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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 16, 2022 03:11 PM |
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| From: | Representative Chris Sainato |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | First Responder Loan Forgiveness Program |
| When an emergency occurs, we expect our first responders to answer the call. Unfortunately, our safety and health are jeopardized by the declining number of volunteer firefighters and emergency medical service personnel. In fact, the SR 6 Fire & EMS Commission Report found that the number of firefighters in Pennsylvania had dropped from approximately 300,000 in the 1970s to as low as 30,000 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Fire and EMS agencies throughout the Commonwealth are struggling to recruit young members, so the fire and EMS staffing crisis will only worsen in the coming years. We must act to encourage young people to serve in our public safety sector. I believe that offering student loan forgiveness to first responders is an innovative and effective recruitment and retention tool. The First Responder Loan Forgiveness Program would target loan forgiveness to future college graduates who are active members of an emergency medical services agency, volunteer fire company, or volunteer rescue company. Through the program, up to $16,000 of the first responder’s loans would be forgiven after four years of service. I believe this program will help attract new recruits, strengthen our emergency response systems, and provide better care for all of our citizens. I hope you will join me in co-sponsoring this initiative, which I offered last session as House Bill 1786. Previous co-sponsors: Barrar, Struzzi, McClinton, Youngblood, Caltagirone, Causer, Petrarca, James, Readshaw, Freeman, Deasy, Davidson, Kim, Schlossberg, Hill-Evans, Madden, Warren, Ciresi, Howard, Kosierowski, Rigby, Schweyer, Snyder, Murt, Farry, Boback, Burns, Thomas, Mustello, Hanbidge, Goodman, Quinn, Kortz, Polinchock, Warner, T. Davis, Webster, Zabel, Dowling, Mullins, D. Williams. |
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| View Attachment | ||
Introduced as HB2725