Florida Senate - 2016 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 142
Ì198794aÎ198794
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
12/01/2015 .
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The Committee on Judiciary (Ring) recommended the following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete everything after the enacting clause
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Section 1009.675, Florida Statutes, is created
6 to read:
7 1009.675 For the Greater Good Attorney Student Loan
8 Repayment Program.—
9 (1) There is established within the Department of Education
10 the For the Greater Good Attorney Student Loan Repayment
11 Program. The primary function of the program is to increase
12 employment and retention of attorneys in the public sector by
13 making payments that offset student loans issued or guaranteed
14 by a state or the Federal Government. The department shall
15 administer the program.
16 (2) To be eligible to participate in this program, an
17 attorney:
18 (a) Must be a member of The Florida Bar;
19 (b) Must be employed full time by a local, state, or
20 federal government;
21 (c) Must be employed in this state;
22 (d) Must have completed not more than 10 years of
23 government service, regardless of whether the attorney had a
24 break in employment of less than 2 weeks while transferring to
25 another governmental entity;
26 (e) Must be earning less than $65,000 in salary as reported
27 to the Internal Revenue Service;
28 (f) Must not have received any disciplinary action from The
29 Florida Bar;
30 (g) Must have an unsatisfied student loan that was issued
31 or guaranteed by a state or the Federal Government; and
32 (h) Is not eligible for any other state, local, or federal
33 grant or private fund that assists in student loan repayment.
34 (3) Only loans that are not in default and that were issued
35 pursuant to the Higher Education Act of 1965, 20 U.S.C. ss. 1001
36 et seq., as amended, to fund an eligible attorney’s law school
37 education shall be covered.
38 (4) From the funds available, the Department of Education
39 shall make an annual payment as follows:
40 (a) Three thousand dollars if the attorney has at least 4
41 years, but not more than 7 years, of continuous government
42 service.
43 (b) Five thousand dollars if the attorney has more than 7
44 years, but not more than 10 years, of continuous government
45 service.
46 (5) Each payment is contingent upon an annual receipt of a
47 certification affidavit. Within 30 days after the employment
48 anniversary of an eligible attorney, in order to receive a
49 payment under the program, such attorney must submit to his or
50 her employer a certification affidavit on a form authorized by
51 the department which certifies that the attorney was an eligible
52 attorney as of his or her last employment anniversary. If the
53 employer signs the affidavit, the employer shall submit the
54 affidavit to the department within 60 days after the most recent
55 employment anniversary of the eligible attorney, and each year
56 thereafter.
57 (6) Payments are not deemed taxable income. Each payment
58 shall be made directly to the financial institution that
59 services the loan and, if the eligible attorney holds more than
60 one eligible loan, for the loan that has the highest current
61 interest rate.
62 (7) If funds appropriated are insufficient to provide
63 maximum payment for eligible attorneys, the department shall
64 prorate payments for all eligible attorneys by an equal
65 percentage reduction for the year for which funds appropriated
66 are insufficient.
67 (8) The Department of Education may adopt rules necessary
68 to administer this program.
69 (9) The Greater Good Attorney Student Loan Repayment
70 Program may be funded annually contingent upon a specific
71 appropriation in the General Appropriations Act for the Greater
72 Good Attorney Student Loan Repayment Program.
73 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.
74 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
75 And the title is amended as follows:
76 Delete everything before the enacting clause
77 and insert:
78 A bill to be entitled
79 An act relating to student loans; creating s.
80 1009.675, F.S.; creating the For the Greater Good
81 Attorney Student Loan Repayment Program to increase
82 employment and retention of attorneys in the public
83 sector; providing eligibility requirements; specifying
84 the loans that will be covered by the repayment
85 program; requiring the Department of Education to make
86 payments to eligible attorneys; providing procedures
87 to administer the program; providing that a payment is
88 not taxable income; providing procedures if
89 appropriated funds are insufficient; authorizing
90 rulemaking; providing an effective date.