Bill Text: GA HB62 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Cancelable educational loans; State Veterinary Education Board; provisions
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-03-11 - House Committee Favorably Reported [HB62 Detail]
Download: Georgia-2009-HB62-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Cancelable educational loans; State Veterinary Education Board; provisions
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-03-11 - House Committee Favorably Reported [HB62 Detail]
Download: Georgia-2009-HB62-Introduced.html
09 LC
25 5371
House
Bill 62
By:
Representative Maddox of the
172nd
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend Article 7 of Chapter 3 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to scholarships, loans, and grants, so as to change certain
provisions relating to a service cancelable loan fund and authorized types of
service cancelable educational loans; to provide for a State Veterinary
Education Board and its membership, powers, and duties; to provide for
purchases of loans made for educational purposes to students who have completed
a veterinary medical degree program; to provide for repayment of such purchases
through the practice of certain veterinary medicine specialities in this state;
to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Article
7 of Chapter 3 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
to scholarships, loans, and grants, is amended by revising paragraph (3) of
subsection (b) of Code Section 20-3-374, relating to a service cancelable loan
fund and authorized types of service cancelable educational loans, as
follows:
"(3)
DOCTORS
OF VETERINARY
MEDICINE.
The authority is authorized to make service cancelable educational loans to
residents of Georgia who are enrolled in school in the field of doctor of
veterinary medicine, including veterinary surgery, obstetrics, dentistry, and
all other specialties of veterinary medicine. Loans may be made to students
enrolled in a veterinary college or in a veterinary division of a university or
college accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association who are
pursuing a program of study leading to the degree of doctor of veterinary
medicine or its equivalent. The authority shall from time to time, by
regulation, designate specialties within the veterinary science field that
qualify for service cancelable loans under this paragraph. In designating the
qualified specialties, the authority shall give preference to those specialties
in which there are shortages of persons trained in that specialty in the State
of Georgia. Loans made under this paragraph need not be limited to students
attending a school located in the State of Georgia. However, any and all loans
made under this paragraph shall be conditional upon the student agreeing that
the loan shall be repaid by the student either:
(A)
Practicing in the approved qualified field in a geographical area in the State
of Georgia approved by the authority. For service repayment, the loan shall be
repaid at a rate of one year of service for each academic year of study or its
equivalent for which a loan is made to the student under this paragraph;
or
(B)
In cash repayment with assessed interest thereon in accordance with the terms
and conditions of a promissory note that shall be executed by the
student.
A
geographical area for service repayment through services rendered shall not be
approved unless the area is a rural or sparsely populated area of the state or
in a community of 10,000 population or less according to the United States
decennial census of 2000 or any future such census and experiencing a shortage
of licensed veterinarians to meet the needs of owners or producers of farm
animals used for or in connection with the production of commercial food
products. If the loan is not repaid by services rendered, it must be repaid by
the student in cash with interest thereon in accordance with the terms of the
promissory note executed by the student
Reserved;
and"
SECTION
2.
Said
article is further amended by adding a new part as follows:
"Part
6A
20-3-518.1.
As
used in this part, the term:
(1)
'Board' means the State Veterinary Education Board created under Code Section
20-3-518.2.
(2)
'Commissioner' means the Commissioner of Agriculture.
(3)
'Department' means the Department of Agriculture.
20-3-518.2.
(a)
There shall be a State Veterinary Education Board which shall consist
of:
(1)
The Commissioner of Agriculture or his or her designee;
(2)
The Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Georgia or
his or her designee;
(3)
The Dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences of the
University of Georgia or his or her designee;
(4)
A person actively engaged in the production of livestock in this state, to be
appointed by the Governor, who shall serve for a term of four years and until
his or her successor is qualified and appointed. The term of the initial member
appointed under this paragraph shall commence on the effective date of this
part; and
(5)
A person actively engaged in the private practice of veterinary medicine in this
state, whose practice includes but is not necessarily limited to food animals,
to be appointed by the State Board of Veterinary Medicine, who shall serve for a
term of four years and until his or her successor is qualified and appointed.
The term of the initial member appointed under this paragraph shall commence on
the effective date of this part.
(b)
Any vacancies on the board shall be filled in the same manner as the original
appointment.
