HB 0709 2003
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 assistant state attorneys
6	and assistant public defenders for the repayment of
7	government student loans; providing for the elements of
8	the program; providing for funding; providing an effective
9	date.
10
11	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
12
13	Section 1. Section 43.201, Florida Statutes, is created to
14	read:
15	43.201 Justice Administrative Commission; student loan
16	program administration.--
17	(1) The commission shall administer a student loan program
18	for career assistant state attorneys and assistant public
19	defenders as described in chapter 27. The purpose of the program
20	is to provide financial assistance to assistant state attorneys
21	and assistant public defenders who have law school government
22	loans.
23	(2) The program shall be administered in the following
24	manner:
25	(a) An assistant state attorney or assistant public
26	defender is not eligible for assistance under the program until
27	the assistant state attorney or assistant public defender has
28	been employed as an assistant state attorney or assistant public
29	defender for 3 years of continuous service on his or her
30	employment anniversary date.
31	(b) After completing 3 years of continuous service, an
32	affidavit of certification on a form approved by the commission
33	shall be submitted to the state attorney's office or the public
34	defender's office as the case may be. The affidavit of
35	certification shall, upon approval of the state attorney or
36	public defender, be submitted to the commission.
37	(c) Upon receipt of the certificate, the commission may
38	begin yearly payments in the amount of $3,000 to the government
39	student loan on behalf of the qualified assistant state attorney
40	or assistant public defender named in the certificate.
41	(d) Upon completion of 6 years of continuous service, the
42	loan assistance payment amount shall increase to $5,000. After
43	12 years of continuous service or upon completion of the payment
44	of the student loan, whichever occurs first, loan assistance
45	shall cease. The total amount of loan assistance permitted under
46	the program for any one assistant state attorney or assistant
47	public defender may not exceed $44,000.
48	(3) The program shall be funded by annual appropriations
49	from the Legislature out of the General Revenue Fund to the
50	Justice Administrative Commission.
51	Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.