| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to student loans; creating s. 43.201, |
| 3 | F.S.; providing for a financial assistance program |
| 4 | administered by the Justice Administrative Commission to |
| 5 | provide assistance to qualified trial court staff |
| 6 | attorneys, assistant state attorneys, and assistant public |
| 7 | defenders for the repayment of eligible student loans; |
| 8 | defining the term "eligible student loan"; providing the |
| 9 | elements of the program; providing for funding; providing |
| 10 | an effective date. |
| 11 |
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| 12 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Section 1. Section 43.201, Florida Statutes, is created to |
| 15 | read: |
| 16 | 43.201 Justice Administrative Commission; student loan |
| 17 | program administration.-- |
| 18 | (1) The Justice Administrative Commission shall administer |
| 19 | a student loan program for career trial court staff attorneys |
| 20 | and for career assistant state attorneys and assistant public |
| 21 | defenders as described in chapter 27. The purpose of the program |
| 22 | shall be to provide financial assistance to trial court staff |
| 23 | attorneys, assistant state attorneys, and assistant public |
| 24 | defenders for the repayment of eligible student loans. |
| 25 | (2) As used in this section, the term "eligible student |
| 26 | loan" means a loan that was issued pursuant to the Higher |
| 27 | Education Act of 1965, as amended, to a trial court staff |
| 28 | attorney, an assistant state attorney, or an assistant public |
| 29 | defender to fund his or her law school education. |
| 30 | (3) The program shall be administered in the following |
| 31 | manner: |
| 32 | (a) A trial court staff attorney, an assistant state |
| 33 | attorney, or an assistant public defender is not eligible for |
| 34 | assistance under the program until the trial court staff |
| 35 | attorney, assistant state attorney, or assistant public defender |
| 36 | has been employed as a trial court staff attorney, an assistant |
| 37 | state attorney, or an assistant public defender for 3 years of |
| 38 | continuous service on his or her employment anniversary date. |
| 39 | (b) After an individual has completed 3 years of |
| 40 | continuous service, an affidavit of certification on a form |
| 41 | approved by the commission shall be submitted to the chief |
| 42 | judge's office, the state attorney's office, or the public |
| 43 | defender's office as appropriate. The affidavit of certification |
| 44 | shall, upon approval of the chief judge, the state attorney, or |
| 45 | the public defender, be submitted to the commission. |
| 46 | (c) Upon receipt of the certificate, the commission may |
| 47 | begin yearly payments in the amount of $3,000 to the lender that |
| 48 | services the eligible student loan. These payments shall be made |
| 49 | for the benefit of the qualified trial court staff attorney, |
| 50 | assistant state attorney, or assistant public defender named in |
| 51 | the certificate and for the purpose of satisfying the eligible |
| 52 | student loan obligation. |
| 53 | (d) Upon an individual's completion of 6 years of |
| 54 | continuous service, the loan assistance payment amount shall |
| 55 | increase to $5,000. After 12 years of continuous service or upon |
| 56 | completion of the payment of the eligible student loan, |
| 57 | whichever occurs first, loan assistance shall cease. The total |
| 58 | amount of loan assistance permitted under the program for any |
| 59 | one trial court staff attorney, assistant state attorney, or |
| 60 | assistant public defender may not exceed $44,000. |
| 61 | (4) The program shall be funded annually by an |
| 62 | appropriation from the General Revenue Fund to the Justice |
| 63 | Administrative Commission. |
| 64 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |