House Bill hb0307

    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 307

        By Representative Paul






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to student loans; creating s.

  3         43.201, F.S.; providing for a financial

  4         assistance program administered by the Justice

  5         Administrative Commission to provide assistance

  6         to qualified assistant state attorneys and

  7         assistant public defenders for the repayment of

  8         government student loans; providing for the

  9         elements of the program; providing for funding;

10         providing an effective date.

11

12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

13

14         Section 1.  Section 43.201, Florida Statutes, is

15  created to read:

16         43.201  Judicial Administrative Commission; student

17  loan program administration.--

18         (1)  The commission shall administer a student loan

19  program for career assistant state attorneys and assistant

20  public defenders as described in chapter 27. The purpose of

21  the program shall be to provide financial assistance to

22  assistant state attorneys and assistant public defenders with

23  law school government loans.

24         (2)  The program shall be administered in the following

25  manner:

26         (a)  No assistant state attorney or public defender

27  shall be eligible for assistance under the program until the

28  assistant state attorney or public defender has been employed

29  as an assistant state attorney or assistant public defender

30  for a period of 3 years of continuous service on his or her

31  employment anniversary date.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 307

    787-113-02






  1         (b)  After completing 3 years of continuous service an

  2  affidavit of certification on a form approved by the

  3  commission shall be submitted to the state attorney's office

  4  or the public defender's office as the case may be. The

  5  affidavit of certification shall, upon approval of the state

  6  attorney or public defender, be submitted to the commission.

  7         (c)  Upon receipt of the certificate, the commission

  8  may begin yearly payments in the amount of $3,000 to the

  9  government student loan on behalf of the qualified assistant

10  state attorney or assistant public defender named in the

11  certificate.

12         (d)  Upon completion of 6 years of continuous service

13  the loan assistance payment amount shall increase to $5,000.

14  After 12 years of continuous service or upon completion of the

15  payment of the student loan, whichever occurs first, loan

16  assistance shall cease. The total amount of loan assistance

17  permitted under the program for any one assistant state

18  attorney or assistant public defender shall not exceed

19  $44,000.

20         (3)  The program shall be funded by appropriations from

21  the Legislature out of the General Revenue Fund to the Justice

22  Administrative Commission on an annual basis.

23         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2002.

24

25            *****************************************

26                          HOUSE SUMMARY

27
      Provides for a program for financial assistance to
28    qualified assistant state attorneys and assistant public
      defenders administered by the Justice Administrative
29    Commission to provide assistance in the repayment of
      government student loans. See bill for details.
30

31

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.