What's happening
This bill creates a loan forgiveness program for large animal veterinarians who practice in shortage areas in New York State.
Why it matters
Addresses critical workforce shortages. By incentivizing veterinarians to work in areas with a documented lack of large animal veterinary care, the bill aims to improve animal health, food safety, and agricultural productivity in rural or underserved regions of New York State.
Targets veterinarians early in their careers. The eligibility rules focus on recent graduates or those near the end of their training, supporting them at a financially vulnerable stage and potentially influencing their long-term career location and practice focus.
Structured accountability and service requirements. Recipients must commit to practicing in shortage areas for a significant period (five out of seven years), or risk having their award converted to a loan with interest, ensuring that public funds are tied to actual service delivery.
Includes robust oversight and flexibility. Annual reporting, clear eligibility and selection priorities, and provisions for hardship waivers or delays balance program integrity with sensitivity to individual circumstances, which may help sustain participation and program effectiveness.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Forgive Vet School Loans
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Print number 3842a
- Amend and recommit to finance
- Reported and committed to finance
- Referred to higher education
- Reported and committed to finance
- 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.
Forgive Vet School Loans
In Assembly Committee · Higher Education · Sponsor William Magee
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3842--A
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 27, 2017
Introduced by Sens. RITCHIE, HELMING, SEWARD -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education -- recommitted to the Committee on Higher Education in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- reported favorably from said committee and committed to the Committee on Finance -- 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 Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 605 of the education law is amended by adding a new subdivision 13 to read as follows:
13. Regents large animal veterinarian loan forgiveness program. Regents veterinarian loan forgiveness awards shall be awarded annually to large animal veterinarians who agree to practice veterinary medicine in an area of New York state designated by the regents as having a shortage of large animal veterinarians. Such awards shall be classified and allocated in accordance with regents rules.
a. Eligibility. (1) The applicant must be a resident of New York state and licensed to practice veterinary medicine.
(2) The applicant must have completed a professional residency program within the five years immediately preceding the period for which the first award would be granted, or be within two years of completion of an accredited residency program in large animal veterinary medicine.
(3) The applicant must agree to practice large animal veterinary medicine in an area in New York state designated as having a shortage of large animal veterinarians. The regents, after consultation with the commissioners of agriculture and markets and health, shall designate those regions and facilities of New York state which have a shortage of
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08827-02-8
S. 3842--A 2
large animal veterinarians for the purposes of this section and establish relative rankings thereof.
b. Selection. The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioners of agriculture and markets and health, shall establish criteria for the selection of participants in the program. An applicant must satisfy at least one of the criteria established. A priority shall be accorded to any applicant who is completing the second year of the service requirement and is reapplying for a new award. The criteria shall include but not be limited to the following:
(i) reapplication for a new award by a person who is completing the second year of a service requirement;
(ii) receipt of specific training in large animal veterinary medicine;
(iii) receipt of specific training or experience in serving a shortage area;
(iv) receipt of specific training or experience matching a specific large animal medical need existing in a shortage area; and
(v) agreement pursuant to paragraph d of this subdivision to practice in an area determined by the regents to have a severe shortage of large animal veterinary services.
c. Notification. (1) The commissioner shall then forward approved applications to the president and shall notify unsuccessful applicants.
(2) The president shall verify the approved applicants':
(i) eligibility; and
(ii) total undergraduate and veterinary medical school student expense;
(3) The president shall notify applicants of their award entitlement.
d. Service requirement. The commissioner shall convert to a student loan the full amount of the award given pursuant to this section, plus interest, according to a schedule to be determined by the commissioner if: (1) two years after the completion of the residency degree program it is found that a recipient is not practicing large animal veterinary medicine in a specific area designated as having a shortage of large animal veterinarians; or (2) a recipient has not practiced large animal veterinary medicine in a specific area designated as having a shortage of large animal veterinarians for five of the seven years after the completion of the residency degree program; or (3) a recipient fails to complete their residency degree program; or (4) a recipient fails to receive or maintain their license to practice veterinary medicine; or (5) a recipient fails to respond to requests by the commissioner for the status of his or her academic or professional progress. The terms and conditions of this paragraph shall be deferred for any interruption in graduate study or employment as established by the rules and regulations of the commissioner. Any obligation to comply with such provisions as outlined in this section shall be cancelled upon the death of the recipient. Notwithstanding any provisions of this paragraph to the contrary, the commissioner is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to provide for the waiver or suspension of any financial obligation which would involve extreme hardship.
