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H.R. 916, The John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act of 2007
- This item is from the 110th Congress (2007-2008) and is no longer current. Comments, voting, and wiki editing have been disabled, and the cost/savings estimate has been frozen.
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Visitor Comments
Shannon O'Brien
March 14, 2007, 3:51pm (report abuse)I am graduating from law school this spring and am hoping to get a position as an Assistant State Attorney in Florida. The one thing holding me back is the loans I know I need to start paying off when I graduate, and this bill would make it so much eaiser for myself and others like me to serve in the public sector without hurting our financial futures.
J.D.
May 29, 2007, 7:26pm (report abuse)As a federal appellate clerk, the money I'll make next year as a public defender is about what I would make as a starting bonus at most big law firms. Nonetheless, I don't mind passing up the extra $150K in salary because the work is more worthwhile, but it would be nice if that type of sacrifice was reciprocated by the taxpayers in loan forgiveness. The 10K a year doesn't come close to making up the money I have passed up, but it would make life as a public servant considerably more comfortable without having to worry about all my loans.
A.G.
July 26, 2007, 10:53am (report abuse)I have just turned down a job with the State Attorney's Office in Florida because of the high cost of my education. This very well could turn into a crisis and I urge the legislature to pass this bill.
Colleen
August 8, 2007, 4:34pm (report abuse)Even with loan consolidation at a very good interest rate, the burden of my law school debt makes it impossible for me to live on my own as a goverment lawyer in New Jersey. I live with my family because I cannot afford to pay rent and my student loan bills. Please pass this legislation.
PG JD
September 12, 2007, 1:32pm (report abuse)The problem with the bill--it applies to people who are well paid as well as those who can't make ends meet. On average public attorneys earn 80k, and many earn well over $100,000.00--most other professions, and other workers do not earn as much. In many cases private sector attorneys earn far less that public sector attorneys. Most private sector attorneys are in the same boat as gov. attorneys. Big firm associates tend to leave their job after 2 years. Big firm salary is based on status, not on value as a worker. Big firm salaries are artificially high, due to their restricting the hiring pool to those from the "right" schools and "right" family pedigree. People who turn down gov. jobs b/c they believe salary is higher in private sector should reconsider.
MS
September 16, 2007, 8:25am (report abuse)I am a prosecutor for the State of Florida and a third of my paycheck goes to pay off the student loans I have from law school. I'm very glad I live in a country where I could borrow over 100,000 to go to school; however, my desire to continue as a prosecutor cannot go on forever on the salary the government provides. We all have responsibilities. If H.R. 916 provides some help for prosecutors and public defenders, I think more young attorneys will be able to continue working for the State. The more experienced prosecutos and public defenders a state has, the better the justice system will be. I hope H.R. 916 is successful.
Update
September 17, 2007, 5:16pm (report abuse)The Chicago Daily Law Buletin, lead story-Septebmer 14 2007-- according to the National Center for career professionals small firm attorneys earn on average only $68,000.00. This is significanlty bellow the $80,000 average local public attorney salary. Small law fims are the largest private sector employers. It is utter nonesense that one can count on a larger salary if one leaves the public sector, or that public attorneys are expecially impacated by high debt. And what about the health care and retirement benefits which are often not available in small firms.
Harmoney Zev
September 20, 2007, 7:45pm (report abuse)Why is congress wasting money, and including people who do not need relief in this bill.
With unemployment as high as it is (about 20%) it is especially irresponsible of congress to provide wellfare to those public defenders and state's attorneys earning a high income. Shame on congress. I hope the president does the sensible thing, for a change, and vetos this bill, and give congress a second chance to get it right and channel the aid only to those who need the aid.
Law Student
October 19, 2007, 2:11pm (report abuse)I am also considering a career as a prosecutor and the idea of loan repayment has an impact on that decision. The cost of law school only seems to be OK for those going to big law firms. Everyone else still has to pay for the degree even if a big law firm is not what they aspire. It is my hope that this bill is passed to allow more people the opportunity to be public servants.
