FL H1213

Establishes the Assistant State Attorney and Assistant Public Defender Student Loan Repayment Program within the Department of Education to increase employment and retention by offsetting student loans issued or guaranteed by state or federal government.

Eligible participants must be in good standing with The Florida Bar, employed full-time by a state attorney or public defender in Florida, have no more than 10 years of continuous service, earn less than $65,000 annually, and have no disciplinary actions or other loan repayment assistance.

Program provides annual payments of $3,000 for participants with 4-7 years of service and $5,000 for participants with 7-10 years of service, with payments made directly to the financial institution servicing the highest interest rate loan.

Participants must submit annual certification affidavits to their employer within 30 days of employment anniversary; employers have 60 days to submit signed affidavits to the department to maintain eligibility.

Payments are non-taxable income and only eligible loans are those issued under the Higher Education Act of 1965 for law school education and not in default; funding is contingent on annual appropriation with proportional reductions if insufficient funds available.