(c)
The board shall elect annually a chairperson and also a vice chairperson to
serve in the absence or inability of the chairperson. The board shall meet at
least once each year at such time and place as may be fixed by the board.
Special meetings shall be held upon the call of the chairperson. Three members
of the board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. No
official action shall be taken by the board except upon the affirmative vote of
at least three members of the board.
(d)
For attending meetings of the board and for traveling in carrying out the
official duties, the members of the board shall receive the compensation and
allowances specified by Code Section 45-7-21.
(e)
The board shall be attached to the Department of Agriculture for administrative
purposes only, pursuant to Code Section 50-4-3.
20-3-518.3.
(a)
The board may provide for the purchase of loans made to students for educational
purposes who have completed a program of study in the field of doctor of
veterinary medicine or its equivalent and are authorized to practice veterinary
medicine in this state, with such purchase to be repaid by the practice of
veterinary medicine while residing in this state.
(b)
The board shall from time to time, by regulation, designate specialties within
the veterinary science field that qualify for loan purchases under this part.
In designating the qualified specialties, the board shall give preference to
food animal specialties but, in the absence of qualified food animal specialist
applicants, may additionally designate other specialties in which there are
shortages of persons trained in such specialties in this state.
20-3-518.4.
(a)
Persons whose applications are approved shall receive a loan purchase in an
amount to be determined by the board, but not exceeding $20,000.00 annually, as
provided by Code Section 20-3-518.3. The loan purchases shall be paid in such
manner as the board shall determine. The loan purchases to be granted to each
applicant shall be based upon the condition that the full amount of such loan
purchases shall be repaid to the State of Georgia in services to be rendered by
the applicant by practicing his or her profession in a board approved rural
county in Georgia of 35,000 population or less according to the United States
decennial census of 2000 or any future such census. For time served in
practicing his or her profession in such board approved location, the applicant
shall receive credit against the amount of the loan purchase received, with such
credit accruing monthly at a rate equivalent to $20,000.00 per 12 months of
service.
(b)
The board shall not enter into new loan purchase agreements with more than five
persons per year, and any such agreement may be renewed annually not more than
three times; provided, however, that the total sum of loan purchase payments
made by the board in any fiscal year from state appropriations shall not exceed
the amount of funds for such loan purchase purposes specified in annual
appropriations Acts. Funds in the loan purchase fund account that are not
expended by the board for loan purchases during any fiscal year shall
lapse.
20-3-518.5.
(a)
Each applicant before being granted a loan purchase shall enter into a contract
with the board agreeing to the terms and conditions upon which the loan purchase
is granted, which contract shall include such terms and provisions as will carry
out the full purpose and intent of this part. The form of such contract shall
be prepared and approved by the Attorney General, and each contract shall be
signed by the chairperson of the board and by the applicant. The board is
vested with full and complete authority to bring an action in its own name
against any applicant for any balance due the board on any such
contract.
(b)
An applicant who has entered into a loan purchase contract with the board and
who breaches that contract by either failing to begin or failing to complete his
or her service obligation under such contract shall be immediately liable to the
board for three times the total uncredited amount of all such loan purchase
payments paid to or on behalf of the applicant, such uncredited sums to be
prorated on a monthly basis respecting the applicant's actual service and total
service obligation. The board may consent or agree to a lesser measure of
damages for compelling reasons.
(c)
The board shall have the authority to cancel the loan purchase contract of any
applicant at any time for any cause deemed sufficient by the board, provided
that such authority shall not be arbitrarily or unreasonably exercised. Upon
such cancellation by the board, the total uncredited amount of the loan purchase
paid to the applicant shall at once become due and payable to the board in cash
with interest at the minimum rate of 12 percent per annum from the date of each
payment by the board and compounded annually to the date the loan purchase is
repaid in full. The board is authorized to increase annually such rate of
interest; provided, however, that the increased rate of interest shall not
exceed by more than 2 percent the prime rate published by the Board of Governors
of the Federal Reserve System and in effect at the time of
increase.
20-3-518.6.
The
funds necessary for the loan purchases provided for by this part and to
administer the terms of this part shall come from funds made available to the
board from appropriations for such purpose.
20-3-518.7.
The
board shall adopt such rules and regulations as are reasonable and necessary to
implement this part."
SECTION
3.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.