Bill Text: NY A08063 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Provides grants to SUNY schools, CUNY schools, and certain other degree-granting colleges and universities in NY to provide support and services for students with disabilities for postsecondary success.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to education [A08063 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A08063-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8063

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      May 31, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. WEPRIN -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Education

        AN  ACT to amend the education law, in relation to enhancing support and
          services for students with disabilities for postsecondary success

          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 6457
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 6457. Enhancing support and services for students with  disabilities
     4  postsecondary  success. 1. Subject to an appropriation, the commissioner
     5  shall allocate funds available for enhancing support  and  services  for
     6  students  with  disabilities  in New York state degree-granting colleges
     7  and universities so they can succeed in  their  education.  Such  grants
     8  shall be awarded to institutions of the state university of New York and
     9  institutions  of  the  city university of New York, and the commissioner
    10  shall enter into contracts with degree-granting colleges  and  universi-
    11  ties  in  New  York  state  that  are currently funded under the tuition
    12  assistance program under  article  fourteen  of  this  chapter  for  the
    13  purposes  of providing additional services and expenses to expand oppor-
    14  tunities for students with disabilities.
    15    2. For the purposes of this section "students with disabilities" shall
    16  mean students who have a physical or mental impairment that substantial-
    17  ly limits one or more major life activity, a record of such  impairment,
    18  or  being  regarded  as having such impairment and who are enrolled in a
    19  degree-granting institution.
    20    3. (a) Funds appropriated in the two thousand  nineteen--two  thousand
    21  twenty  academic  year and thereafter for the purpose of this initiative
    22  shall be allocated upon successful application through a process  devel-
    23  oped  by the commissioner, proportionally to each degree-granting insti-
    24  tution of higher education identified in subdivision one of this section

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD11984-01-9
        A. 8063                             2

     1  which shall be determined based upon the data submitted annually by  the
     2  institution to the commissioner.
     3    (b)  Funds  shall be awarded to eligible institutions directly and not
     4  through entities that do not directly enroll students.
     5    4. Funds shall be awarded through a formula in equal amount per  iden-
     6  tified  student with a disability to each institution eligible for fund-
     7  ing. The number of students with a disability at each institution  shall
     8  be  determined based upon the data submitted annually by the institution
     9  to the commissioner.
    10    5. Moneys made available to institutions under this section  shall  be
    11  spent for the following purposes:
    12    (a)  to  supplement  funding for support and accommodation of students
    13  with disabilities, to expand support and services provided at the  state
    14  university  of  New  York,  the  city  university of New York, and other
    15  degree-granting higher education institutions;
    16    (b) to support summer college preparation programs to assist  individ-
    17  uals  with disabilities in transitioning to college, and prepare them to
    18  navigate campus facilities and systems;
    19    (c) to provide full and part-time  faculty  and  staff  at  the  state
    20  university  of  New  York,  the  city  university of New York, and other
    21  degree-granting higher education institutions with disability  training;
    22  and
    23    (d) to improve the identification process of individuals with disabil-
    24  ities  and  enhance data collection capabilities at the state university
    25  of New York, the city university of New York, and other  degree-granting
    26  higher education institutions.
    27    6. Eligible institutions shall file an application for approval by the
    28  commissioner  no  later  than the first of May each year demonstrating a
    29  need for such funding, including, but not limited to,  how  the  funding
    30  would  be used and how many students with disabilities would be assisted
    31  with such funding. The commissioner shall review  all  applications  for
    32  compliance  with  all  eligibility  criteria  and other requirements set
    33  forth in regulations of the commissioner. Successful applicants shall be
    34  funded as provided in subdivision four of this section.
    35    7. No funds pursuant to  this  section  shall  be  made  available  to
    36  support  the  regular academic programs of any institution participating
    37  in this program.
    38    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.