ATLANTA — State Representative Christian Coomer (R-Cartersville) today announced House Bill 1072 was signed into law by Gov. Nathan Deal during a bill signing ceremony at the State Capitol on Tuesday, May 3, 2016. Sponsored by Rep. Coomer, HB 1072 will expand financial aid opportunities for members of the National Guard in Georgia.
“This legislation provides an important incentive for the recruitment and retention of National Guard service members,” said Rep. Coomer. “With Gov. Deal’s signature, members of the Georgia National Guard will be able to obtain HOPE scholarship support while accessing service cancellable school loans to cover higher education expenses that exceed the limits of the HOPE program, and I’m very proud of our efforts in this regard. Thanks to leaders like Gov. Deal, Speaker David Ralston, and Appropriations Committee Chairman, Terry England, the service cancellable loan program was revived with renewed funding in the fiscal year 2016 budget, allowing National Guard members to get all the support they need and deserve to further their education while serving our state and our nation.”
HB 1072 will allow the Georgia Student Finance Authority to issue service cancelable educational loans financed by state funds to residents of Georgia who are members of the Georgia National Guard and are enrolled at the undergraduate level in a private or public college or public postsecondary technical or vocational school located in the state. Previously, Georgia National Guard members were ineligible for service cancelable loans if they were also receiving the HOPE scholarship or HOPE grant funds. Service cancellable loans are a type of post-secondary school loan allowing the borrower to pay on the loan by continuing to serve in the Georgia National Guard. Service cancellable loans have been Georgia law for years but have been unfunded since the recession cuts of 2009. HB 1072 will be effective on July 1, 2016.
For more information about HB 1072, please click here.
Representative Christian Coomer represents the citizens of District 14, which includes portions of Bartow and Floyd counties. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2010, and currently serves as Chairman of the Transportation Committee. He also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development and the Banks & Banking, Judiciary Non-Civil, Retirement, and Juvenile Justice committees.
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