State Loan Repayment Assistance Programs
State LRAP Programs & Contacts
There are twenty-two statewide loan repayment assistance programs (LRAPs) operating in Arizona, District of Columbia, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia. (See Program Contact information listed below). LRAPs in Kentucky and Washington are providing assistance to current recipients, but will not be taking applications.
These 22 LRAPs range in age, size and scope. Some are administered by a state bar association or foundation while others are administered through stand-alone nonprofit organizations. Some are funded through state legislative appropriations while others rely on funding from the private sector or from Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) funding.
The statewide LRAPs are summarized in these charts.
- Statewide LRAPs Summary Chart
- Statewide LRAPs Funding Chart
- Statewide LRAPs Eligible Loans
- Statewide LRAPs Eligible Employment Chart
The ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants provides information and technical assistance to bar associations and other organizations that are interested in establishing a statewide LRAP. The ABA's State LRAP Toolkit contains tips for creating new programs.
For more information contact .In addition to the twenty-two states with actively operating LRAPs, several other states are discussing or developing statewide loan repayment assistance programs, including Illinois, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
State LRAP Program Contacts:
ARIZONA
Joannie Collins
4201 N. 24th St., Suite 210
Phoenix, AZ 85016
602-340-7235
602-271-4930 (FAX)
Web site: www.azflse.org/
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Claudia Withers
District of Columbia Bar Foundation
1615 L Street NW, Ste. 850
Washington DC 20036-5622
202-467-3750
202-467-3753 (FAX)
Web site: www.dcbarfoundation.org
FLORIDA
Paul Doyle
The Florida Bar Foundation
109 East Church Street
Orlando, FL 32801
407-843-0045 (FL 800-541-2195)
407-839-0287 (FAX)
Web site: www.flabarfndn.org
ILLINOIS
Dina Merrell
The Chicago Bar Foundation
321 S. Plymouth Ct., Suite 3B
Chicago, IL 60604
312-554-1206
312-554-1203 (FAX)
Web site: www.chicagobarfoundation.org
INDIANA
Michael Tranovich
Indiana Bar Foundation
230 E. Ohio St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-269-2415
317-269-2420 (FAX)
Web site: www.inbf.org
IOWA
Brett Toresdahl
Iowa State Bar Public Service Project
521 E. Locust, Suite 302
Des Moines, IA 50309
515-244-8617
515-244-8845 (FAX)
Web site: www.isba.org
LOUISIANA
Donna C. Cuneo
Louisiana Bar Foundation
601 Saint Charles Avenue, 3rd Floor
New Orleans, LA 70130
504-561-1046
(504) 566-1926 (FAX)
Web site: www.raisingthebar.org
MAINE
M. Calien Lewis
Maine Bar Foundation
40 Water Street, 1st Floor
Hallowell, ME 04347
207-622-3477
207-623-4140
Web site: www.mbf.org/
MARYLAND
Tamika McKelvin
Janet L. Hoffman Loan Assistance Repayment Program (LARP)
Office of Student Financial Assistance
Maryland Higher Education Commission
State Scholarship Administration
839 Bestgate Road, Suite 400
Annapolis, MD 21401-1781
410-260-4569 or
800-974-1024
Web site: www.mhec.state.md.us
MASSACHUSETTS
Lonnie Powers
Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation
11 Beacon Street, Suite 820
Boston, MA 02108-3009
617-367-1414
617-367-8815 (FAX)
Web site: www.mlac.org
MINNESOTA
Heather Rastorfer Vlieger
Loan Repayment Assistance Program of MN (LRAP-MN)
600 Nicollet Mall, Ste 380
Minneapolis, MN 55402
612-278-6315
612-333-4927 (FAX)
Web site: www.lrapmn.org
MISSOURI
Steve Murrell
Missouri Bar Foundation/Missouri Bar Association
PO Box 119
Jefferson City, MO 65102
573-638-2240
573-635-2811 (FAX)
Web site: http://mobar.org/lrap/index.htm
MONTANA
Amy L. Sings in the Timber
Montana Justice Foundation
PO Box 6169
Missoula, MT 59807-9169
406-523-3920
406-728-7416 (FAX)
Web site: www.montanabar.org
NEW HAMPSHIRE
David Snyder
New Hampshire Bar Foundation
112 Pleasant Street
Concord, NH 03301-2931
603-224-6942
603-224-2910 (FAX)
Web site: www.nhbar.org/
