Bill Text: NY S08517 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to providing access to laptops for high school and higher education students and textbooks for higher education students; provides access to laptops and textbooks without charge.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-02-08 - REFERRED TO EDUCATION [S08517 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S08517-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8517

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 8, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Education

        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to  providing  access  to
          laptops  for  high  school and higher education students and textbooks
          for higher education students

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Section 753 of the education law is amended by adding a new
     2  subdivision 6 to read as follows:
     3    6.  Beginning in the two thousand twenty-five--two thousand twenty-six
     4  school year, within amounts appropriated therefor, each school  district
     5  in  the  state  shall implement a program to provide each student in the
     6  district in grades nine through twelve a laptop without charge.
     7    § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new article 15-D to read
     8  as follows:
     9                                ARTICLE 15-D
    10              ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION TEXTBOOKS AND LAPTOPS
    11  Section 730. Access to higher education textbooks and laptops.
    12    § 730. Access to higher education textbooks and laptops. 1. (a) Begin-
    13  ning in the two thousand  twenty-five--two  thousand  twenty-six  school
    14  year,  within  amounts  appropriated  therefor, every institution of the
    15  state university of New York and every institution of the city universi-
    16  ty of New York shall implement a program  to  provide  any  student  who
    17  attends such institution a laptop without charge.
    18    (b) Beginning in the two thousand twenty-five--two thousand twenty-six
    19  school  year, within amounts appropriate therefor, every private college
    20  or university within the state shall implement a program to provide  any
    21  qualifying student who attends such institution a laptop without charge.
    22  For  the  purposes  of this paragraph, "qualifying student" shall mean a
    23  student who provides such private college or university documentation of
    24  financial need based upon information provided on  such  student's  free
    25  application for federal student aid (FAFSA).
    26    2.  (a)  Beginning in the two thousand twenty-five--two thousand twen-
    27  ty-six school year, within amounts appropriated therefor, every institu-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14040-01-4
        S. 8517                             2

     1  tion of the state university of New York, every institution of the  city
     2  university  of  New  York and every private college or university within
     3  the state shall implement a program to provide free college textbooks to
     4  every student attending such institution.
     5    (b) Such program shall provide each student with a voucher to purchase
     6  necessary  textbooks  with the condition all textbooks shall be returned
     7  at the end of each semester in a serviceable condition.
     8    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.