2008 Legislation
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HOUSE BILL NO. 504<br /> – “High need” educator, student loan

HOUSE BILL NO. 504

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Bill Status



H0504..........................................................by EDUCATION
HIGH NEED EDUCATORS - Adds to existing law relating to education; to state
the public interest of the state of Idaho and legislative intent; to
provide for determination by the State Board of Education of educator
fields considered to be "high need"; to provide for educator eligibility
criteria for application to the "high need" loan forgiveness program and
for loan forgiveness; to provide for reimbursement of reasonable costs
incurred by educators who have not obtained a qualified educational loan;
and to provide for administration of the program by the State Board of
Education.

02/08    House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/11    Rpt prt - to Educ

Bill Text




                                                                       
  ]]]]              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ]]]]
 Fifty-ninth Legislature                   Second Regular Session - 2008

                                                                       

                              IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                                     HOUSE BILL NO. 504

                                   BY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

  1                                        AN ACT
  2    RELATING TO EDUCATION; AMENDING CHAPTER 12, TITLE 33, IDAHO CODE, BY THE ADDI-
  3        TION OF A NEW SECTION 33-1281, IDAHO CODE, TO STATE THE PUBLIC INTEREST OF
  4        THE STATE OF IDAHO AND LEGISLATIVE INTENT, TO PROVIDE FOR DETERMINATION BY
  5        THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF EDUCATOR FIELDS  CONSIDERED  TO  BE  "HIGH
  6        NEED,"  TO  PROVIDE  EDUCATOR  ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR APPLICATION TO THE
  7        "HIGH NEED" LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM AND FOR LOAN FORGIVENESS, TO  PROVIDE
  8        FOR  REIMBURSEMENT  OF REASONABLE COSTS INCURRED BY EDUCATORS WHO HAVE NOT
  9        OBTAINED A QUALIFIED EDUCATIONAL LOAN AND TO PROVIDE FOR ADMINISTRATION OF
 10        THE PROGRAM BY THE BOARD; AND PROVIDING A SUNSET DATE.

 11    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:

 12        SECTION 1.  That Chapter 12, Title 33, Idaho Code, be,  and  the  same  is
 13    hereby  amended by the addition thereto of a NEW SECTION, to be known and des-
 14    ignated as Section 33-1281, Idaho Code, and to read as follows:

 15        33-1281.  "HIGH NEED" EDUCATOR FORGIVABLE LOAN PROGRAM. (1) It  is  hereby
 16    declared that it is in the public interest to encourage and assist individuals
 17    to  pursue  a career as an educator in a "high need" field within the state of
 18    Idaho. It is the intent of the legislature to create a loan  forgiveness  pro-
 19    gram  in  which funds shall be used to forgive the qualified educational loans
 20    of individuals who work in this state as "high need" educators.
 21        (2)  The state board of education shall determine  annually  the  educator
 22    fields  that  shall  be  considered  "high need" pursuant to this section. The
 23    state board of education shall consider those educator fields that  have  been
 24    identified  as  most  difficult  to  fill in the annual report provided by the
 25    state superintendent of public instruction. This determination shall  be  made
 26    by  the state board of education by resolution at any regular or special meet-
 27    ing, and shall specify the educator fields  that  shall  be  considered  "high
 28    need" for the next succeeding school year.
 29        (3)  Any educator who is certified to serve in a "high need" field in this
 30    state  is  eligible  to apply to participate in this loan forgiveness program.
 31    Qualified educational loans eligible for  forgiveness  include  student  loans
 32    under  the  Stafford  federal  family education loan (FFEL) program, which may
 33    include direct loans, FFEL lender loans or PLUS loans for graduate and profes-
 34    sional degree students, federal Perkins loans or privately funded  educational
 35    loans  processed  through  institutions of higher education for the purpose of
 36    defraying costs associated with obtaining a baccalaureate or  master's  degree
 37    for  an  initial  certificate  or,  in  the  case  of an existing educator, to
 38    recertify in a critical shortage subject area. An educator must apply annually
 39    to the state board of education for participation  in  this  loan  forgiveness
 40    program.  Selection  of educators for loan forgiveness stipends shall be based
 41    on available funding, and such additional criteria as may  be  established  in
 42    rule  by  the  state board of education. In the event that there is not suffi-
 43    cient funding to provide financial stipends to all  eligible  educators,  such

                                       2

  1    criteria  shall include a preference for applications that are received earli-
  2    est in time by the state board of education during an application period.
  3        (4)  To be eligible for a financial stipend  under  this  forgivable  loan
  4    program,  an  educator must agree to serve at least full-time in a "high need"
  5    field in a public school in this state for a full school year.  Service  in  a
  6    "high need" field must occur during the school year for which such designation
  7    is made. An educator who fulfills this commitment in a "high need" field shall
  8    be  eligible  for  loan  forgiveness.  The amount of loan forgiveness payments
  9    available to an individual educator  who  fulfills  this  service  requirement
 10    shall be established annually by the state board of education, based on avail-
 11    able  funding  for  this  forgivable loan program, and shall not exceed twenty
 12    percent (20%) of the qualified loan up to four thousand dollars  ($4,000)  per
 13    educator  for  service  during  any  one  (1) school year, or exceed a maximum
 14    amount of twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) per educator  for  service  during
 15    any  consecutive  five  (5) year period. To be eligible to participate in this
 16    loan forgiveness program an educator shall not be in  default  on  any  educa-
 17    tional loans, and during each service year must verify that he or she has made
 18    all  required contractual educational loan payments. An educator who has fully
 19    or partially paid his qualified educational loan prior to the  effective  date
 20    of this section is eligible for the program under this section.
 21        (5)  An educator who completed his education without obtaining a qualified
 22    educational  loan  and who otherwise would be qualified pursuant to the provi-
 23    sions of this section may apply to the state board of education for reimburse-
 24    ment of the reasonable educational costs incurred in obtaining a baccalaureate
 25    or master's degree in a "high need" field in amounts not to exceed  those  set
 26    forth in subsection (4) of this section.
 27        (6)  The  "high  need" educator loan forgiveness program shall be adminis-
 28    tered by the state board of education, which shall determine  the  eligibility
 29    for loan forgiveness for the program. The state board of education shall adopt
 30    rules  to  implement  this  chapter,  including  rules relating to application
 31    forms, processes, loan forgiveness payments and deadlines.

 32        SECTION 2.  The provisions of this act shall be null, void and of no force
 33    and effect on and after July 1, 2015.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact


                      STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
                                
                           RS 17634C1
                                
This legislation relates to education; amending Chapter 12, Title 33,
Idaho Code, by the additional of a New Section 33-1281, Idaho Code, to
state the public interest of the State of Idaho and Legislative intent,
to provide for determination by the State Board of Education of
educator fields considered to be "High Need," to provide for educator
eligibility criteria for application to the "high need" loan
forgiveness program and for loan forgiveness, to provide for
reimbursement of reasonable costs incurred by educators who have not
obtained a qualified educational loan and to provide for administration
of the program by the Board; and providing a sunset date.



                           FISCAL NOTE
                                
There will be a fiscal impact of potentially $80,000 in Year 1,
$120,000 in Year 2, $160,000 in Year 3, $160,000 in Year 4, and
$160,000 in Year 5 of the program. This assumes 20 qualified educators
will begin participation in Year 1, 10 additional qualified educators
in Year 2, and 10 additional qualified educators in Year 3 of the
program.


         


Contact
Name:    Representative Tom Trail
Phone:   (208) 332-1000
Representative Dean Mortimer


                                                        
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE                       H 504