NEW MEXICO
Tashina Banks Moore
New Mexico Higher Education Department
1068 Cerrillos Road
Santa Fe, NM 87505-1650
505-476-6549
505-476-6511 (FAX)
Web site: http://fin.hed.state.nm.us/
NEW YORK
Gloria Herron Arthur
New York State Bar Association
One Elk Street
Albany, NY 12207
518-487-5640
518-487-5694 (FAX)
Web site: http://www.nysba.org/slapi
NORTH CAROLINA
Esther Hall
North Carolina Legal Education Assistance Fund
3948 Browning Place, Suite 334
Raleigh, North Carolina 27609
919-845-6089
919-848-9259 (FAX)
Web site: http://www.ncleaf.org/
OHIO
Chuck Cook
Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation
10 West Broad Street, Suite 950
Columbus OH 43215
614-728-5396
614-728-3749 (FAX)
Web site: www.olaf.org
OREGON
Cathy Petrecca
Oregon State Bar
16037 SW Upper Boones Ferry Road
P.O. Box 231935
Tigard, Oregon 97281-1935
503-431-6355
503-684-1366 (FAX)
Web site: www.osbar.org
SOUTH CAROLINA
Shannon Scruggs
South Carolina Bar Foundation
PO Box 608
Columbia, SC 29202-0608
803-799-6653
803-799-4118 (FAX)
Web site: www.scbarfoundation.org
TEXAS
Lisa Melton
Texas Access to Justice Foundation
PO Box 12886
Austin, TX 78711-2886
(512) 320-0099 x 112
VERMONT
Deborah Bailey
Vermont Bar Foundation
PO Box 1170
Montpelier, VT 05601-1170
802-223-1400
Web site: www.vtbarfndn.org
VIRGINIA
Mark D. Braley
Legal Services Corporation of Virginia
700 E Main St, Suite 1504
Richmond, VA 23219-2604
804-782-9438
804-648-3917 (FAX)
State LRAP Legislation
Enacted Authorizing Legislation
In recent years, six states have enacted legislation to create a statewide loan repayment assistance program - California, Georgia, Maryland, Nebraska, New Mexico and Texas. The authorized programs in California, Nebraska and Texas have not been funded.California
In the fall of 2001, California Governor Gray Davis signed AB 935, which authorized the creation of a loan repayment program for legal aid attorneys, prosecutors, public defenders and county attorneys who handle child support cases. Funding for this program was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger. If and when the program is funded, it will be administered by a state agency.
To access a copy of the bill, visit http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/defaulttext.asp (search for AB 935).
Georgia
In May 2002, Immediate Past Georgia Governor Roy Barnes signed into law legislation creating a loan forgiveness program for attorneys working for the public interest, such as prosecutors, public defenders and civil legal aid attorneys. The original bill resulted from the work of the Georgia Legal Loan Forgiveness Task Force, a special body created by Governor Barnes to study the issue of creating a loan forgiveness program for Georgia lawyers entering public service. The Georgia Legislature did not appropriate any funds to support the program. See Ga. Code. Ann. Section 20-3-380 through 387 (2003) for more details.
Maryland
The Maryland program, Janet L. Hoffman Loan Assistance Repayment Program (LARP), has been in existence since 1988. It provides loan repayment assistance to lawyers in public service careers, as well as other professionals. For more details, consult the Commission's handout summarizing state programs.
Nebraska
The Legal Education for Public Service Loan Repayment Act was passed by the Nebraska legislature in 2008. Regulations were finalized in 2008. The program, which would provide up to $6,000 per year to civil legal aid attorneys, has not been funded yet. To view the statute, click here.
New Mexico
In the spring of 2005, the New Mexico legislature passed SB 258, the "Public Service Law Loan Repayment Act" and the bill was signed in April 2005. As a means of increasing the number of attorneys in public service employment, this bill establishes a legal education loan repayment program for practicing attorneys in New Mexico who work in the public
sector. To be eligible, an attorney must earn under $45,000 a year. Award criteria are specified. Click here to view the bill and its fiscal impact report.
