Under existing law, the Alabama Commission on Higher Education administers the Alabama Math and Science Teacher Education Program (AMSTEP), which provides a loan repayment award to eligible public K-12 math, science, and computer science teachers and an additional loan repayment award to the eligible applicants who are employed in underserved locations in the state. This bill would change the name of the program to the Loan Assistance in Support of Educators in Alabama (LASEA) Program and would expand program eligibility to address additional educator shortages by extending eligibility for loan assistance to educators with certification in acute educator shortage programs and providing additional loan assistance if those educators are employed by public K-12 schools or school systems recognized as acute educator shortage locations. This bill would specify that the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, in consultation with the State Department of Education, would determine which programs, schools, and school systems have acute educator shortages.