3L in Debt
November 6, 2007, 11:31am (report abuse)I have always wanted to be a public servant, and yet I often wondered how long it would take the government to figure out that we are almost forced into the private sector. Law school is expensive. If this bill doesn't pass, I won't be able to pursue a carrer in civil serivce. It won't be a viable option.
Steve Lopez
January 26, 2008, 3:54pm (report abuse)I gave up a well paying 10 year career as a police detective, to pursue a career as a prosecutor. I will finish law school, God willing, in December of 2008. Without the passage of this bill, my aspirations of becoming a career prosecutor and continuing a lifetime commitment to public service will undoubtedly dissipate. How can anybody be expected to serve the public with true fidelity of purpose and clarity of justice, when they live with the trepidation of how the bills will be paid? This is not only a great incentive for young, committed lawyers; this is a great incentive for society as a whole.
Connie Mendez
February 4, 2008, 6:36pm (report abuse)I don't understand why state's attorneys and public defenders are being treated as "special". It is the truth that they benefit society, but so do other lawyers, medical professionals, social worker's ...ect. Unfortunetly, there is nothing unique about state's attorneys and public defender's student debt, or their financial situation.
Trish Tigsby
February 4, 2008, 6:44pm (report abuse)No one is forcing attorneys to work in the private sector. In fact, if you look at career positions (not the jobs at the huge law firms which few are offered and extremely few keep
after the first two years), salaries are higher in government compared to private firms. The typical government attorney earns nearly double the salary of the average person. If this is not good enough for a young attorney, he or she should find a job doing something else.
CB - 2L
February 21, 2008, 10:33am (report abuse)I am a law who has had to borrow all of my education costs, which will leave me with a student loan balance close to $150K. I would like to start my career in the public sector, but the idea that I would be struck with outrageous student loan payments (>1100.00/mo.) keeps me certain that I will have to start in the private sector just to pay my outrageous debt. Please pass this Bill.
gigidoll74
February 26, 2008, 11:33am (report abuse)$80,000? In Virginia a prosecutor starts at $43K - what I made before going to law school. I hope this passes.
Rachael
February 26, 2008, 3:31pm (report abuse)Public prosecutors of civil violations (ie. a nurse's violation of a state's Nurse Practice Act) are poorly paid and should be included in this incentive package. The starting salary in MD's OAG for an Administrative Prosecutor is 42K. If the bill is to pass, the definition of "prosecutor" should be expanded to apply to all state prosecutors.
Karen
March 10, 2008, 5:09am (report abuse)100% of my take-home is still several thousand dollars less than my student loans. Those who have to borrow/repay their full education costs cannot afford to work in public service. I would be thrilled with one of those $68-$80K jobs . . . double what most county prosecutor's make starting out.
Aaron
March 24, 2008, 3:19pm (report abuse)80??? haha.
In Lubbock, Texas they start prosecutors at 35k.
Try paying off 60k in loans with 35k a year...
I pray this passes.
Bob
May 24, 2008, 2:37pm (report abuse)I don't understand why public defenders and state's attorneys are singled out for relief regardless of income, and regardless or whether there is a shortage of attorneys in their communites. Wouldn't it make sense to give aid to professionals with high student loans based on
need and based on shortages of qualified worker's in their community. And isn't it silly and wasteful to include aid to people who are highly paid and include aid to people in communities where there are too many lawyers (as this bill would).
Eric
June 16, 2008, 11:20am (report abuse)80,000 as an average salary is a lie. Its 36,00 to 42,000 (ABA weebsite). Second; Prosecuters and Public Defenders are not being singaled out. There are plenty of loan assistance programs for other professions, yes most are public interest jobs, but doctors, teachers and social workers as well as veterans all have assistance available to them at the federal level.
3L
June 20, 2008, 6:13pm (report abuse)The median starting salary for a prosecutor at any level of government is far from $80k. Local prosecutors begin in the low $40s, and it takes several years to move up into the $60s. Recipients are only eligible for a maximum of six years/60K of loan forgiveness, so it's not as if they will continue to receive benefits when they eventually make more.
