Bill Text: NY A04942 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended

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

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Bill Title: Requires the SUNY and CUNY boards of trustees and boards of trustees of community colleges to establish a policy for the awarding of posthumous degrees; requires such policy to waive any remaining credits for enrolled matriculated students who die and would otherwise have been eligible for graduation had they been able to complete their academic career.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 29-1)

Status: (Passed) 2023-10-25 - signed chap.549 [A04942 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A04942-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         4942--A

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 27, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. FORREST, TAYLOR, DARLING, HYNDMAN, LEVENBERG,
          SILLITTI,  MAHER,  SIMON,  RAGA,  OTIS,  McDONALD,  CHANDLER-WATERMAN,
          CLARK,  PRETLOW,  DE LOS SANTOS, TAPIA, ALVAREZ, GIBBS, REYES, SEPTIMO
          -- read once and referred to the  Committee  on  Higher  Education  --
          committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
          recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing  policies
          for the awarding of posthumous degrees

          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  "Melquain
     2  Jatelle Anderson's (Mel's) Law".
     3    §  2.  Subdivision 2 of section 355 of the education law is amended by
     4  adding a new paragraph f-2 to read as follows:
     5    f-2. Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to the contrary,  the
     6  state  university of New York board of trustees shall establish a policy
     7  authorizing state-operated  institutions  within  the  state  university
     8  system  to  grant  posthumous  degrees to enrolled matriculated students
     9  whose death occurs prior to graduation. Such policy shall provide  that,
    10  upon terms set in the policy, any remaining credit requirements shall be
    11  waived for any student who dies and who otherwise would have been eligi-
    12  ble for graduation had they been able to complete their academic career.
    13    §  3.  Section  6206  of  the education law is amended by adding a new
    14  subdivision 22 to read as follows:
    15    22. Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to the  contrary,  the
    16  board  of  trustees  shall  establish  a policy authorizing institutions
    17  within the city university  of  New  York  system  to  grant  posthumous
    18  degrees  to  enrolled  matriculated students whose death occurs prior to
    19  graduation.  Such policy shall provide that, upon terms set in the poli-
    20  cy, any remaining credit requirements shall be waived  for  any  student

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04553-04-3
        A. 4942--A                          2

     1  who  dies  and who otherwise would have been eligible for graduation had
     2  they been able to complete their academic career.
     3    §  4.  Section  6306  of  the education law is amended by adding a new
     4  subdivision 12 to read as follows:
     5    12. Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to the  contrary,  the
     6  board  of  trustees  of  each community college shall establish a policy
     7  authorizing each such community college to grant posthumous  degrees  to
     8  enrolled  matriculated  students whose death occurs prior to graduation.
     9  Such policy shall provide that,  upon  terms  set  in  the  policy,  any
    10  remaining  credit  requirements shall be waived for any student who dies
    11  and who otherwise would have been eligible for graduation had they  been
    12  able to complete their academic career.
    13    §  5.  Such  posthumous  degrees shall not be counted in the conferred
    14  degrees during the accreditation process or negatively impact a school's
    15  standing during the accreditation process.
    16    § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.