Bill Text: NY A00229 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Enacts the "VIP program"; establishes a virtual inclusion plan grant fund which will give grants to schools to implement technologies allowing for critically ill students to continue to maintain their studies while unable to attend class; makes a five hundred thousand dollar appropriation therefor.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to education [A00229 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A00229-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                           229
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                       (Prefiled)
                                     January 9, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced by M. of A. STIRPE -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Education
        AN ACT to amend the education law and the state finance law, in relation
          to enacting the "VIP program"; and making an appropriation therefor
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. This act shall be known  and  may  be  cited  as  the  "VIP
     2  program".
     3    §  2.  The  education law is amended by adding a new section 3641-c to
     4  read as follows:
     5    § 3641-c. Virtual inclusion plan grant program.   1. The  commissioner
     6  shall  establish  a  program  of competitively awarded grants within the
     7  amount in the  virtual  inclusion  plan  grant  fund  established  under
     8  section  ninety-seven-ssss  of the state finance law each year to public
     9  school districts to purchase technology which would enable  students  to
    10  participate  in  classroom  activities  remotely  if a medical condition
    11  precludes them from attending in-person classroom sessions.
    12    2. For a public school district to qualify  for  a  grant  under  this
    13  program,  the public school district shall promulgate a remote classroom
    14  virtual inclusion policy which establishes guidelines for when a student
    15  would be eligible for remote classroom virtual inclusion teaching due to
    16  a medical condition. The policy should also be in  compliance  with  the
    17  rules  and  regulations set forth by the commissioner as well as laws as
    18  they pertain to classroom attendance requirements.
    19    3. The commissioner shall promulgate any  necessary  rules  and  regu-
    20  lations  for  the  application and distribution of any funds pursuant to
    21  this section.
    22    § 3. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section  97-ssss
    23  to read as follows:
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00504-01-9
        A. 229                              2
     1    §  97-ssss.  Virtual  inclusion  plan  grant  fund. 1. There is hereby
     2  established in the joint custody of the commissioner  of  education  and
     3  the  comptroller a fund to be known as the "virtual inclusion plan grant
     4  fund".
     5    2.  The fund shall consist of all monies appropriated for its purpose,
     6  and all monies required by this section or any other provision of law to
     7  be paid into or credited to such fund. The fund shall  not  contain  any
     8  monies which are not intended for the fund.
     9    3.  Monies of the fund, when allocated, shall be available pursuant to
    10  section thirty-six hundred forty-one-c of the education law.
    11    4. Monies shall be payable from the fund on the audit and  warrant  of
    12  the  state comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the commis-
    13  sioner of education.
    14    § 4. The sum of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000), or  so  much
    15  thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the department of
    16  education out of any moneys in the state treasury in the general fund to
    17  the  credit  of  the virtual inclusion plan grant program, not otherwise
    18  appropriated, and made immediately available, for the purpose of  carry-
    19  ing  out the provisions of this act. Such moneys shall be payable on the
    20  audit and warrant of the comptroller on vouchers certified  or  approved
    21  by the commissioner of education in the manner prescribed by law.
    22    § 5. This act shall take effect April 1, 2020.