| 13 | | - | Article 7 of Chapter 3 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to9 |
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| 14 | | - | scholarships, loans, and grants, is amended by adding a new part to read as follows:10 |
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| 15 | | - | "Part 6B11 |
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| 16 | | - | 20-3-518.8.12 |
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| 17 | | - | As used in this part, the term:13 |
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| 18 | | - | H. B. 88 (SUB) |
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| 19 | | - | - 1 - 25 LC 61 0189S |
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| 20 | | - | (1) 'Board' means the State Veterinary Education Board created under Code14 |
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| 21 | | - | Section 20-3-518.2.15 |
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| 22 | | - | (2) 'Veterinary technician' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code16 |
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| 23 | | - | Section 43-50-3.17 |
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| 24 | | - | 20-3-518.9.18 |
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| 25 | | - | (a) Beginning January 1, 2026, the board may provide for the purchase of loans made to19 |
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| 26 | | - | students for educational purposes who have completed a program of study in the field of20 |
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| 27 | | - | veterinary technology or its equivalent and are authorized to practice veterinary technology21 |
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| 28 | | - | in this state and are residents of this state, with services in the form of the practice of22 |
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| 29 | | - | veterinary technology while residing in this state to be rendered as consideration for such23 |
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| 30 | | - | loan purchases.24 |
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| 31 | | - | (b) Only persons who have been practicing veterinary technology for ten years or less shall25 |
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| 32 | | - | be eligible for loan purchases under this part. No person shall be eligible for a loan26 |
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| 33 | | - | purchase under this part more than once in his or her lifetime.27 |
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| 34 | | - | 20-3-518.10.28 |
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| 35 | | - | (a)(1) Subject to appropriations, persons whose applications are approved and enter into29 |
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| 36 | | - | a loan purchase agreement with the board, as provided by Code Section 20-3-518.9, shall30 |
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| 37 | | - | receive a loan purchase in a total amount to be determined by the board, but not31 |
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| 38 | | - | exceeding $30,000.00 per person. The loan purchases shall be paid in such manner as the32 |
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| 39 | | - | board shall determine.33 |
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| 40 | | - | (2) The loan purchases to be granted to each applicant shall be based upon the condition34 |
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| 41 | | - | that the consideration for such loan purchases shall be services to be rendered by the35 |
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| 42 | | - | applicant after entering into a loan purchase agreement with the board by practicing36 |
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| 43 | | - | veterinary technology full time in any board approved rural county in Georgia with a37 |
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| 44 | | - | H. B. 88 (SUB) |
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| 45 | | - | - 2 - 25 LC 61 0189S |
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| 46 | | - | population of 50,000 or less according to the United States decennial census of 2020 or38 |
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| 47 | | - | any future such census.39 |
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| 48 | | - | (3) For time served after entering into a loan purchase agreement with the board in40 |
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| 49 | | - | practicing his or her profession full time in such board approved location, the applicant41 |
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| 50 | | - | shall receive a loan purchase at a rate equivalent to $10,000.00 per 12 months of service;42 |
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| 51 | | - | provided, however, that the total purchase amount shall not exceed the maximum43 |
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| 52 | | - | specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection.44 |
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| 53 | | - | (b) The board shall not enter into new loan purchase agreements with more than five45 |
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| 54 | | - | persons per year pursuant to this part; provided, however, that the total sum of loan46 |
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| 55 | | - | purchases from state appropriations for which the board contractually obligates itself in any47 |
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| 56 | | - | fiscal year shall not exceed the amount of funds for such loan purchase agreements48 |
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| 57 | | - | specified in annual appropriations Acts. Funds in the loan purchase fund account that are49 |
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| 58 | | - | not expended or contractually obligated by the board for loan purchases during any fiscal50 |
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| 59 | | - | year shall lapse.51 |
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| 60 | | - | 20-3-518.11.52 |
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| 61 | | - | (a) Each applicant before being granted a loan purchase shall enter into a contract with a53 |
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| 62 | | - | term of three consecutive years with the board agreeing to the terms and conditions upon54 |
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| 63 | | - | which the loan purchase is granted, including such terms and provisions as will carry out55 |
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| 64 | | - | the full purpose and intent of this part. It shall not be necessary for a contract enrollee to56 |
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| 65 | | - | reapply after entering into a contract; provided, however, that the board may require the57 |
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| 66 | | - | contract enrollee to provide an annual certification of continued compliance with this Code58 |
