Senate Bill sb0190

    Florida Senate - 2005                                   SB 190

    By Senator Campbell





    32-221-05

  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         eligible student loans; defining the term

  9         "eligible student loan"; providing the elements

10         of the program; providing for funding;

11         providing an effective date.

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

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15         Section 1.  Section 43.201, Florida Statutes, is

16  created to read:

17         43.201  Justice Administrative Commission; student loan

18  program; administration.--

19         (1)  The commission shall administer a student loan

20  program for career assistant state attorneys and assistant

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

22  the program is to provide financial assistance to assistant

23  state attorneys and assistant public defenders who receive

24  eligible student loans.

25         (2)  As used in this section, the term "eligible

26  student loan" means a loan that was issued pursuant to the

27  Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, to an assistant

28  state attorney or an assistant public defender to fund his or

29  her law school education.

30         (3)  The program shall be administered in the following

31  manner:

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    Florida Senate - 2005                                   SB 190
    32-221-05




 1         (a)  An assistant state attorney or an assistant public

 2  defender is not eligible for assistance under the program

 3  until the assistant state attorney or assistant public

 4  defender has been employed as an assistant state attorney or

 5  an assistant public defender for 3 years of continuous service

 6  on his or her employment anniversary date.

 7         (b)  After an individual has completed 3 years of

 8  continuous service, an affidavit of certification on a form

 9  approved by the commission shall be submitted to the state

10  attorney's office or the public defender's office, as

11  appropriate. The affidavit of certification shall, upon

12  approval of the state attorney or the public defender, be

13  submitted to the commission.

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

15  shall begin yearly payments in the amount of $3,000 to the

16  lender that services the eligible student loan. These payments

17  shall be made for the benefit of the qualified assistant state

18  attorney or assistant public defender named in the certificate

19  and for the purpose of satisfying the eligible student loan

20  obligation.

21         (d)  Upon an individual's completion of 6 years of

22  continuous service, the yearly loan assistance payment amount

23  shall increase to $5,000. Upon an individual's completion of

24  13 years of continuous service or upon full satisfaction of

25  the eligible student loan obligation, whichever occurs first,

26  loan assistance payments shall cease. The total amount of loan

27  assistance payments permitted under the program for any one

28  assistant state attorney or assistant public defender may not

29  exceed $44,000.

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    Florida Senate - 2005                                   SB 190
    32-221-05




 1         (4)  The program shall be funded annually by an

 2  appropriation from the General Revenue Fund to the Justice

 3  Administrative Commission.

 4         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.

 5  

 6            *****************************************

 7                          SENATE SUMMARY

 8    Creates a program that provides financial aid to an
      assistant state attorney or assistant public defender by
 9    helping fulfill his or her eligible student loan
      obligations. After 3 consecutive years of service by the
10    assistant state attorney or assistant public defender,
      the lender receives $3,000 annually. After 6 years of
11    consecutive service, his or her lender will receive
      $6,000 annually. Loan assistance to the assistant state
12    attorney or assistant public defender ends after 13 years
      of consecutive service or when the student loan
13    obligation is satisfied, whichever occurs first. The
      total loan assistant permitted for any one assistant
14    state attorney or assistant public defender may not
      exceed $44,000.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.