What's happening
This bill extends the eligibility period for New York's district attorney and indigent legal services attorney loan forgiveness program from six to seven years.
Why it matters
Increases the total time attorneys can receive loan forgiveness. , making these public service roles (district attorneys and indigent legal services attorneys) more financially sustainable and potentially more attractive to new or mid-career lawyers.
Allows attorneys to begin qualifying for forgiveness one year earlier. (after their second year of employment instead of the third), which could help retain talent during the early, often most financially challenging years of their careers.
Ensures that current program participants are protected. from any reduction in their benefits or changes to their eligibility, maintaining fairness for those already enrolled under previous rules.
May help address attorney shortages or high turnover in public legal services. , as expanded and more accessible loan forgiveness could incentivize longer-term commitments in these critical but often lower-paid public sector roles.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Expand Attorney Loan Forgiveness
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
14 Co-sponsors
1 Multi-sponsor
History
- Referred to higher education
- Print number 6709a
- Amend and recommit to higher education
- Referred to higher education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Expand Attorney Loan Forgiveness
In Assembly Committee · Higher Education · Sponsor Andrew J. Lanza
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6709--A
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 16, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. O'DONNELL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to the New York State district attorney and indigent legal services attorney loan forgiveness program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph b of subdivision 2 of section 679-e of the education law, as amended by section 1 of part VV of chapter 56 of the laws of 2009, is amended to read as follows:
b. "Eligible period" means the [six-year] seven-year period after completion of the [third] second year and before the commencement of the tenth year of employment as an eligible attorney. For purposes of this section, all periods of time during which an admitted attorney was employed as an eligible attorney and all periods of time during which a law school graduate awaiting admission to the New York state bar was employed by a prosecuting or criminal defense agency as permitted by section four hundred eighty-four of the judiciary law shall be combined.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately. Nothing in this act shall be implemented in a manner that diminishes the current award or status of eligible attorneys currently participating in the program.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10490-03-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.