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| 67 | | - | section. The form of such contract shall be prepared and approved by the Attorney59 |
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| 68 | | - | General, and each contract shall be signed by the chairperson of the board and by the60 |
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| 69 | | - | applicant.61 |
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| 70 | | - | H. B. 88 (SUB) |
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| 71 | | - | - 3 - 25 LC 61 0189S |
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| 72 | | - | (b) The board shall have the authority to cancel the loan purchase contract of any applicant62 |
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| 73 | | - | at any time for any cause deemed sufficient by the board, provided that such authority shall63 |
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| 74 | | - | not be arbitrarily or unreasonably exercised.64 |
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| 75 | | - | (c) The board shall adopt such rules and regulations as are reasonable and necessary to65 |
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| 76 | | - | implement the provisions of this part."66 |
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| 77 | | - | SECTION 2.67 |
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| 78 | | - | All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.68 |
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| 79 | | - | H. B. 88 (SUB) |
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| 80 | | - | - 4 - |
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| 26 | + | Part 6A of Article 7 of Chapter 3 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,9 |
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| 27 | + | relating to state veterinary education, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as10 |
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| 28 | + | follows:11 |
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| 29 | + | "20-3-518.8. |
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| 30 | + | 12 |
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| 31 | + | (a) As used in this Code section, the term 'biomedical technician' means a technician13 |
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| 32 | + | trained in biomedical sciences, an animal care technician or a veterinary technician who14 |
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| 33 | + | works in a biomedical research facility, is a resident of Georgia, and is enrolled in or within15 |
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| 34 | + | five years of final coursework for such profession.16 |
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| 35 | + | H. B. 88 |
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| 36 | + | - 1 - 25 LC 52 0601 |
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| 37 | + | (b) The board may provide for the purchase of loans for educational purposes made to a17 |
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| 38 | + | biomedical technician who is authorized to work in this state, with services in the form of18 |
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| 39 | + | the practice of his or her profession in a board approved rural county in Georgia with a19 |
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| 40 | + | population of 50,000 or less according to the United States decennial census of 2020 or any20 |
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| 41 | + | future such census to be rendered as consideration for such loan purchases.21 |
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| 42 | + | (c) Persons whose applications are approved and who enter into a loan purchase agreement22 |
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| 43 | + | with the board shall receive a loan purchase in a total amount to be determined by the23 |
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| 44 | + | board, but not exceeding $30,000.00 per person. No person shall be eligible to receive24 |
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| 45 | + | such award more than once during his or her lifetime. The loan purchases shall be paid in25 |
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| 46 | + | such manner as the board shall determine.26 |
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| 47 | + | (d) The board shall not enter into new loan purchase agreements with more than five27 |
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| 48 | + | persons per year; provided, however, that the total sum of loan purchases from state28 |
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| 49 | + | appropriations for which the board contractually obligates itself in any fiscal year shall not29 |
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| 50 | + | exceed the amount of funds for such loan purchase purposes specified in annual30 |
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| 51 | + | appropriations Acts. Funds in the loan purchase fund account that are not expended or31 |
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| 52 | + | contractually obligated by the board for loan purchases during any fiscal year shall lapse.32 |
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| 53 | + | (e) Each applicant, before being granted a loan purchase, shall enter into a loan purchase33 |
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| 54 | + | agreement with the board agreeing to the terms and conditions upon which the loan34 |
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| 55 | + | purchase is granted, including such terms and conditions as will carry out the full purpose35 |
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| 56 | + | and intent of this part. The form of such agreement shall be prepared and approved by the36 |
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| 57 | + | Attorney General, and each agreement shall be signed by the chairperson of the board and37 |
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| 58 | + | by the applicant.38 |
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| 59 | + | (f) The board shall have the authority to cancel the loan purchase agreement of any39 |
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| 60 | + | applicant at any time for any cause deemed sufficient by the board, provided that such40 |
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| 61 | + | authority shall not be arbitrarily or unreasonably exercised."41 |
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| 62 | + | H. B. 88 |
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| 63 | + | - 2 - 25 LC 52 0601 |
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| 64 | + | SECTION 2. |
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| 65 | + | 42 |
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| 66 | + | All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.43 |
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| 67 | + | H. B. 88 |
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| 68 | + | - 3 - |
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