House Bill 380<\/a> would establish a Public Attorney Student Loan Repayment Program aiming to recruit and retain those who want to work in public service. \u201cMajority of our folks who\u2019ve responded to the surveys we\u2019ve done say they owe anywhere of $100,000 to $125,000 and that amounts to monthly payments anywhere between $500 to $1,000 depending on the payment program you\u2019re on,\u201d Delaware\u2019s Office of Defense Services Jon Offredo said.<\/p>\nRepresentative Griffith says that with that massive amount of debt, young lawyers will have very few positions available that pay enough to offset that burden.<\/p>\n
The program offers between $2,500 and $5,000 in student loan repayment to attorneys working for the state for more than a year, for up to 10 years. To qualify, those attorneys who work for the state of Delaware must make below $110,000 a year.<\/p>\n
Delaware\u2019s Office of Defense Services says,\u00a0 another challenge they face in recruitment is pay disparities between the public and private sectors. \u201cFor instance, a first year person just coming out of law school in the private sector may get a job at $150,000, starting salaries at the Office of Defense or Department of Justice are just under $60,000 so much less than half,\u201d Representative Griffith said.
\u201cI can say that in Sussex County in particular we\u2019ve had a job opening for an attorney in our Sussex County office for over a year,\u201d Offredo said.<\/p>\n
Those in favor of this legislation say if passed, the first state could become a major player when it comes to jobs in the world of law. \u201cIf you can just add $5,000 to someone\u2019s salary that we pay directly to their student loan lender, that can be considered good incentive to come work in the AG\u2019s office or other offices of the courts,\u201d Executive Director of Delaware Criminal Justice Council Christian Kervick said.<\/p>\n
The cost of\u00a0 that program would range from $215,000 to $435,000 yearly depending on the number of those who apply, with Representative Griffith adding that the bill will also need to be included in the budget by the Joint Finance Committee.<\/p>\n
Representative Griffith says there\u2019s currently no objection to this legislation as it unanimously passed the Judiciary Committee.<\/p>\n
That bill has now been assigned to House Appropriations Committee\t<\/p>\n
\t<\/div>\n