“Thanks to Assembly Higher Ed Chair Mila Jasey and Assemblyman Andrew Wicker for their leadership in putting forth common sense legislation on student debt,” said AFTNJ President Donna M. Chiera. Decency was on the agenda in Trenton, Thursday, Sept.8 at the Assembly Higher Education Committee, she said.
AFTNJ Higher Education Vice President and Rutgers AAUP-AFT President David M. Hughes testified in support of legislation forgive certain student loans in event of student borrower’s death or total and permanent disability. “In the unfortunate circumstance of death, families can focus on family, not worrying about paying off a college loan,” Hughes said.
AFTNJ Secretary and URA-AFT President Lucye Millerand testified in support of legislation that would repeal a law suspending certain licenses, registrations and certifications for failure to repay student loans. “It seems pretty obvious that when someone who has a profession – from lawyer to plumber to optometrist—is in debt for their education it is a good thing to keep them working,” Millerand said.