Bill Text: NY A06515 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended

---

Bill Title: Provides aid for blind or deaf students in relation to the purchase and use of supports for the education of students who are blind, deaf, deaf-blind or hard of hearing.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Passed) 2017-10-23 - signed chap.350 [A06515 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-A06515-Amended.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         6515--A
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                      March 8, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  NOLAN,  BENEDETTO, JAFFEE, MOSLEY, TITONE --
          Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT -- (at request of the State
          Education Department) -- read once and referred to  the  Committee  on
          Education  -- reported and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
          -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered  reprinted  as  amended
          and recommitted to said committee
        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  education law, in relation to providing aid for
          blind or deaf students in relation to the purchase and use of supports
          for the education of students who are blind, deaf, deaf-blind, or hard
          of hearing
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Section 4210 of the education law, as amended by chapter 53
     2  of  the laws of 1989, paragraph (b) of subdivision 1 as amended by chap-
     3  ter 53 of the laws of 1990, is amended to read as follows:
     4    § 4210. Aid for blind or deaf students. 1. a. Whenever a blind or deaf
     5  person, who is a citizen of this state and a student in  actual  attend-
     6  ance at a college, university, technical or professional school, includ-
     7  ing agriculture and technical institutes and state institutes of applied
     8  arts  and sciences, located in this state and authorized by law to grant
     9  degrees, or licensed private career schools as defined  in  article  one
    10  hundred  one  of  this  title  and  located in this state, other than an
    11  institution established for the regular  instruction  of  the  blind  or
    12  deaf,  shall  be  designated  by the trustees thereof as a fit person to
    13  receive the aid hereinafter provided for, there shall  be  paid  by  the
    14  state  for  the use of such student a sum not to exceed [one] four thou-
    15  sand dollars per annum, subject to terms and  conditions  prescribed  by
    16  the  commissioner  in regulations and within the limits of the appropri-
    17  ation therefor, with which to [employ persons  to  read  to  such  blind
    18  student]  provide  such  students  with  support  to read, including the
    19  employment of persons to read to such student  and/or  the  purchase  of
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10187-04-7
        A. 6515--A                          2
     1  technology  to  assist  the  student  in  reading  from  text-books  and
     2  pamphlets [used by such student] in his or her studies at such  college,
     3  university  or  school,  or  to  aid [a deaf] such student, in receiving
     4  instruction  in such studies[. In case such a college, university, tech-
     5  nical or professional school as will meet the needs or  requirements  of
     6  such  a  student  is  not located within this state, such a sum shall be
     7  paid by this state for the use of such student attending such a college,
     8  university, technical or professional school which shall conform to  the
     9  requirements  of this section in another state. Such a sum shall also be
    10  available to aid a deaf student in receiving instruction in a  regularly
    11  approved institution for the deaf located outside of the state but with-
    12  in one hundred fifty miles of the borders thereof].
    13    b.  The  trustees  of any institution meeting the requirements of this
    14  section shall  submit  reports  in  such  form  and  at  such  times  as
    15  prescribed by the commissioner identifying the number of students eligi-
    16  ble  to  receive aid pursuant to this subdivision and shall estimate the
    17  funds needed to support such students as provided  herein.  The  commis-
    18  sioner  shall advance twice during the school year to each such institu-
    19  tion such estimated amounts within the limits of  the  annual  appropri-
    20  ation provided therefore.
    21    [d.]  c.  At  the conclusion of the academic year for which such funds
    22  are provided, each institution receiving funds pursuant to this subdivi-
    23  sion shall submit to the commissioner a final accounting for the use  of
    24  such  funds  and any additional reporting requirements prescribed by the
    25  commissioner in regulations and shall return any unspent funds.
    26    2.  Such moneys shall be paid annually, after  the  beginning  of  the
    27  school  year  of  such  institution, by the commissioner of taxation and
    28  finance on the warrant of the comptroller,  to  the  treasurer  of  such
    29  institution,  on  his presenting an account showing the actual number of
    30  blind or deaf students matriculated and attending the institution, which
    31  account shall be verified by the president of the institution and accom-
    32  panied by  his  certificate  that  the  trustees  have  recommended  the
    33  students named in said account as hereinbefore provided.
    34    3.    The  trustees of any of the said institutions shall recommend no
    35  blind or deaf person, who is not regularly matriculated, and who is  not
    36  in  good  and regular standing, and who is not working for a degree from
    37  the institution in which he or she is matriculated; and no blind or deaf
    38  person shall be  recommended,  who  is  not  doing  the  work  regularly
    39  prescribed  by  the  institution for the degree for which he or she is a
    40  candidate. The moneys so paid to any such institution shall be disbursed
    41  for the purposes aforesaid by and under the direction of  its  board  of
    42  trustees.
    43    4.  Funds  appropriated  in  the  two thousand seventeen--two thousand
    44  eighteen academic year and thereafter for the purposes  of  this  initi-
    45  ative shall be allocated on a first-come, first serve basis based on the
    46  order  of  applications received by the commissioner, in a timeframe and
    47  manner prescribed by the commissioner in regulations.
    48    5. Funds allocated pursuant  to  this  section  shall  supplement  not
    49  supplant  any aid provided and/or devices currently used by the college,
    50  university, technical or professional school, including agriculture  and
    51  technical  institutes  and state institutes of applied arts and sciences
    52  or licensed private career schools as defined in article one hundred one
    53  of this title, for the purposes of this section.
    54    § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
    55  have become a law.