Creates a regents large animal veterinarian loan forgiveness program; establishes the number, criteria and notification requirements to receive an award under such program; establishes such awards shall be awarded annually to veterinarians who agree to practice in large animal veterinarian medicine.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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4636--A
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 3, 2017
___________
Introduced by M. of A. MAGEE, DiPIETRO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A.
HAWLEY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education
-- recommitted to the Committee on Higher Education in accordance with
Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to creating a regents
large animal veterinarian loan forgiveness program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 605 of the education law is amended by adding a new
2 subdivision 13 to read as follows:
3 13. Regents large animal veterinarian loan forgiveness program.
4 Regents veterinarian loan forgiveness awards shall be awarded annually
5 to large animal veterinarians who agree to practice veterinary medicine
6 in an area of New York state designated by the regents as having a shor-
7 tage of large animal veterinarians. Such awards shall be classified and
8 allocated in accordance with regents rules.
9 a. Eligibility. (1) The applicant must be a resident of New York state
10 and licensed to practice veterinary medicine.
11 (2) The applicant must have completed a professional residency program
12 within the five years immediately preceding the period for which the
13 first award would be granted, or be within two years of completion of an
14 accredited residency program in large animal veterinary medicine.
15 (3) The applicant must agree to practice large animal veterinary medi-
16 cine in an area in New York state designated as having a shortage of
17 large animal veterinarians. The regents, after consultation with the
18 commissioners of agriculture and markets and health, shall designate
19 those regions and facilities of New York state which have a shortage of
20 large animal veterinarians for the purposes of this section and estab-
21 lish relative rankings thereof.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08827-03-8
A. 4636--A 2
1 b. Selection. The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioners
2 of agriculture and markets and health, shall establish criteria for the
3 selection of participants in the program. An applicant must satisfy at
4 least one of the criteria established. A priority shall be accorded to
5 any applicant who is completing the second year of the service require-
6 ment and is reapplying for a new award. The criteria shall include but
7 not be limited to the following:
8 (i) reapplication for a new award by a person who is completing the
9 second year of a service requirement;
10 (ii) receipt of specific training in large animal veterinary medicine;
11 (iii) receipt of specific training or experience in serving a shortage
12 area;
13 (iv) receipt of specific training or experience matching a specific
14 large animal medical need existing in a shortage area; and
15 (v) agreement pursuant to paragraph d of this subdivision to practice
16 in an area determined by the regents to have a severe shortage of large
17 animal veterinary services.
18 c. Notification. (1) The commissioner shall then forward approved
19 applications to the president and shall notify unsuccessful applicants.
20 (2) The president shall verify the approved applicants':
21 (i) eligibility; and
22 (ii) total undergraduate and veterinary medical school student
23 expense;
24 (3) The president shall notify applicants of their award entitlement.
25 d. Service requirement. The commissioner shall convert to a student
26 loan the full amount of the award given pursuant to this section, plus
27 interest, according to a schedule to be determined by the commissioner
28 if: (1) two years after the completion of the residency degree program
29 it is found that a recipient is not practicing large animal veterinary
30 medicine in a specific area designated as having a shortage of large
31 animal veterinarians; or (2) a recipient has not practiced large animal
32 veterinary medicine in a specific area designated as having a shortage
33 of large animal veterinarians for five of the seven years after the
34 completion of the residency degree program; or (3) a recipient fails to
35 complete their residency degree program; or (4) a recipient fails to
36 receive or maintain their license to practice veterinary medicine; or
37 (5) a recipient fails to respond to requests by the commissioner for the
38 status of his or her academic or professional progress. The terms and
39 conditions of this paragraph shall be deferred for any interruption in
40 graduate study or employment as established by the rules and regulations
41 of the commissioner. Any obligation to comply with such provisions as
42 outlined in this section shall be cancelled upon the death of the recip-
43 ient. Notwithstanding any provisions of this paragraph to the contrary,
44 the commissioner is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to
45 provide for the waiver or suspension of any financial obligation which
46 would involve extreme hardship.
47 e. Reporting. A recipient of an award shall report annually to the New
48 York state higher education services corporation, the department of
49 agriculture and markets and the department of health on forms prescribed
50 by the president, as to the performance of the required services,
51 commencing with the calendar year in which the recipient begins to prac-
52 tice large animal veterinary medicine in a shortage area and continuing
53 until the recipient shall have completed, or it is determined that he or
54 she shall not be obligated to complete, the required services. If the
55 recipient shall fail to file any report required hereunder within thirty
56 days of written notice to the recipient, mailed to the address shown on
A. 4636--A 3
1 the last application for an award or last report filed, whichever is
2 later, the president of the corporation may impose a fine of up to one
3 thousand dollars. The president shall have the discretion to waive the
4 filing of a report, excuse a delay in filing or a failure to file a
5 report, or waive or reduce any fine imposed for good cause shown.
6 f. Other awards. Award recipients shall be eligible to apply for one
7 additional award.
8 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 672-c to
9 read as follows:
10 § 672-c. Regents large animal veterinarian loan forgiveness program.
11 1. Number and certification. Eighty regents large animal veterinarian
12 loan forgiveness awards shall be awarded each year. Such awards shall be
13 allocated as provided in article thirteen of this title to eligible
14 large animal veterinarians as certified to the president by the commis-
15 sioner.
16 2. Calculation of award amounts. Each award shall consist of two
17 consecutive annual loan forgiveness payments. Each of the annual
18 payments shall be for an amount equal to the total of undergraduate and
19 veterinary medical school student loan expense or ten thousand dollars,
20 whichever is less. The president shall be responsible for calculating
21 the dollar amount of each award that eligible candidates may receive
22 from this program. For the purposes of this section, student loan
23 expense shall mean the cumulative total of the annual student loans
24 covering the cost of attendance at an undergraduate institution and/or
25 veterinary medical school. Interest paid or due on student loans that an
26 applicant has taken out for use in paying for such undergraduate and/or
27 veterinarian medical education shall be considered eligible for
28 reimbursement under this program.
29 3. Award disbursement. a. Annual award disbursements shall be the
30 responsibility of the president and shall occur prior to the beginning
31 of each of the required terms of service as specified in the service
32 contract. The board of trustees of the higher education services corpo-
33 ration shall adopt rules and regulations regarding criteria for deter-
34 mining successful completion of the service contract and any appeal
35 process that may be required to implement this paragraph upon recommen-
36 dation of the president in consultation with the commissioner.
37 b. The disbursement of the second annual award shall be dependent upon
38 successful completion of the first year requirement of the service
39 contract as defined by the president as well as other criteria set forth
40 in this section.
41 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
42 the date on which it shall have become a law.