Senate Bill sb0190c1

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    Florida Senate - 2005                            CS for SB 190

    By the Committee on Judiciary; and Senators Campbell, Smith
    and Fasano




    590-1067-05

  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,

  7         assistant public defenders, assistant attorneys

  8         general, and assistant statewide prosecutors

  9         for the repayment of eligible student loans;

10         providing definitions; providing the elements

11         of the program; providing for funding;

12         providing an effective date.

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

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16         Section 1.  Section 43.201, Florida Statutes, is

17  created to read:

18         43.201  Justice Administrative Commission; student loan

19  program; administration.--

20         (1)  The commission shall administer a student loan

21  program for eligible career attorneys. The purpose of the

22  program is to provide financial assistance to eligible career

23  attorneys who receive eligible student loans.

24         (2)  As used in this section, the term:

25         (a)  "Eligible student loan" means a loan that was

26  issued pursuant to the Higher Education Act of 1965, as

27  amended, to an eligible career attorney to fund his or her law

28  school education.

29         (b)  "Eligible career attorney" means an assistant

30  state attorney, assistant public defender, assistant attorney

31  general, or assistant statewide prosecutor who has been

                                  1

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    Florida Senate - 2005                            CS for SB 190
    590-1067-05




 1  employed in that capacity for 3 years of continuous service on

 2  his or her employment anniversary date.

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

 4  manner:

 5         (a)  After an individual has completed 3 years of

 6  continuous service, an affidavit of certification on a form

 7  approved by the commission shall be submitted to the state

 8  attorney's office, public defender's office, Office of

 9  Attorney General, or Office of Statewide Prosecution, as

10  appropriate. The affidavit of certification shall, upon

11  approval of the state attorney, public defender, Attorney

12  General, or Statewide Prosecutor, be submitted to the

13  commission.

14         (b)  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 eligible career attorney

18  named in the certificate and for the purpose of satisfying the

19  eligible student loan obligation.

20         (c)  Upon an individual's completion of 6 years of

21  continuous service, the yearly loan assistance payment amount

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

23  13 years of continuous service or upon full satisfaction of

24  the eligible student loan obligation, whichever occurs first,

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

26  assistance payments permitted under the program for any one

27  eligible career attorney may not exceed $44,000.

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

29  appropriation from the General Revenue Fund to the Justice

30  Administrative Commission. Funds shall be made available under

31  the program on a first-come, first-served basis.

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    Florida Senate - 2005                            CS for SB 190
    590-1067-05




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

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 3          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 4                         Senate Bill 190

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 6  The committee substitute expands the types of attorneys who
    may be eligible for student loan repayment assistance under
 7  the bill to include assistant attorneys general and assistant
    statewide prosecutors.
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