Bill Text: NY A02341 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to allowing for students in certain postsecondary education experience or transition programs to receive awards from the tuition assistance program.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-4)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to higher education [A02341 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A02341-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2341

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 25, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of A. GUNTHER, JACOBSON, SIMON, EPSTEIN -- read once
          and referred to the Committee on Higher Education

        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to allowing for  students
          in postsecondary education experience or transition program to receive
          awards from the tuition assistance program

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

     1    Section 1. Section 602 of the education law is amended by adding a new
     2  subdivision 5 to read as follows:
     3    5. The commissioner shall promulgate rules  and  regulations  allowing
     4  for  students enrolled in an approved postsecondary education experience
     5  or transition program to receive financial assistance from  the  tuition
     6  assistance program.
     7    §  2.  Section  667  of  the  education law is amended by adding a new
     8  subdivision 4 to read as follows:
     9    4.  Postsecondary education experience or  transition  programs.    a.
    10  Notwithstanding  subdivisions  one,  two  and three of this section, the
    11  president shall make awards to students with  intellectual  disabilities
    12  in approved postsecondary education experience or transition programs in
    13  the  same  manner  as  students  enrolled  in  an  approved program at a
    14  degree-granting institution including the same income limits and  awards
    15  for each year.
    16    b.  An  approved  postsecondary  education  experience  or  transition
    17  program shall:
    18    (i) serve students with intellectual disabilities;
    19    (ii) provide individual supports and services  for  the  academic  and
    20  social  inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities in academic
    21  courses, extracurricular activities, and other aspects of  the  institu-
    22  tion of higher education's regular postsecondary program;
    23    (iii) provide a focus on:
    24    (A) academic enrichment;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04728-01-3
        A. 2341                             2

     1    (B) socialization;
     2    (C) independent living skills, including self-advocacy skills; and
     3    (D) integrated work experiences and career skills that lead to gainful
     4  employment;
     5    (iv)  integrate  person-centered  planning  in  the development of the
     6  course of study for each student with an intellectual disability;
     7    (v) create and offer a meaningful credential for students with  intel-
     8  lectual  disabilities upon the completion of the postsecondary education
     9  experience or transition program; and
    10    (vi) be a federally approved comprehensive transition  and  postsecon-
    11  dary program.
    12    c.  For  the purposes of this subdivision, "students with intellectual
    13  disabilities" shall mean a student with an impairment of general  intel-
    14  lectual functioning or adaptive behavior which constitutes a substantial
    15  handicap  to  the  student's ability to function normally in society and
    16  which has originated at any point in the student's life.
    17    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.