One comment suggested that people can choose to work elsewhere. They do, and prosecutors' offices throughout the country have difficulty retaining talented lawyers because they leave to earn higher salaries elsewhere. This adversely impacts the criminal justice system and the public. People complain that victims of crime don't get justice. The current conditions provide one reason for this.
The bill's purpose is to assist the public, not to subsidize people with large student debt. Consider this when you or someone close to you is a crime victim and nothing happens to the perpetrator.
DJH
August 1, 2008, 8:55pm (report abuse)There are NO prosecutors who have not been working for a long long time who are making $80k. Whoever believes $80k is the average is either lying or misinformed. Prosecutors in Cook County Chicago, living in one of the most expensive markets in the nation, start at $50k. More importantly, its not just starting salary...career prosecutors, after over 20 years of service, will not be making much more than $100k. Those in the private sector have the opportunity at substantially greater growth. This bill just makes it a little bit easier to survive, and therefore do what we love. Working as a Prosecutor is not a job, its a vocation, and luckily this bill will help pursue that.
AJF
August 26, 2008, 11:48pm (report abuse)I'm a former police officer who left the department to become a prosecutor. I quit my job to gain legal experience but after working for 4 judges and the state AG's office--all unpaid--I will finish in May 2009 with $149,000 in debt. What has this done?! I am FORCED to the private firms because the DA's starting salary won't cover my minimum debt payments and mortgage, much less anything else. I did not go to law school do sell myself out to business like I'm about to do. I went to put criminals behind bars and serve the public good--THAT'S my life's passion. That dream will be in limbo until I can pay off these loans, which seems like a decade away. PLEASE PASS THIS BILL.
APD
September 18, 2008, 12:49pm (report abuse)I chose to work in the government as a public defender. I chose to do this. I could work elsewhere and make more money, but I chose to work where I work. I truly don't believe that we should burden the American taxpayer for our choices. Whether this bill passes or not is out of my control, but chosing how much school loans I took out and the payment of my student loans is within my control. A little forsight would prevent many individual's problems. With that being said, it would be nice if the interest on student loans would not accrue while working in the public's interest.
Julie Jenkins
December 9, 2008, 7:52pm (report abuse)Why is the government giving $60,000.00 to attorneys willy nilly. Maybe I'm missing something but all of the benefactors of this bill are employed and the average benefactor of this government hand out is paid $80,000.00 per year.
Why is the government giving $60,000.00 to employed people who earn on average $80,000.00 per year? This seems like nonsense. I can think of better things to do with our hard earned tax dollars such as using it to help people who truly need the aid. Those who are truly disadvantage spend money
in our economy then whose who cry wolf.
Hank
December 9, 2008, 8:10pm (report abuse)There seems to be assistant state's attorneys and assistant public defenders who believe they are relatively under paid. While its true that they almost never are paid top dollar, the same could be said for private attorneys. About 10 percent of all attorneys work at large corporate firms where they could expect to earn over $100,000.00
the first year and much more with time. However, most attorneys in the private sector are earning slightly less than the average salary for government attorneys. In either case, lack of top dollar salaries in government should not be a basis for this program. Bobbie or Susie asa not making the same salary as there friends at
a snotty corporate firm so they could keep up with the Jones' is not an issue which the government should get involved with. Government must deal with the problems of the masses. Not self-centered garbage. Asa's and apd's have alot of gall asking for such aid while others need it.
M. Constant
December 9, 2008, 8:23pm (report abuse)The problem I have with this bill is its one size fits all approach. In the county I live in, Cook County Illinois, there are hundreds of qualified attorneys who apply for every assistant state's attorney and assistant public defender position.
Further, salaries for assistant public defenders and assistant state's attorneys are above what an attorney can expect to earn in the private sector to start--if she or he finds a job in this market. The funding in this bill has its place--it should go to those government attorneys practicing in underserved communities and/or those who are earning low end salaries. This allows defendants to have a fair defense and treats asa's even handedly. It's a shame that a good idea has been exploited for shelfish gain. Instead of being afforded a bill which essentially sends money where aid is needed, the public is now stuck with a bill with grease added for selfish special interrests.