Legislators seek greater loan forgiveness for prosecutors, public defenders

A bipartisan group of nearly 70 lawmakers sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday evening asking for more money to forgive the student loans of public service lawyers.

In the letter, led by state Sen. Jessica Ramos and Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon, 69 legislators from both sides of the aisle asked Hochul to include an additional $4 million for the Higher Education Services Corporation District Attorney and Indigent Legal Service Attorney Loan Forgiveness Program. The program offers limited loan forgiveness for prosecutors, public defenders and indigent legal services lawyers. Last year, the state allocated $2.4 million for the program.

Coupled with the extra cash, lawmakers are asking that Hochul include language from a bill sponsored by Ramos and Simon that would expand the fund so that it provides more money and allows people to apply sooner, in order to retain attorneys who may otherwise leave for the private sector due to financial concerns. “New York cannot afford to lose more experienced public interest attorneys, neither those who represent people facing serious consequences nor those who speak for victims in our law enforcement offices,” the letter reads.

Ramos and Simon’s  legislation would allow lawyers to apply for the program after two years of working, instead of three, and would extend the period for payments from six years to eight. It would also increase the yearly loan forgiveness from $3,400 to $8,000.

The bill passed in the state Senate unanimously last year. The Assembly did not pass it but did include it in its one-house budget proposal last year. The legislation also has support from a wide array of public defenders and district attorney offices, as well as the union that represents public defenders, who sent a similar letter to the governor’s office last month. According to Aaron Eisenberg, the political rep for UAW Region 9A, Hochul’s office indicated that it wanted to see interest from the Legislature – hence the new letter from all the state lawmakers. 

The bill was first introduced in 2019, but the letter expressed fresh urgency about getting it done this year given the potential impact of the incoming Trump administration on federal student loan programs. Many public service employees use such federal student loan programs to help alleviate the financial burdens of their debt. “As we head into 2025 and a second Trump administration, these vital programs are at great risk,” the letter reads, adding that the two most popular loan forgiveness programs are under threat.