Bill Text: NY A10382 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes the New York state COVID-19 health care worker loan forgiveness program which forgives up to twenty thousand dollars in student loan debt from certain health care workers.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-05-04 - referred to higher education [A10382 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A10382-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          10382

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                       May 4, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. BURKE -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Higher Education

        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing  the  New
          York state COVID-19 health care worker loan forgiveness program

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section  679-k
     2  to read as follows:
     3    §  679-k. The New York state COVID-19 health care worker loan forgive-
     4  ness program. 1. Eligibility. To be eligible for an  award  pursuant  to
     5  this  section, applicants shall be a health care worker who was practic-
     6  ing at a hospital, general practitioner office,  nursing  home,  or  any
     7  other  health care practice or facility and who provided medical care at
     8  the time of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) state of emergency.
     9    2. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following  terms
    10  shall have the following meanings:
    11    (a)  "health  care  worker"  shall mean any person working as a nurse,
    12  registered professional nurse, licensed practical nurse,  nurse  practi-
    13  tioner,  clinical  nurse  specialist, certified nurse assistant, medical
    14  assistant,  physician  assistant,  specialist  assistant,  pathologists'
    15  assistant,  medical technician, respiratory therapy technicians, medical
    16  technologist, diagnostic medical sonographer, emergency medical  techni-
    17  cian, paramedic, phlebotomist, clinical support aid, or immediate treat-
    18  ment  assistant  during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) state of
    19  emergency.
    20    (b) "state of emergency" means the  state  of  emergency  declared  by
    21  executive  order  two hundred two that began on March seventh, two thou-
    22  sand twenty.
    23    3. Awards. The corporation shall grant awards in an amount up to:
    24    (a) five thousand dollars per year for four years  to  recipients  who
    25  earned a bachelor's degree, provided that no recipients shall receive an
    26  award  that  exceeds  the  total remaining balance of his or her student
    27  loan debt from state student loans, federal  student  loans  or  private
    28  student  loans  made  by commercial entities that are subject to govern-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD16136-05-0
        A. 10382                            2

     1  mental examination for degrees and/or certifications directly pertaining
     2  to the recipient's position as a health care worker; and
     3    (b)  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  per year for four years to
     4  eligible applicants who have not earned a  bachelor's  degree,  provided
     5  that  no applicant shall receive an award that exceeds the total remain-
     6  ing balance of his or her student loan debt from  state  student  loans,
     7  federal  student loans or private student loans made by commercial enti-
     8  ties that are subject to governmental  examination  for  degrees  and/or
     9  certifications  directly  pertaining  to  the  recipient's position as a
    10  health care worker.
    11    4. Rules and regulations. The corporation is authorized to  promulgate
    12  rules and regulations and may promulgate emergency regulations necessary
    13  for the implementation of the provisions of this section.
    14    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.