HF 648

as introduced - 80th Legislature (1997 - 1998) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; establishing a law school loan 
  1.3             repayment assistance program; appropriating money; 
  1.4             proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, 
  1.5             chapter 136A. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [136A.149] [LAW SCHOOL LOAN REPAYMENT 
  1.8   ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.] 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] A law school loan 
  1.10  repayment assistance program is established under the 
  1.11  supervision of the higher education services office and the 
  1.12  administration of Loan Repayment Assistance Program of 
  1.13  Minnesota, Inc. to provide grants for reimbursement to attorneys 
  1.14  eligible under criteria for loan repayment assistance. 
  1.15     Subd. 2.  [RESPONSIBILITY OF LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE 
  1.16  PROGRAM OF MINNESOTA.] Loan Repayment Assistance Program of 
  1.17  Minnesota, Inc. shall administer the reimbursement program.  To 
  1.18  be eligible to receive reimbursement, a person must be a 
  1.19  graduate of a Minnesota law school and have secured full-time 
  1.20  employment in Minnesota at a qualifying public interest 
  1.21  organization.  Qualifying organizations include: 
  1.22     (1) Native American tribal governments, court systems, and 
  1.23  public interest organizations; 
  1.24     (2) nonprofit organizations as provided by sections 
  1.25  501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), and 501(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code 
  2.1   of 1986, as amended through December 31, 1996; 
  2.2      (3) public defense corporations and Indian child welfare 
  2.3   defense corporations under section 611.216; and 
  2.4      (4) state board of public defense employees under section 
  2.5   611.24. 
  2.6      The reimbursement may be used only for institutional law 
  2.7   school debt. 
  2.8      Subd. 3.  [RESPONSIBILITY OF HIGHER EDUCATION SERVICES 
  2.9   OFFICE.] The higher education services office shall distribute 
  2.10  money each year, contingent upon an appropriation, to Loan 
  2.11  Repayment Assistance Program of Minnesota, Inc. to be used to 
  2.12  award reimbursements under this section.  The office shall not 
  2.13  distribute the money unless Loan Repayment Assistance Program of 
  2.14  Minnesota, Inc. matches the amount with private contributions on 
  2.15  a basis of $2 of the appropriation to each $1 of private 
  2.16  contributions. 
  2.17     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.18     $50,000 is appropriated in fiscal year 1998 and $50,000 is 
  2.19  appropriated in fiscal year 1999 from the general fund to the 
  2.20  higher education services office for the purpose of section 1.