Board of Governors authorizes drafters to prepare letter on Senate Bill 5027 addressing rural attorney recruitment

At the governors roundtable, members discussed Senate Bill 5027 and voted to authorize a small group to draft a letter to the legislature explaining how the bill could address issues the STAR Council has identified in recruiting attorneys to rural areas.

Governor Petrosic introduced the item, describing the bill’s key terms: if prosecutors or public defenders commit to at least three years, they would receive $20,000 per year in student loan repayment up to $120,000 (a six‑year maximum), with a preference for rural communities if available appropriations are insufficient. “If you're if you're a baby criminal lawyer, you get 20 grand a year to pay off your student debt,” Petrosic said, summarizing the bill’s incentives.

Petrosic asked the Board of Governors to authorize himself, Kevin Fay, Kevin Placci and Sanjay (legislative staff) to draft a letter to the legislature identifying issues the STAR Council has researched and explaining how the bill could help. Executive Director Nevett and general counsel had reviewed the approach and, according to the floor discussion, did not raise GR 12 (ethics rule) objections to drafting the letter.

Several governors supported acting promptly because the legislative timeline is compressed; others raised process and transparency concerns. Governor Ahern and Governor Allison (speaker identified as Allison) said they were uncomfortable taking an approval in the full open forum without advance notice and suggested the legislative committee — which meets weekly and is empowered to act on behalf of the board — could handle the matter. Governor Blache (director Blache/Blachey in the transcript) urged the board to comment, noting the STAR Council and prior rural practice project had worked on this issue since 2019. There were questions about whether the program would affect federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility; Petrosic and others said the bill’s six‑year repayment window differs from the federal 10‑year PSLF timeline and therefore would not prevent later PSLF eligibility, as read from the bill text.

The board then considered a motion to authorize drafting the letter and to empower the president and executive director to sign the final letter. Governor Fay moved to authorize the draft; the motion was seconded. The roll call that followed recorded a majority of “aye” votes and one abstention (Governor Whitney). The motion passed.

The action authorizes the named drafters to prepare the letter and authorizes the president and executive director to sign it on behalf of the association; it does not itself express formal support for or opposition to the bill.