Support Memo: Expand Eligibility & Increase Funding of the Indigent Legal Service Loan Forgiveness Program (DALF)

FOR INCLUSION IN THE BUDGET 
Expand eligibility & increase funding of the Indigent Legal Service Loan Forgiveness Program (DALF)

S161 Ramos/A1602 Simon

The New York State AFL-CIO, representing 2.5 million union members, retirees, and their families, support including the above-referenced issue in a budget agreement.

Public defenders in criminal courts and indigent legal service attorneys such as advocates for children and parents in family court, housing and immigration attorneys and public benefits attorneys provide vital services to their communities in their constitutionally and legally mandated roles. These workers have shouldered largely stagnant salaries and crushing student loan debt. As a result, attrition rates at their organizations have soared, resulting in ever-expanding workloads. We cannot afford to lose experienced public defenders and legal services attorneys who are best qualified to represent people facing serious consequences. Likewise, their counterparts in the District Attorney offices across the state have also experienced attrition and expanded workload resulting in case delays for New Yorkers.

Since the inception of the DALF Program in 2009, law school tuition has grown dramatically, recent inflation and cost of living expenses have increased, and efforts to recruit and retain attorneys have suffered. This bill will right size the award program by both expanding the total eligible award up to $64,000 and the period of eligibility, allowing attorneys to now apply in their third year of work up until their tenth year when they will presumably be eligible for federal loan cancellation.

The DALF program is one of the few sources of student debt relief open to those with private student loans. Attorneys of color and first-generation borrowers are more likely to hold private student debt that cannot be discharged via Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) or other federal programs.

Therefore, this Federation urges this above-referenced issue be included in a budget agreement.

For further information contact the Legislative Department at 518-436-8516.