The Florida Senate

112.175  Employee wages; withholding to repay educational loan.--

(1)

(a)  Any person who has received an educational loan made or guaranteed by the state or any of its political subdivisions and who at any time becomes or is an employee of the state or any of its political subdivisions shall be deemed to have agreed as a condition of employment to have consented to voluntary or involuntary withholding of wages to repay such loan. Any such employee who has defaulted or does default on the repayment of such loan shall, within 60 days after service of a notice of default by the agency holding the loan to the employee and the employing agency, establish a loan repayment schedule which shall be agreed to by both the agency holding the loan and the employee for repaying such defaulted loan through payroll deductions. Under no circumstances may an amount in excess of 10 percent per pay period of the pay of such employee be required by the agency holding the loan as part of a repayment schedule or plan. If such employee fails to establish a repayment schedule within the specified period of time or fails to meet the terms and conditions of the agreed to or approved repayment schedule as authorized by this subsection, such employee shall be deemed to have breached an essential condition of employment and shall be deemed to have consented to the involuntary withholding of wages or salary for the repayment of the loan.

(b)  No person who is employed by the state or any of its political subdivisions on or after October 1, 1986, may be dismissed for having defaulted on the repayment of an educational loan made or guaranteed by the state or any of its political subdivisions.

(2)  The Administration Commission shall adopt rules to implement this section, which shall include, but not be limited to, a standard method of calculating amounts to be withheld from employees who have failed to establish a repayment schedule within the specified period of time or failed to meet the terms and conditions of the agreed to or approved repayment schedule provided for in this section. Such method shall consider the following factors:

(a)  The amount of the loan which remains outstanding;

(b)  The income of the employee who owes such amount; and

(c)  Other factors such as the number of dependents supported by the employee.

History.--ss. 1, 2, ch. 86-129; s. 691, ch. 95-147.