3. Deferment. A recipient of a loan may seek a deferment of the annual payments for a period or periods as established by rule of the authority. A request for deferment must be made to the chief executive officer who shall make a determination on a case-by-case basis. The chief executive officer may grant a deferment in the event that a recipient of a loan evidences intent to teach and inability to secure employment necessary to obtain forgiveness of the loan at the time the deferment is sought. The chief executive officer shall require certification of the intent annually and grant a one-year deferment for each successful request for deferment for a period not to exceed one year. A recipient may not receive more than 5 one-year deferments. The decision of the chief executive officer is final may establish limits to the number of deferments that may be granted to any recipient by rule of the authority.

4. Child development students. A child development student may fulfill a return service requirement under this section by working in a licensed day care center or for a certified home day care provider, as defined in Title 22, section 8301-A.

5.__Death or disability.__The authority may forgive loans of loan recipients who have died or who have become permanently disabled, as determined by the chief executive officer.

Sec. 11. 20-A MRSA §12508, as amended by PL 1999, c. 441, §11, is repealed.

Sec. 12. 20-A MRSA §12511 is enacted to read:

§12511.__Rules

Rules adopted by the authority pursuant to this chapter are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

Sec. 13. Promissory note. Educators for Maine loans under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, chapter 428 may be originated using a master promissory note that allows all Educators for Maine loans provided over a period of up to 7 years to be originated on the same promissory note.