PRINTER'S NO. 1552
No. 1332 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY BISHOP, ROONEY, BELFANTI, TRELLO, DeWEESE,
WILLIAMS, PESCI, READSHAW, LAUGHLIN, CAPPABIANCA, M. COHEN,
CURRY, ROEBUCK AND SOLOBAY, APRIL 20, 1999
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, APRIL 20, 1999
AN ACT
1 Providing limited student loan forgiveness for qualifying
2 education professionals.
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 Education
7 Professional Loan Forgiveness Act.
8 Section 2. Definitions.
9 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
10 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
11 context clearly indicates otherwise:
12 "Agency." The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance
13 Agency.
14 "Program." The Education Professional Loan Forgiveness
15 Program.
16 "Qualified applicant." A person who meets the following
17 criteria:
1 (1) Is employed as a full-time permanent professional
2 educator.
3 (2) Has borrowed through Pennsylvania Higher Education
4 Assistance Agency administered Guaranteed Student Loan
5 Programs.
6 (3) Is a resident of this Commonwealth.
7 (4) Executes a sworn affidavit, under penalty of
8 perjury, that he does not have a delinquent payment owing to
9 any Commonwealth agency.
10 (5) Was hired by the school district on or after the
11 effective date of this act.
12 "School District." A school district of the first class in
13 this Commonwealth.
14 Section 3. Education Professional Loan Forgiveness Program.
15 Qualified applicants shall be eligible for payments by the
16 agency of a portion of the debt incurred by the applicant
17 through the agency-administered Guaranteed Student Loan Programs
18 for the education necessary to successfully complete a specified
19 bachelor's degree. For each calendar year that the applicant is
20 a full-time permanent professional educator in the school
21 district, the agency may forgive $2,500 of the applicant's loan
22 up to a lifetime maximum of $10,000 per educator. Payments shall
23 be made in accordance with the procedures established by the
24 agency. A loan forgiveness award shall not be made for a loan
25 that is in default at the time of the application.
26 Section 4. Responsibility of agency.
27 The agency shall administer the program established under
28 this act and promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to
29 carry out the provisions of this act.
30 Section 5. Effective date.
19990H1332B1552 - 2 -
1 This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.
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