Texas
In June 2001, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed two bills establishing state-administered LRAPs for attorneys employed by the Texas Attorney General's Office (HB 2766) and legal aid attorneys and prosecutors working in rural areas of Texas (HB 2323). Under the first LRAP bill, one percent of law school tuition revenues (from resident student tuition only) will be diverted into a trust account for the loan repayment program for lawyers employed by the Texas Attorney General's Office. Implementation of HB 2766 will require a period of time for set-aside funds to accumulate.
The Texas legislature did not appropriate any funding for the program benefiting legal aid attorneys and rural prosecutors. To access copies of the legislation, visit http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/ (search for HB 2323 and HB 2766).
The Texas Access to Justice Commission received private donations to create a temporary program until state funding becomes available and the program created by HB 2323 becomes operational. Until resources are available to meet the needs of all qualified applicants, the Commission will provide annual assistance $4,800 to as many qualified applicants as possible. Only lawyers working for programs funded by the Texas Equal Access to Justice Foundation are eligible to apply.
Bills Introduced in Legislative Sessions from 2001 – 2008
Connecticut
http://www.cga.ct.gov/ (search for SB 53 in 2001-2002).
Florida
The Florida legislature considered a bill that would have created a financial assistance program for qualified assistant state attorneys and assistant public defenders for repayment of eligible student loans. See http://www.flsenate.gov/Welcome/index.cfm (search for S 250 or H 99 in the 2004 session and HB 307 and 5B 1138 in 2001 session).
Illinois
SB 1923, which would provide loan repayment assistance through the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to assistant State Attorneys, assistant Public Defenders, civil legal aid attorneys, assistant Attorneys General, and assistant public guardians, was passed by the House and Senate in 2008, but was not signed by the Governor due to reasons unrelated to the bill. The bill was introduced as SB0266 in 2009 and is being considered. To view the bill, click here.
Kentucky
Introduced in February 2004, HB 483 would have created the Public Service Student Law School Loan Assistance Program to reimburse full or part-time prosecutors (attorney generals, commonwealth attorneys, county attorneys), public advocates, and legal services lawyers for payment of student law school loan expenses. The program would be funded by 2% of Kentucky's Court Cost Distribution Fund up to $1.2 million. The text of the bill as it stood when the 2004 session ended is at http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/record/04rs/HB483/bill.doc
Massachusetts
In 2005, Representative Eugene O'Flaherty of Chelsea introduced House Bill 01772, a petition "to establish a program to provide assistance with the repayment of educational loans associated with obtaining a law degree to law school graduates who are employed full-time in public service and who have income below specified levels." To view the petition online, click here.
Michigan
In Michigan, the state house version of the state's judiciary budget included funding for a debt management loan program for attorneys employed by legal services organizations. The proposed judiciary budget earmarked $250,000 of the total civil legal assistance appropriation (which is $7.587 million) for the debt management loan program.
In July 2002, Michigan Governor Engler vetoed Section 319 of HB 5648, which proposed the creation of a debt management program for legal aid attorneys. In a letter to the Michigan House of Representatives dated July 25, 2002, the Governor stated that he did not support the use of State Service Fee Fund revenues for this purpose, as it conflicts with the intended use of the funds as contained in the Casino Gaming statute.
For more information, visit http://MichiganLegislature.org/ and search for HB 5648 (Section 319).New York
In the 2005-06 regular session, the New York General Assembly considered a bill entitled the "Public Interest Legal Services Loan Assistance Act," bill number A05303. This bill, which was originally introduced in 2004 (as bill number A07463-B) would have established the public interest legal services fund of the state of New York (to consist of a portion of bar examination fees and other funds appropriated by the legislature or otherwise transferred from any other fund or source, including voluntary contributions). The bill provided for the administration of such fund to assist public service attorneys practicing public interest law in repaying their student loans. To view the bill, click here.
Rhode Island
http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/billtext/billtext03/housetext03/h5288.htm (H 5288 in 2002-03).
Washington
In 2004, Senate Bill 6744 was introduced, which would have created a loan repayment endowment program for attorneys who provide legal services in public interest areas of the law.