BILL NUMBER: S9174
SPONSOR: RAMOS
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the labor law, in relation to the calculation of full-
time employment for purposes of the federal public service loan forgive-
ness program
 
PURPOSE:
Change how eligibility for federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness
(PSLF) is calculated for non-tenure track faculty
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 increases the work hours credited for faculty and teacher
employees under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. For
every hour of lecture or classroom time, public service employers must
now credit 5.0 hours worked (up from 3.35), regardless of when the work
occurred, including hours worked before the provision takes effect.
Section 2 provides the effective date
 
JUSTIFICATION:
This legislation recognizes the hard work of public-sector adjunct
faculty members. These public employees are crucial to the education of
students at SUNY, and they comprise a substantial portion of the academ-
ics in our bargaining unit. We applaud the sponsors of this bill for
recognizing these employees for their public service and tremendous
contribution to the State University of New York and the state as a
whole. Student loan debt is a major constraint on individuals and their
families. Americans owe a combined $1.6 trillion in federal student
loans, and this legislation would go a long way in helping alleviate
this crushing debt for New York's public higher education employees.At a
time when the federal government has attacked public employees and high-
er education and attempted to restrict access to the PSLF program, it is
crucial for New York to stand up against federal threats and demonstrate
appreciation for its public employees. Amid these attacks, New York has
the opportunity to demonstrate how valuable our public higher education
institutions and public employees are. It is important to note that
there is no cost to the state associated with this legislation. Addi-
tionally, there is no limit under federal law on how many hours a state
can award per course credit. Colorado and Oregon have already increased
their credit-hour multiplier, and there is no restriction on New York
doing the same.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill
 
FISCAL IMPACT:
TBD
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S9174: 1001 labor law, 1001(1) labor law