New Jersey S 93: Establishes Volunteer First Responders Loan Redemption Program in Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.

Bill Text

SENATE, No. 93

STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION

Sponsored by:
Senator JEAN STANFIELD
District 8 (Atlantic, Burlington and Camden)

SYNOPSIS
Establishes Volunteer First Responders Loan Redemption Program in
Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

S93 STANFIELD
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AN ACT establishing a loan redemption program for certain 1
emergency responders and supplementing chapter 71C of Title 2
18A of the New Jersey Statutes. 3
4
BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State 5
of New Jersey: 6
7
1. As used in this act: 8
“Authority” means the Higher Education Student Assistance 9
Authority established pursuant to N.J.S.18A:71A-3. 10
“Eligible student loan expenses” means the cumulative 11
outstanding balance of the principal and interest due on student 12
loans used to cover the cost of attendance while enrolled in an 13
undergraduate degree or certificate program at an in-State 14
institution of higher education. 15
“Program” means the Volunteer First Responders Loan 16
Redemption Program established pursuant to this act. 17
“Program participant” means a person who becomes a volunteer 18
emergency responder following the effective date of this act, meets 19
the criteria of subsection a. of section 2 of this act, and has executed 20
a contract with the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority 21
for participation in the loan redemption program. 22
“Volunteer emergency responder” means an active member in 23
good standing of a volunteer fire company, a volunteer member of a 24
duly incorporated first aid, rescue or ambulance squad, or a member 25
of any county or municipal volunteer Office of Emergency 26
Management, provided the member’s official duties include 27
responding to a fire or emergency call. 28
29
2. a. There is established in the Higher Education Student 30
Assistance Authority a Volunteer First Responders Loan 31
Redemption Program. To be eligible to participate in the program 32
an applicant shall: 33
(1) be a resident of the State; 34
(2) be an active volunteer emergency responder who: 35
(a) in the case of a volunteer on a first aid, rescue, or ambulance 36
squad or with an Office of Emergency Management, has completed 37
a minimum of 500 hours of volunteer work in each year of program 38
participation; or 39
(b) in the case of a volunteer firefighter, has responded to at least 40
60 percent of regular alarms and 60 percent of drills and has 41
received certification from the Division of Fire Safety in the 42
Department of Community Affairs; 43
(3) have completed an undergraduate degree or certificate 44
program at an in-State institution of higher education on or after the 45
effective date of this act; and 46
(4) provide the authority with a sworn or official statement from 47
the chief or other presiding officer with the volunteer fire company, 48

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the volunteer first aid, rescue or ambulance squad, or the county or 1
municipal volunteer Office of Emergency Management, as 2
appropriate, attesting that the applicant is an active member in good 3
standing. 4
An individual may apply to the authority to participate in the 5
program in such manner as the authority prescribes and shall 6
include all information and documentation required by the 7
authority. 8
b. A program participant may redeem eligible student loan 9
expenses upon execution of a contract between the program 10
participant and the authority. The contract shall be for a specified 11
number of one-year periods of service as a volunteer emergency 12
responder. 13
c. The redemption of loans under the loan redemption program 14
shall not exceed $6,000 or the outstanding balance of eligible 15
student loan expenses, whichever is less. A participant may receive 16
$2,000 in each of the second, third, and fourth years of active 17
service in the program following graduation from the degree or 18
certificate program. A program participant shall not be eligible to 19
receive any loan redemption in the first year of active service in the 20
program. 21
A program participant shall submit to the authority proof of 22
service as an active volunteer emergency responder in good 23
standing prior to redemption of loan indebtedness. Service for less 24
than a full year for each period of service shall not entitle the 25
program participant to any benefits under the program. 26
d. A program participant who has entered into a redemption 27
contract with the authority may nullify the contract by submitting 28
written notification to the authority and assuming full responsibility 29
for repayment of principal and interest on the full amount of the 30
program participant’s loans or that portion of the loans which has 31
not been redeemed by the State in return for fulfillment of the 32
contract. 33
e. In the case of the program participant’s death or total and 34
permanent disabi