THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE BILL

INTRODUCED BY GREENLEAF, KASUNIC, BROWNE, ORIE, ARGALL, RAFFERTY, KITCHEN, TOMLINSON, PIPPY, ALLOWAY, SOLOBAY, WAUGH, BREWSTER, COSTA AND BOSCOLA, JANUARY 12, 2011

REFERRED TO EDUCATION, JANUARY 12, 2011  

AN ACT

Establishing the Volunteer Emergency Service Personnel

Educational Assistance and Loan Forgiveness Program.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Short title.

This act shall be known and may be cited as the Volunteer

Emergency Service Personnel Educational Assistance and Loan

Forgiveness Act.

Section 2.  Definitions.

The following words and phrases when used in this act shall

have the meanings given to them in this section unless the

context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Agency."  The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance

Agency.

"Applicant."  An active member of a volunteer fire company,

emergency service team or rescue team.

"Approved institution of higher learning."  An educational

institution offering a postsecondary program of education,

including vocational schools located in this Commonwealth and

approved by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.

"Approved program of education."  A degree-granting or

certificate-granting curriculum or course of study pursued at an

approved institution of higher learning on a full-time or part-

time basis or its equivalent as determined by the Pennsylvania

Higher Education Assistance Agency.

"Full-time student."  A student enrolled in an approved

institution of higher learning pursuing an approved program of

education equal to or greater than 12 credit hours or its

equivalent recognized by the Pennsylvania Higher Education

Assistance Agency as a full-time course of study.

"Part-time student."  A student enrolled in an approved

institution of higher learning pursuing an approved program of

education of less than 15 credit hours or its equivalent

recognized by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance

Agency as a part-time course of study.

"Program."  The Volunteer Emergency Service Personnel

Educational Assistance and Loan Forgiveness Program established

in section 3.

Section 3.  Educational Assistance and Loan Forgiveness Program.

The Volunteer Emergency Service Personnel Educational

Assistance and Loan Forgiveness Program is established to

provide grants to applicants or allow applicants to receive

payments by the agency for debt incurred as a result of student

loans entered into for the purpose of pursuing programs of

education. Applicants shall be entered in the program upon

receipt of their first grant or loan forgiveness payment and

shall remain in the program for a period not exceeding five

academic years.

Section 4.  Educational assistance eligibility.

An applicant shall be eligible to receive educational

assistance under this act if the applicant meets all of the

following eligibility criteria:

(1)  The applicant is a qualified resident of this

Commonwealth.

(2)  The applicant has been an active member, as

determined by the State Fire Commissioner, of a volunteer

fire company, emergency service team or rescue team for a

period of at least one year in this Commonwealth.

(3)  The applicant has enrolled as a student in an

approved program of education at an approved institution of

higher learning.

(4)  The applicant provides the approved institution of

higher learning with a sworn or official statement of fact by

the State Fire Commissioner, president or commissioner of a

volunteer fire department of which the applicant is a

volunteer, attesting that the applicant is a member in good

standing of the volunteer fire company, emergency service

team or rescue team.

Section 5.  Grants.

(a)  Provision.--From the funds specifically appropriated for

the purposes of this act, grants shall be provided to eligible

members for the purpose of pursuing approved programs of

education.

(b)  Promissory notes.--At the receipt of the grant, an

eligible member shall sign a promissory note to repay the full

amount of the grant. The promissory note shall be conditional

upon termination of active membership status with a volunteer

fire company, emergency service team or rescue team in this

Commonwealth.

Section 6.  Amount of grants.

(a)  Part-time student assistance grants.--A grant awarded

pursuant to this act to a part-time student applicant shall be

determined by the agency and shall not exceed for each academic

year the amount of one-half the tuition of the part-time course

of study in which the part-time student applicant is enrolled.

(b)  Full-time student assistance grants.--Grants awarded

pursuant to this act to full-time student applicants shall be

determined by the agency and shall not exceed $3,700 per

academic year or the actual amount of the applicant's tuition

for the academic year, whichever is less.

(c)  Other grants.--The agency shall not reduce the amount of

other agency grants or aid for which an applicant qualifies on

account of the applicant's eligibility for or receipt of grants

under this act.

Section 7.  Loan forgiveness eligibility.

An applicant shall be eligible to receive loan forgiveness

payments under this act if the applicant meets all of the

following eligibility criteria:

(1)  The applicant is a qualified resident of this

Commonwealth.

(2)  The applicant has been an active member, as

determined by the State Fire Commissioner, of a volunteer

fire company, emergency service team or rescue team for a

period of at least one year in this Commonwealth.

(3)  The applicant has enrolled as a student in an

approved program of education at an approved institution of

higher learning.

(4)  The applicant provides the approved institution of

higher learning with a sworn or official statement of fact by

the State Fire Commissioner, president or commissioner of a

volunteer fire department of which the applicant is a

volunteer, attesting that the applicant is a member in good

standing of the volunteer fire company, emergency service

team or rescue team.

Section 8.  Payments.

(a)  General rule.--An applicant is eligible for payment by

the agency of a portion of the debt incurred by the applicant

through agency-administered guaranteed student loan programs for

the education necessary to successfully complete a particular

course of study.

(b)  Amounts to be forgiven.--For each year that an applicant

is a member of a volunteer fire company, emergency service team

or rescue team, the agency may forgive a proportional part of

the applicant's loan so that the loan may be entirely forgiven

over a maximum period of five years in which the applicant is

attending an approved institution of higher learning.

(c)  Maximum amounts.--No more than $2,000 shall be forgiven

in any year, and no more than $10,000 shall be forgiven for an

applicant over a five-year period.

(d)  Procedure.--Payments shall be made in accordance with

procedures established by the agency. A loan forgiveness payment

shall not be made for a loan that is in default at the time of

application.

Section 9.  Limitations.

(a)  Time.--No eligible member shall receive assistance

grants or loan forgiveness payments under this act for a total

of more than five academic years or their equivalent as

determined by the agency.

(b)  Active membership status.--No grant payments or loan

forgiveness payments shall be made under this act except during

the eligible member's term of service as an active member of a

volunteer fire company, emergency service team or rescue team.

Section 10.  Administration.

The General Assembly shall appropriate funds for educational

assistance grants and loan forgiveness payments under this act.

A portion of the funds appropriated may be used to pay the costs

of the administration of this act.

Section 11.  Effective date.

This act shall take effect in 60 days.