New Jersey S 3765: Establishes Sign Language Interpreting Services Providers Loan Redemption Program; appropriates $2 million.

Bill Text

SENATE, No. 3765
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED OCTOBER 7, 2024

Sponsored by:
Senator RENEE C. BURGESS
District 28 (Essex and Union)

SYNOPSIS
Establishes Sign Language Interpreting Services Providers Loan
Redemption Program; appropriates $2 million.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.

S3765 BURGESS
2

AN ACT establishing a loan redemption program for providers of 1
sign language interpreting services, supplementing chapter 71C 2
of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and making an 3
appropriation. 4
5
BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State 6
of New Jersey: 7
8
1. As used in this act: 9
“Approved site” means a nonprofit or State agency providing 10
sign language interpreting services, the Judiciary, an entity 11
providing healthcare or mental health services, a public or 12
nonpublic school, an institution of higher education, a licensed 13
child care provider, an entity providing video relay services and 14
video remote interpreting services to residents of the State, or a 15
nonprofit entity providing services for the general public good, as 16
determined by the authority. 17
“Authority” means the Higher Education Student Assistance 18
Authority. 19
“Eligible provider of interpreting services” means an interpreter 20
certified by the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc., 21
listed by the State Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the 22
Department of Human Services or the New Jersey Registry of 23
Interpreters for the Deaf, and providing interpreting services in the 24
State. 25
“Executive director” means the executive director of the Higher 26
Education Student Assistance Authority. 27
“Qualifying student loan amounts” means the cumulative 28
outstanding balance of State, federal, or commercial student loans 29
at the time an applicant is selected for the program, which an 30
applicant has borrowed to pay for the cost of attendance for 31
undergraduate or graduate education at an institution of higher 32
education. Interest paid or due on qualifying student loan amounts 33
shall be considered eligible for reimbursement under the program. 34
“Program” means the Sign Language Interpreting Services 35
Providers Loan Redemption Program established pursuant to this 36
act. 37
“Program participant” means an eligible provider of interpreting 38
services who contracts with the authority to engage in the practice 39
of interpreting services at an approved site in exchange for the 40
redemption of qualifying student loan amounts. 41
“Total and permanent disability” means a physical or mental 42
disability that is expected to continue indefinitely or result in death 43
and renders a program participant unable to perform the program 44
participant’s contractual obligation, as determined by the executive 45
director or the executive director’s designee. 46

S3765 BURGESS
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2. There is established the Sign Language Interpreting Services 1
Providers Loan Redemption Program within the Higher Education 2
Student Assistance Authority. The program shall provide for the 3
redemption of a portion of the qualifying student loan amounts of a 4
program participant for each period of service at an approved site. 5
6
3. a. To be eligible to participate in the program, an applicant 7
shall: 8
(1) be a resident of the State; 9
(2) be employed as an eligible provider of interpreting services at 10
an approved site; and 11
(3) submit an application in a manner and form to be determined 12
by the executive director. 13
b. The executive director, or the executive director’s designee, 14
shall select the program participants from among those applicants 15
who meet the eligibility criteria, subject to available funds. The 16
executive director shall give preference to applicants employed as 17
an eligible provider of interpreting services in a county facing a 18
shortage of providers of interpreting services, as annually 19
designated by the executive director pursuant to a methodology to 20
be established by the executive director. 21
c. The program participant shall enter into a written contract 22
with the authority to participate in the program. The contract shall 23
specify the duration of the program participant’s required service 24
and the total amount of qualifying student loan amounts to be 25
redeemed by the State in return for service. 26
d. The redemption of qualifying student loan amounts under the 27
program shall amount to 18 percent of the program participant’s 28
qualifying student loan amounts in return for one full year of 29
service at an approved site, an additional 26 percent for a second 30
full year of service, an additional 28 percent for a third full year of 31
service and an additional 28 percent for a fourth full year of service. 32
Total redemption of qualifying student loan amounts under the 33
program shall not exceed $200,000. 34
e. The period of service shall commence on or after the date of 35
enactment of this act. 36
f. No amoun