e. Reporting. A recipient of an award shall report annually to the New York state higher education services corporation, the department of agriculture and markets and the department of health on forms prescribed by the president, as to the performance of the required services, commencing with the calendar year in which the recipient begins to practice large animal veterinary medicine in a shortage area and continuing until the recipient shall have completed, or it is determined that he or she shall not be obligated to complete, the required services. If the
S. 3842--A 3
recipient shall fail to file any report required hereunder within thirty days of written notice to the recipient, mailed to the address shown on the last application for an award or last report filed, whichever is later, the president of the corporation may impose a fine of up to one thousand dollars. The president shall have the discretion to waive the filing of a report, excuse a delay in filing or a failure to file a report, or waive or reduce any fine imposed for good cause shown.
f. Other awards. Award recipients shall be eligible to apply for one additional award.
§ 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 672-c to read as follows:
§ 672-c. Regents large animal veterinarian loan forgiveness program. 1. Number and certification. Eighty regents large animal veterinarian loan forgiveness awards shall be awarded each year. Such awards shall be allocated as provided in article thirteen of this title to eligible large animal veterinarians as certified to the president by the commissioner.
2. Calculation of award amounts. Each award shall consist of two consecutive annual loan forgiveness payments. Each of the annual payments shall be for an amount equal to the total of undergraduate and veterinary medical school student loan expense or ten thousand dollars, whichever is less. The president shall be responsible for calculating the dollar amount of each award that eligible candidates may receive from this program. For the purposes of this section, student loan expense shall mean the cumulative total of the annual student loans covering the cost of attendance at an undergraduate institution and/or veterinary medical school. Interest paid or due on student loans that an applicant has taken out for use in paying for such undergraduate and/or veterinarian medical education shall be considered eligible for reimbursement under this program.
3. Award disbursement. a. Annual award disbursements shall be the responsibility of the president and shall occur prior to the beginning of each of the required terms of service as specified in the service contract. The board of trustees of the higher education services corporation shall adopt rules and regulations regarding criteria for determining successful completion of the service contract and any appeal process that may be required to implement this paragraph upon recommendation of the president in consultation with the commissioner.
b. The disbursement of the second annual award shall be dependent upon successful completion of the first year requirement of the service contract as defined by the president as well as other criteria set forth in this section.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to creating a regents large animal veterinarian loan forgiveness program
Purpose
To establish a loan forgiveness program for large animal veterinarians who graduate from New York State colleges and universities as an incen- tive to remain in the state to serve high-need areas.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends Section 605 of the Education law by adding a new Subdi- vision 13 to prescribe the loan forgiveness program's eligibility, selection, notification, reporting and service requirements.
Section 2 provides the allowed number of awards to be issued each year, how award amounts will be calculated, and how such awards will be disbursed.
Section 3 Provides the effective date.
Justification
Since 1990, the number of veterinarians specializing in large animal veterinary care has dropped to fewer than 4,500 from nearly 6,000, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). The AVMA also estimates that such doctors now make up less than 10 percent of private practice veterinarians nationwide. Left unchecked, this situ- ation could have serious consequences not only for the well-being of farmers and animals, but also potentially for food safety and the impact of non-native diseases like avian influence. Cost management for gradu- ates is critical when veterinary students leave school with up to $100,000 in debt. While some say annual salaries can eventually equal that number, the median starting salary for large-animal veterinarians is only about $60,500 - approximately $11,000 less than that of small- animal veterinarians. This is because small-animal practices are more profitable, and therefore more lucrative. Coupled with the fact that many students relocate to different states after obtaining degrees from Cornell University and other reputable New York institutions, legis- lation of this caliber is necessary to make sure our agricultural indus- tries remain viable and are among the best in the country.
Legislative history
2015-2016: S.2311 Reported and Committed to Finance/A.1106 Referred to Higher Education 2013-2014: S.6225 Referred to Higher Education/A.1511 Referred to Higher Education
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
The first of July next succeeding the date the bill becomes law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.