PRINTER'S NO. 176
No. 131 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY GREENLEAF, ORIE, TOMLINSON, O'PAKE, C. WILLIAMS, WAUGH, KITCHEN, COSTA, RAFFERTY, PUNT, BOSCOLA, WONDERLING, STOUT, FONTANA, KASUNIC, ERICKSON, WASHINGTON, BROWNE, REGOLA, LOGAN AND FERLO, MARCH 5, 2007
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, MARCH 5, 2007
AN ACT 1 Establishing the Volunteer Emergency Service Personnel 2 Educational Assistance and Loan Forgiveness Program. 3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 4 hereby enacts as follows: 5 Section 1. Short title. 6 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Volunteer 7 Emergency Service Personnel Educational Assistance and Loan 8 Forgiveness Act. 9 Section 2. Definitions. 10 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall 11 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the 12 context clearly indicates otherwise: 13 "Agency." The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance 14 Agency. 15 "Applicant." An active member of a volunteer fire company, 16 emergency service team or rescue team. 17 "Approved institution of higher learning." An educational
1 institution offering a postsecondary program of education, 2 including vocational schools located in this Commonwealth and 3 approved by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency. 4 "Approved program of education." A degree-granting or 5 certificate-granting curriculum or course of study pursued at an 6 approved institution of higher learning on a full-time or part- 7 time basis or its equivalent as determined by the Pennsylvania 8 Higher Education Assistance Agency. 9 "Full-time student." A student enrolled in an approved 10 institution of higher learning pursuing an approved program of 11 education equal to or greater than 12 credit hours or its 12 equivalent recognized by the Pennsylvania Higher Education 13 Assistance Agency as a full-time course of study. 14 "Part-time student." A student enrolled in an approved 15 institution of higher learning pursuing an approved program of 16 education of less than 15 credit hours or its equivalent 17 recognized by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance 18 Agency as a part-time course of study. 19 "Program." The Volunteer Emergency Service Personnel 20 Educational Assistance and Loan Forgiveness Program established 21 in section 3. 22 Section 3. Educational Assistance and Loan Forgiveness Program. 23 The Volunteer Emergency Service Personnel Educational 24 Assistance and Loan Forgiveness Program is established to 25 provide grants to applicants or allow applicants to receive 26 payments by the agency for debt incurred as a result of student 27 loans entered into for the purpose of pursuing programs of 28 education. Applicants shall be entered in the program upon 29 receipt of their first grant or loan forgiveness payment and 30 shall remain in the program for a period not exceeding five 20070S0131B0176 - 2 -
1 academic years. 2 Section 4. Educational assistance eligibility. 3 An applicant shall be eligible to receive educational 4 assistance under this act if the applicant meets all of the 5 following eligibility criteria: 6 (1) The applicant is a qualified resident of this 7 Commonwealth. 8 (2) The applicant has been an active member, as 9 determined by the State Fire Commissioner, of a volunteer 10 fire company, emergency service team or rescue team for a 11 period of at least one year in this Commonwealth. 12 (3) The applicant has enrolled as a student in an 13 approved program of education at an approved institution of 14 higher learning. 15 (4) The applicant provides the approved institution of 16 higher learning with a sworn or official statement of fact by 17 the State Fire Commissioner, president or commissioner of a 18 volunteer fire department of which the applicant is a 19 volunteer, attesting that the applicant is a member in good 20 standing of the volunteer fire company, emergency service 21 team or rescue team. 22 Section 5. Grants. 23 (a) Provision.--From the funds specifically appropriated for 24 the purposes of this act, grants shall be provided to eligible 25 members for the purpose of pursuing approved programs of 26 education. 27 (b) Promissory notes.--At the receipt of the grant, an 28 eligible member shall sign a promissory note to repay the full 29 amount of the grant. The promissory note shall be conditional 30 upon termination of active membership status with a volunteer 20070S0131B0176 - 3 -
1 fire company, emergency service team or rescue team in this 2 Commonwealth. 3 Section 6. Amount of grants. 4 (a) Part-time student assistance grants.--A grant awarded 5 pursuant to this act to a part-time student applicant shall be 6 determined by the agency and shall not exceed for each academic 7 year the amount of one-half the tuition of the part-time course 8 of study in which the part-time student applicant is enrolled. 9 (b) Full-time student assistance grants.--Grants awarded 10 pursuant to this act to full-time student applicants shall be 11 determined by the agency and shall not exceed $3,700 per 12 academic year or the actual amount of the applicant's tuition 13 for the academic year, whichever is less. 14 (c) Other grants.--The agency shall not reduce the amount of 15 other agency grants or aid for which an applicant qualifies on 16 account of the applicant's eligibility for or receipt of grants 17 under this act. 18 Section 7. Loan forgiveness eligibility. 19 An applicant shall be eligible to receive loan forgiveness 20 payments under this act if the applicant meets all of the 21 following eligibility criteria: 22 (1) The applicant is a qualified resident of this 23 Commonwealth. 24 (2) The applicant has been an active member, as 25 determined by the State Fire Commissioner, of a volunteer 26 fire company, emergency service team or rescue team for a 27 period of at least one year in this Commonwealth. 28 (3) The applicant has enrolled as a student in an 29 approved program of education at an approved institution of 30 higher learning. 20070S0131B0176 - 4 -
1 (4) The applicant provides the approved institution of 2 higher learning with a sworn or official statement of fact by 3 the State Fire Commissioner, president or commissioner of a 4 volunteer fire department of which the applicant is a 5 volunteer, attesting that the applicant is a member in good 6 standing of the volunteer fire company, emergency service 7 team or rescue team. 8 Section 8. Payments. 9 (a) General rule.--An applicant is eligible for payment by 10 the agency of a portion of the debt incurred by the applicant 11 through agency-administered guaranteed student loan programs for 12 the education necessary to successfully complete a particular 13 course of study. 14 (b) Amounts to be forgiven.--For each year that an applicant 15 is a member of a volunteer fire company, emergency service team 16 or rescue team, the agency may forgive a proportional part of 17 the applicant's loan so that the loan may be entirely forgiven 18 over a maximum period of five years in which the applicant is 19 attending an approved institution of higher learning. 20 (c) Maximum amounts.--No more than $2,000 shall be forgiven 21 in any year, and no more than $10,000 shall be forgiven for an 22 applicant over a five-year period. 23 (d) Procedure.--Payments shall be made in accordance with 24 procedures established by the agency. A loan forgiveness payment 25 shall not be made for a loan that is in default at the time of 26 application. 27 Section 9. Limitations. 28 (a) Time.--No eligible member shall receive assistance 29 grants or loan forgiveness payments under this act for a total 30 of more than five academic years or their equivalent as 20070S0131B0176 - 5 -
1 determined by the agency. 2 (b) Active membership status.--No grant payments or loan 3 forgiveness payments shall be made under this act except during 4 the eligible member's term of service as an active member of a 5 volunteer fire company, emergency service team or rescue team. 6 Section 10. Administration. 7 The General Assembly shall appropriate funds for educational 8 assistance grants and loan forgiveness payments under this act. 9 A portion of the funds appropriated may be used to pay the costs 10 of the administration of this act. 11 Section 11. Effective date. 12 This act shall take effect in 60 days. L8L24DMS/20070S0131B0176 - 6 -