| 1 | The Judiciary Committee recommends the following: |
| 2 |
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| 3 | Council/Committee Substitute |
| 4 | Remove the entire bill and insert: |
| 5 | A bill to be entitled |
| 6 | An act relating to student loans; creating s. 43.201, |
| 7 | F.S.; providing for a financial assistance program |
| 8 | administered by the Justice Administrative Commission to |
| 9 | provide assistance to career assistant attorneys general, |
| 10 | assistant statewide prosecutors, assistant state |
| 11 | attorneys, and assistant public defenders for the |
| 12 | repayment of eligible student loans; defining the term |
| 13 | "eligible student loan"; providing the elements of the |
| 14 | program; providing loan assistance payment amounts; |
| 15 | providing for funding; providing an effective date. |
| 16 |
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| 17 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 18 |
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| 19 | Section 1. Section 43.201, Florida Statutes, is created to |
| 20 | read: |
| 21 | 43.201 Justice Administrative Commission; student loan |
| 22 | program administration.-- |
| 23 | (1) The Justice Administrative Commission shall administer |
| 24 | a student loan program for career assistant attorneys general, |
| 25 | assistant statewide prosecutors, assistant state attorneys, and |
| 26 | assistant public defenders as described in chapter 27. The |
| 27 | purpose of the program shall be to provide financial assistance |
| 28 | to assistant attorneys general, assistant statewide prosecutors, |
| 29 | assistant state attorneys, and assistant public defenders for |
| 30 | the repayment of eligible student loans. |
| 31 | (2) As used in this section, the term "eligible student |
| 32 | loan" means a loan that was issued pursuant to the Higher |
| 33 | Education Act of 1965, as amended, to an assistant attorney |
| 34 | general, assistant statewide prosecutor, assistant state |
| 35 | attorney, or assistant public defender to fund his or her law |
| 36 | school education. |
| 37 | (3) The program shall be administered in the following |
| 38 | manner: |
| 39 | (a) An assistant attorney general, assistant statewide |
| 40 | prosecutor, assistant state attorney, or assistant public |
| 41 | defender is not eligible for assistance under the program until |
| 42 | the assistant attorney general, assistant statewide prosecutor, |
| 43 | assistant state attorney, or assistant public defender has been |
| 44 | employed as an assistant attorney general, assistant statewide |
| 45 | prosecutor, assistant state attorney, or assistant public |
| 46 | defender for 3 years of continuous service on his or her |
| 47 | employment anniversary date. |
| 48 | (b) After an individual has completed 3 years of |
| 49 | continuous service, an affidavit of certification on a form |
| 50 | approved by the commission shall be submitted to the Office of |
| 51 | the Attorney General, the Office of Statewide Prosecution, the |
| 52 | state attorney's office, or the public defender's office, as |
| 53 | appropriate. The affidavit of certification shall, upon approval |
| 54 | of the Attorney General, statewide prosecutor, state attorney, |
| 55 | or public defender, as appropriate, be submitted to the |
| 56 | commission. |
| 57 | (c) Upon receipt of the certificate, the commission may |
| 58 | begin yearly payments in the amount of $3,000 to the lender that |
| 59 | services the eligible student loan. These payments shall be made |
| 60 | for the benefit of the assistant attorney general, assistant |
| 61 | statewide prosecutor, assistant state attorney, or assistant |
| 62 | public defender named in the certificate and for the purpose of |
| 63 | satisfying the eligible student loan obligation. |
| 64 | (d) Upon an individual's completion of 6 years of |
| 65 | continuous service, the loan assistance payment amount shall |
| 66 | increase to $5,000. After 12 years of continuous service or upon |
| 67 | completion of the payment of the eligible student loan, |
| 68 | whichever occurs first, loan assistance shall cease. The total |
| 69 | amount of loan assistance permitted under the program for any |
| 70 | one assistant attorney general, assistant statewide prosecutor, |
| 71 | assistant state attorney, or assistant public defender may not |
| 72 | exceed $44,000. |
| 73 | (4) The program shall be funded annually by an |
| 74 | appropriation from the General Revenue Fund to the Justice |
| 75 | Administrative Commission. |
| 76 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |