SENATE AMENDED
PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 1511, 2279, 3306 PRINTER'S NO. 3592
No. 1313 Session of 1991
INTRODUCED BY TRICH, COLE, LLOYD, STAIRS, MELIO, LESCOVITZ, COY,
DALEY, FREEMAN, HECKLER, NAILOR, JOHNSON, ROEBUCK, HERMAN,
ANGSTADT, NOYE, CARLSON, CARONE, ARGALL, MERRY, FLEAGLE,
G. SNYDER, BARLEY, STEIGHNER, BELARDI, BELFANTI, BISHOP,
WILLIAMS, TRELLO, JAMES, HARPER, PISTELLA, TELEK AND
STEELMAN, MAY 6, 1991
SENATOR TILGHMAN, APPROPRIATIONS, IN SENATE, RE-REPORTED AS
AMENDED, MAY 13, 1992
AN ACT
1 Providing for Commonwealth support for the Agriculture Education
2 Loan Forgiveness Program for Pennsylvania residents who
3 graduate from institutions of higher education and who apply
4 their degrees in agriculture to family farms within this
5 Commonwealth.
6 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
7 hereby enacts as follows:
8 Section 1. Short title.
9 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Agriculture
10 Education Loan Forgiveness Act.
11 Section 2. Definitions.
12 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
13 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
14 context clearly indicates otherwise:
15 "Agency." The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance
16 Agency.
1 "Agricultural products." Crops, livestock and livestock
2 products, and commodities, including, but not limited to:
3 (1) Field crops, including corn, wheat, oats, rye,
4 barley, hay, potatoes and dry beans.
5 (2) Fruits, including apples, peaches, grapes, cherries
6 and berries.
7 (3) Vegetables, including tomatoes, snap beans, cabbage,
8 carrots, beets, onions and mushrooms.
9 (4) Horticultural specialties, including nursery stock,
10 ornamental shrubs, ornamental trees and flowers.
11 (5) Cattle, sheep, hogs, goats, horses, poultry,
12 furbearing animals, milk, eggs and furs.
13 (6) Timber, wood and other wood products derived from
14 trees.
15 (7) Aquatic plants and animals and their by-products.
16 (8) Products derived from any of the above and other
17 products derived from the business of farming, including such
18 other products as may be manufactured, derived or prepared
19 from the heretofore mentioned products, raw or processed,
20 which are used as food for man or animals.
21 "Family farm." The real property of a farm owned by members
22 of an immediate family or by a family farm corporation used for
23 the production, for commercial purposes, of agricultural
24 products.
25 "Family farm corporation." A corporation of which at least
26 75% of its assets are devoted to the business of agriculture and
27 at least 75% of each class of stock of the corporation is
28 continuously owned by members of the immediate family.
29 "Immediate family member." A spouse, child, stepchild,
30 parent, stepparent, grandparent, brother, stepbrother, sister,
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1 stepsister or like relative-in-law of an owner of real property.
2 "MIXED PRACTICE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE." AS DESCRIBED BY THE <--
3 AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, THAT TYPE OF CLINICAL
4 VETERINARY PRACTICE OR CONSULTATION WHICH DEALS WITH MORE THAN
5 ONE CATEGORICAL SPECIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
6 AGRICULTURAL ANIMALS.
7 "Practice of veterinary medicine." The practice in the field
8 of veterinary medicine by any person qualified by educational
9 training and experience in the science and techniques of
10 veterinary medicine and who is currently licensed to practice
11 veterinary medicine by the Pennsylvania State Board of
12 Veterinary Medicine under the act of December 27, 1974 (P.L.995,
13 No.326), known as the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act.
14 "Qualified applicant." A resident of this Commonwealth who
15 meets all of the following criteria:
16 (1) Holds a degree in a field related to the production
17 of agricultural products or in the field of veterinary
18 medicine, from an institution of higher education located
19 within this Commonwealth, approved by the agency for
20 participation under this act.
21 (2) Is in the first year of full-time employment or work
22 on a family farm or in the practice of veterinary medicine, a
23 portion of which activity must be for the protection and
24 enhancement of agricultural animal health and productivity,
25 on or after July 1, 1991.
26 (3) Has borrowed through the agency-administered
27 Guaranteed Student Loan Programs.
28 "U.S.D.A. CERTIFICATION." CERTIFICATION BY THE UNITED STATES <--
29 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE THAT A GRADUATE VETERINARIAN HAS
30 SUCCESSFULLY PASSED AN EXAMINATION AND IS CERTIFIED TO SIGN
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1 HEALTH CERTIFICATES ALLOWING THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE OF
2 AGRICULTURAL ANIMALS AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS AS WELL AS THE ABILITY
3 TO CERTIFY REGULATORY TESTING SUCH AS BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS AND
4 BRUCELLOSIS.
5 "Veterinary medicine." That branch of medicine which deals
6 with the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, administration,
7 prescription, operation or manipulation or application of any
8 apparatus or appliance for any disease, pain, deformity, defect,
9 injury, wound or physical condition of any animal or for the
10 prevention of or the testing for the presence of any disease.
11 Section 3. Agriculture Education Loan Forgiveness Program.
12 Qualified applicants who are selected for the Agriculture
13 Education Loan Forgiveness Program, in accordance with this act,
14 shall be eligible for payment by the agency of a portion of the
15 debt incurred by the applicant through the agency-administered
16 Guaranteed Student Loan Programs for the education necessary to
17 receive a degree in an agriculturally related field. For each
18 year that the applicant is employed full time on a family farm
19 or works full time on a family farm, a portion of which must be
20 located within this Commonwealth, or is engaged in the MIXED <--
21 practice of veterinary medicine within this Commonwealth, a
22 portion of which activity must be for the protection and
23 enhancement of agricultural animal health and productivity, AND <--
24 WHO HAS OBTAINED U.S.D.A. CERTIFICATION, the agency shall
25 forgive a proportional part of the applicant's loan. No more
26 than $2,000 shall be forgiven in any year, and no more than
27 $10,000 shall be forgiven for any applicant. Payments shall be
28 made in accordance with the procedures established by the
29 agency.
30 Section 4. Loan forgiveness awards.
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1 Recipients of the loan forgiveness awards shall be those
2 applicants who are approved by the agency. Each applicant shall
3 be required to submit such documentation of continued
4 eligibility as the agency may require. The required content of
5 this documentation shall be developed by the agency in
6 consultation with the Department of Agriculture.
7 Section 5. Funding.
8 Loan forgiveness awards shall be made to the extent that
9 funds are appropriated by the General Assembly.
10 Section 6. Responsibility of agency.
11 It shall be the responsibility of the agency to administer
12 the Agriculture Education Loan Forgiveness Program established
13 by this act and to adopt such regulations, policies, procedures
14 and forms as are necessary and not inconsistent with the
15 provisions of this act.
16 SECTION 7. EXPIRATION. <--
17 THIS ACT SHALL EXPIRE JULY 1, 1993.
18 Section 7 8. Effective date. <--
19 This act shall take effect July 1, 1991 IMMEDIATELY. <--
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