§ 1000. Definitions. For purposes of this article:

1. "Certifying employment" means either completing the employer
sections of the public service loan forgiveness form or sharing data
directly with the U.S. department of education that corresponds to the
information required for the public service loan forgiveness form.

2. "Employee" means someone who works for a public service employer,
regardless of whether the public service employer considers that work to
be full-time or part-time, contingent, or contracted.

3. "Full-time" for the purpose of certifying employment only means
working at least an average of thirty hours per week or at least an
average of thirty hours per week throughout a contractual or employment
period of at least eight months in a twelve-month period, such as
elementary and secondary school teachers, provided, however, that should
the U.S. department of education adopt a lower hourly standard, that
standard shall apply.

4. "Public service employer" means any employer designated as a public
service organization or employer by the U.S. department of education for
the purpose of the public service loan forgiveness program. The term
shall include any state, county, city or other local government
employer, including any office, department, independent agency, school
district, public college or university system, public library system,
authority, or other body, including the legislature and the judiciary,
as well as any employer that has received designation as a tax-exempt
organization pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue
Code. For the purposes of this article, this term does not include a
federal or tribal nation government organization, agency, or entity.

5. "Public service loan forgiveness form" means the form used by the
U.S. department of education to certify an individual's employment at a
public service organization and determine eligibility for the purposes
of the public service loan forgiveness program.

6. "Public service loan forgiveness program" means the federal loan
forgiveness program established pursuant to 20 U.S.C. 1087e(m) and
administered pursuant to 34 C.F.R 685.219, as of the effective date of
this article.