Bill Text: NY A01674 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides eligibility for Afghan and Iraqi special immigrants for education benefits which shall include an Afghan or Iraqi citizen or national with the status of a special immigrant under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to higher education [A01674 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-A01674-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1674 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 17, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. HUNTER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to eligibility of certain Afghan and Iraqi immigrants for education benefits The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 669-i 2 to read as follows: 3 § 669-i. Afghan and Iraqi special immigrant tuition awards program. 1. 4 As used in this section, the following terms shall have the following 5 meanings: 6 a. "Afghan with special immigrant status" means an Afghan citizen or 7 national with the status of a special immigrant under section 101(a)(27) 8 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)) granted 9 under the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-8; U.S.C. 10 1101 note). Such term includes Afghan immigrants who enter the United 11 States under a P1 or P2 visa. 12 b. "Iraqi with special immigrant status" means a citizen or national 13 of Iraq who has gained special immigrant status under section 101(a)(27) 14 of the Immigration and Nationality Act by establishing they have 15 provided faithful and valuable service to the U.S. government, while 16 employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government in Iraq, for not less 17 than one year beginning on or after March twentieth, two thousand three, 18 and who have experienced or are experiencing an ongoing serious threat 19 as a consequence of that employment. Such term shall include those immi- 20 grants who enter the United States under a P1 or P2 visa. 21 c. "Part-time study" means enrollment for at least three but less than 22 twelve semester hours per semester, or the equivalent, in an approved 23 undergraduate or graduate program. 24 d. "Approved vocational training programs" means programs offered by 25 agencies approved by the commissioner for funding pursuant to this EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD05702-01-3A. 1674 2 1 section. The commissioner shall approve only such non-credit programs 2 which are at least three hundred twenty clock hours in length, and which 3 meet standards of instructional quality established in regulations by 4 the commissioner. These standards shall include, but not be limited to, 5 qualifications of administrative and instructional personnel, quality of 6 facilities and equipment, recordkeeping, admission, grading, attendance, 7 and record of placement of completers which meets standards of accepta- 8 bility as established by the commissioner. 9 2. a. Tuition awards are available for persons with Afghan or Iraqi 10 special immigrant status or pending status, as defined in subdivision 11 one of this section, who are enrolled, pursuant to paragraph a of subdi- 12 vision four of section six hundred sixty-one of this part, in approved 13 undergraduate or graduate programs at degree granting institutions or 14 enrolled in approved vocational training programs and who apply for a 15 tuition assistance program award pursuant to section six hundred sixty- 16 seven of this subpart. 17 b. Eligibility for awards under this section shall be established as 18 of the date the application is received by the corporation. All eligible 19 recipients shall receive an award in an amount as set forth in 20 subdivision four of this section. 21 3. a. No recipient shall receive awards for more than eight semesters 22 of full-time undergraduate study, or the equivalent of four academic 23 years, or, if an undergraduate program normally requires five academic 24 years of full-time study, for more than ten semesters of full-time 25 study, or the equivalent of five academic years. Recipients enrolled in 26 a program of remedial study conforming to the provisions of this arti- 27 cle, approved by the commissioner in a degree granting institution, and 28 intended to culminate in an undergraduate degree shall be considered as 29 enrolled in a program normally requiring five years. No recipient 30 enrolled in an approved vocational training program shall receive awards 31 for more than four semesters of full-time study or the equivalent of two 32 academic years of full-time study. 33 b. No recipient shall receive awards for more than sixteen semesters 34 of part-time undergraduate study as defined in subdivision one of this 35 section, or the equivalent of eight academic years of part-time study, 36 or, if an undergraduate program normally requires five academic years of 37 full-time study, for more than twenty semesters of part-time study, or 38 the equivalent of ten academic years. Recipients enrolled in a program 39 of remedial study conforming to the provisions of this article, approved 40 by the commissioner in a degree granting institution, and intended 41 to culminate in an undergraduate degree shall be considered as enrolled 42 in a program normally requiring five years. No recipient enrolled in 43 an approved vocational training program shall receive awards for more 44 than eight semesters of part-time study or the equivalent of four 45 academic years of part-time study. 46 c. No recipient shall receive awards for more than six semesters of 47 full-time study, or the equivalent of three academic years, for graduate 48 study. No recipient shall receive awards for more than twelve semesters 49 of part-time graduate study as defined in subdivision one of this 50 section, or the equivalent of six academic years of part-time graduate 51 study. 52 4. Every recipient shall receive an award equal to the amount of 53 undergraduate tuition for residents of New York state charged by the 54 state university of New York or actual tuition charged, whichever is 55 less, for each semester, or the equivalent, of full-time study, or a 56 pro-rated amount for part-time study; provided, however, that such awardA. 1674 3 1 shall not be reduced by any benefits available under the federal Pell 2 grant program pursuant to section one thousand seventy-a of title twenty 3 of the United States code. 4 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
