WEST virginia Legislature

2017 regular session

Introduced

House Bill 2876

By Delegates Rowe, Caputo, Pyles and white

[Introduced March 9, 2017; Referred
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.