt.

According to a 2016 study by the Society of Human Resource Management,
only 4% of companies are currently offering student loan repayment
assistance. This bill aims to raise that percentage and to create a
better environment for both employees and employers.

Student loan repayment accounts would help businesses and employers in
New York to attract and retain highly qualified employees. By providing
opportunities for our citizens to be successful contributors to our

economy, we are paving the way for a better business climate as well as
a stronger workforce in the State of New York.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2020-S341A:Referred to Higher Education

2019-S341A:Referred to Higher Education

2018-S6240:Reported and Committed to Finance

2017-S6240:Referred to Higher Education

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

The program shall not exceed $70 million annually.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Sixty days after becoming law.

2021-S5298 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5298
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               March 1, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  AKSHAR -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law and the tax law, in relation to estab-
   lishing student loan repayment accounts
 
   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 682 to
 read as follows:
   §  682.  STUDENT  LOAN  REPAYMENT  ACCOUNTS.  1. AN EMPLOYER IS HEREBY
 AUTHORIZED TO ESTABLISH STUDENT  LOAN  REPAYMENT  ACCOUNTS  WHICH  SHALL
 PERMIT  HIS  OR  HER  EMPLOYEES  TO  DEPOSIT  A PORTION OF THEIR PRE-TAX
 INCOME, UP TO FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ANNUALLY, INTO SUCH ACCOUNTS  SOLELY
 FOR  UNDERGRADUATE OR GRADUATE STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENTS. EMPLOYERS ELECT-
 ING TO ESTABLISH SUCH ACCOUNTS  MAY  CONTRIBUTE  MATCHING  FUNDS  TO  AN
 EMPLOYEE'S  STUDENT  LOAN  REPAYMENT  ACCOUNT  AND  SHALL  RECEIVE A TAX
 DEDUCTION FOR SUCH CONTRIBUTIONS. SUCH CONTRIBUTION MAY BE UP TO A MAXI-
 MUM OF ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE EMPLOYEE'S DEPOSIT, UP TO  FIVE  THOU-
 SAND DOLLARS ANNUALLY, PER EMPLOYEE ACCOUNT.
   2.  FOR  THE  PURPOSES  OF THIS SECTION, "STUDENT LOAN" SHALL MEAN THE
 CUMULATIVE TOTAL OF THE  ANNUAL  STUDENT  LOANS  COVERING  THE  COST  OF
 ATTENDANCE  AT  AN  UNDERGRADUATE OR GRADUATE COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY, AND
 ANY INTEREST THEREON.
   3. EMPLOYEE STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT ACCOUNTS SHALL BE  ESTABLISHED  FOR
 THE  DEPOSIT OF FUNDS TO BE USED BY THE EMPLOYEE SOLELY FOR REPAYMENT OF
 STUDENT LOANS. SUCH ACCOUNTS SHALL BE MANAGED BY THE COMPTROLLER AND THE
 HIGHER EDUCATION SERVICES CORPORATION. ALL PARTICIPATING  EMPLOYERS  AND
 EMPLOYEES  SHALL  PROVIDE  THE  COMPTROLLER AND THE CORPORATION WITH ALL
 NECESSARY INFORMATION IN ORDER  TO  IMPLEMENT  THE  PROVISIONS  OF  THIS
 SECTION.
   4.  MONEYS IN A STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT ACCOUNT SHALL BE AVAILABLE ONLY
 FOR REPAYMENTS OF STUDENT LOANS AS DEFINED IN THIS  SECTION.  ANY  WITH-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD04083-01-1

 S. 5298                             2
 
 DRAWAL  OR  DISTRIBUTION  FROM  A  STUDENT  LOAN REPAYMENT ACCOUNT WHICH
 VIOLATED THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL BE SUBJECT TO A PENAL-
 TY OF TEN PERCENT ON ANY SUCH WITHDRAWAL OR DISTRIBUTION.
   5. THE COMMISSIONER AND THE COMMISSIONER OF TAXATION AND FINANCE SHALL
 JOINTLY  PROMULGATE  RULES  AND  REGULATIONS  NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT THE
 PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
   § 2. Subdivision 9 of section 208 of the tax law is amended by  adding
 a new paragraph (u) to read as follows:
   (U)  A  TAXPAYER ESTABLISHING STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT ACCOUNTS PURSUANT
 TO SECTION SIX HUNDRED EIGHTY-TWO OF THE EDUCATION LAW SHALL BE  ALLOWED
 A  DEDUCTION  FROM  ENTIRE  NET  INCOME  IN AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO THE TOTAL
 AMOUNT OF MATCHING CONTRIBUTIONS MADE TO EMPLOYEES' STUDENT LOAN  REPAY-
 MENT ACCOUNTS BY A TAXPAYER DURING THE TAXABLE YEAR.
   § 3. Subsection (c) of section 612 of the tax law is amended by adding
 a new paragraph 17 to read as follows:
   (17)  THE  AMOUNT  EQUAL TO THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF MATCHING CONTRIBUTIONS
 MADE BY A TAXPAYER DURING THE TAXABLE YEAR TO  EMPLOYEES'  STUDENT  LOAN
 REPAYMENT  ACCOUNTS  ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO SECTION SIX HUNDRED EIGHTY-
 TWO OF THE EDUCATION LAW.
   § 4. Notwithstanding any provision of the tax law to the contrary, the
 aggregate of tax expenditure and taxes forgone pursuant to sections  two
 and  three of this act shall not exceed $70,000,000. The commissioner of
 taxation and finance shall immediately suspend  both  deductions  estab-
 lished  pursuant  to such sections upon reaching the $70,000,000 thresh-
 old.
   § 5. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth  day  after  it  shall
 have  become  a  law  and  shall apply to taxable years commencing on or
 after such effective date. Effective immediately the addition, amendment
 and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation
 of this act on  its  effective  date  are  authorized  to  be  made  and
 completed on or before such date.

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Senate Bill S5298

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

2021-S5298 (ACTIVE) - Details

2021-S5298 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2021-S5298 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2021-S5298 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S5298

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Sponsored By

Fred Akshar

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

2021-S5298 (ACTIVE) - Details

2021-S5298 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2021-S5298 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2021-S5298 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments