Bill Text: NY S00789 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Extends tuition free course benefits to volunteer firefighters or voluntary ambulance workers; authorizes the board of trustees of the state university to regulate the conferral of such benefits.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 8-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION [S00789 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S00789-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           789

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                     January 6, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  ORTT  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education

        AN ACT to amend the education law,  in  relation  to  extending  certain
          benefits  to  active volunteer firefighters and active volunteer ambu-
          lance workers

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

     1    Section  1.  Subparagraph 1 of paragraph h of subdivision 2 of section
     2  355 of the education law, as separately amended by chapters 552 and  616
     3  of the laws of 1985, is amended to read as follows:
     4    (1)  Notwithstanding  the  provisions of any other general, special or
     5  local law, rule or regulation, such regulations may permit persons sixty
     6  years of age or over, or residents who serve as active  volunteer  fire-
     7  fighters as defined in subdivision one of section two hundred fifteen of
     8  the  general  municipal law, or as active volunteer ambulance workers as
     9  defined in subdivision fourteen of section two hundred nineteen-k of the
    10  general municipal law to audit courses given  therein  without  tuition,
    11  examination, grading or credit therefor upon a space available basis, as
    12  determined by the president of each such institution, provided that such
    13  audit  attendance  does  not  deny course attendance at a state-operated
    14  institution by an individual who is otherwise qualified under the  regu-
    15  lations  promulgated pursuant to this section.  The board of trustees of
    16  the state university may prescribe regulations to authorize the granting
    17  of course credit for successful completion of an audited  course  by  an
    18  active  volunteer  firefighter  or an active volunteer ambulance worker.
    19  Pursuant to such regulations, each such institution may,  as  determined
    20  by  its  president,  award  credit  for successful completion of such an
    21  audited course by an active volunteer firefighter or an active volunteer
    22  ambulance worker that is currently enrolled as a full-time or  part-time
    23  student  in  such  institution or that later becomes enrolled as a full-
    24  time or part-time student in such institution.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03583-01-3
        S. 789                              2

     1    § 2. Subdivision 5 of section 6303 of the education law, as amended by
     2  chapter 552 of the laws of 1984, is amended to read as follows:
     3    5.  Notwithstanding  the  provisions  of any other general, special or
     4  local law, rule or regulation, community  colleges  may  permit  persons
     5  sixty  years  of age or over, or residents who serve as active volunteer
     6  firefighters as defined  in  subdivision  one  of  section  two  hundred
     7  fifteen  of  the general municipal law, or as active volunteer ambulance
     8  workers as defined in subdivision fourteen of section two hundred  nine-
     9  teen-k of the general municipal law to audit courses given therein with-
    10  out tuition, examination, grading or credit therefor upon a space avail-
    11  able  basis,  subject  to  the provisions of section sixty-three hundred
    12  four of this [chapter] article, as determined by the president  of  each
    13  such  institution,  provided  that  such  audit attendance does not deny
    14  course attendance at a community college by an individual who is  other-
    15  wise  qualified  under  the  regulations  and  the provisions of section
    16  sixty-three hundred four of this [chapter] article.  The board of  trus-
    17  tees  of the state university may prescribe regulations to authorize the
    18  granting of course credit for successful completion of an audited course
    19  by an active volunteer firefighter  or  an  active  volunteer  ambulance
    20  worker.  Pursuant  to  such  regulations,  each such institution may, as
    21  determined by its president, award credit for successful  completion  of
    22  such  an  audited course by an active volunteer firefighter or an active
    23  volunteer ambulance worker that is currently enrolled as a full-time  or
    24  part-time  student in such institution or that later becomes enrolled as
    25  a full-time or part-time student in such institution. The provisions  of
    26  this  paragraph  shall  not  affect  any state aid to community colleges
    27  granted pursuant to this article [one hundred twenty-six of  this  chap-
    28  ter].
    29    §  3.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
    30  have become a law.