Bill would spike debt forgiveness for attorneys

Prosecutors and public defenders are the lifeblood of the criminal justice system, but a new bill being considered in Washington could push aspiring attorneys away from the low-pay, high-stress work and set off a public safety crisis.

The so-called PROSPER Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), would immediately eliminate the Public Service

Loan Forgiveness program. That program erases student debt for those who work for qualifying employers after making payments for 10 years.

Bay State district attorneys and the Committee for Public Counsel Services use this financial carrot as a way to retain experienced attorneys and recruit law school graduates. With starting wages hovering around the $50,000 mark for both offices, the program is a vital way to appeal to attorneys who are often saddled with six-figure debt.

“This program is a piece of the puzzle to solve our salary issues. Getting rid of it would absolutely be disastrous,” said Anthony Benedetti, chief counsel for CPCS. “I think it’s a public safety issue. It’s a due process issue.”

The concern is that new attorneys will increasingly join the private sector or go it alone in hopes of finding a job that can help chip away at debt. Seasoned professionals who are nearing the 10-year mark could also leave, fearing that the promise they signed up for may not be there.

“This is demanding and necessary work, and there is this bonus you get after 10 years if you dedicate your life to it,” said Victoria Ranieri, 35, a supervising public defender in Lawrence who has been with CPCS for seven years. “I think we would lose a lot of qualified, talented people.”

A spokesman for the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, which introduced the bill, said “no current borrower would lose eligibility for loan forgiveness programs under the PROSPER Act.”

But in a March court filing, an Education Department attorney wrote that borrowers couldn’t rely on approval letters for Public Service Loan Forgiveness as a final determination of eligibility.

“They are taking the tools away that we need to have experienced prosecutors,” said Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey, who also heads the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

For Ranieri, who says she still lives with her parents and just recently paid off her trusty Honda Accord, what remains is an uncomfortable waiting game.

“It’s hard to overstate how much this program means to me and my colleagues,” she said.

“It could absolutely be a crisis if it goes away.”