WEST virginia Legislature
2017 regular session
By
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to the Committee on Education then Finance.
A BILL to amend the Code
of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated
§18C-2-10, relating to creating a loan tuition forgiveness program to encourage
students in selected and necessary fields to remain in the state; creating a
“New College Families” loan forgiveness program; and creating a loan
forgiveness program for counties with low college attendance.
Be it enacted by the
Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West
Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section,
designated §18C-2-10, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. GUARANTEED
STUDENT LOAN PROGRAM.
§18C-2-10. Student loan
forgiveness programs.
(a) Institutions of
higher education in the state may establish student loan forgiveness programs
for funds paid through the institutions or their supporting foundations, if the
institution governing boards approve a plan therefor, for eligible students,
including without limitation:
(1) New College Families Program. -- West Virginia residents who are in
new college families as the first member to graduate from a two or four-year college
and who work full time in the state for at least three consecutive years immediately
following graduation.
(2) Return to Home Program. -- Students who graduate from West Virginia
high schools with historically low college attendance rates and return to work
full time in the county in which their high school was located for at least
three consecutive years immediately following graduation.
(3) STEM Program. -- Students who graduate from a West Virginia
institution of higher learning with a degree in science, technology,
engineering or mathematics and work full time in the state for at least three
consecutive years immediately following graduation.
(b) Institutions which
adopt student loan forgiveness programs shall report to the West Virginia
Higher Education Policy Commission, the terms of the programs and their costs
and benefits.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is
to create a loan tuition forgiveness program to encourage students in selected
and necessary fields to remain in the state; create a “New College Families”
loan forgiveness program; and create a loan forgiveness program for counties
with low college attendance.
Strike-throughs indicate language
that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring
indicates new language that would be added.