Bill Text: NY S01638 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to the part-time tuition assistance program; provides that the total amount of funds awarded shall not exceed the total amount available to the traditional full-time student.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION [S01638 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S01638-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          1638
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    January 15, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen.  BROOKS -- 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 the part-time  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 667-c of the education law, as added by  section  1
     2  of  part  N  of  chapter  58  of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as
     3  follows:
     4    § 667-c. Part-time tuition assistance program  awards.    1.  Notwith-
     5  standing  any  law, rule or regulation to the contrary, the president of
     6  the higher education services corporation is authorized to make  tuition
     7  assistance program awards to [part-time] students [enrolled at the state
     8  university,  a community college, the city university of New York, and a
     9  non-profit college or university incorporated by the regents or  by  the
    10  legislature  who  meet  all  requirements for tuition assistance program
    11  awards except for the students' part-time attendance] who attend  a  New
    12  York  state  public  institution  of  higher  education  or a non-profit
    13  college or university incorporated by the regents or by the  legislature
    14  on a part-time basis.
    15    2. [For purposes of this section, a part-time student is one who:
    16    a.  enrolled as a first-time freshman during the two thousand six--two
    17  thousand seven academic year or thereafter at a  college  or  university
    18  within  the state university, including a statutory or contract college,
    19  a community college established pursuant to article one hundred  twenty-
    20  six  of  this  chapter, the city university of New York, or a non-profit
    21  college or university incorporated by the regents or by the legislature;
    22    b. has earned at least twelve  credits  in  each  of  two  consecutive
    23  semesters at one of the institutions named in paragraph a of this subdi-
    24  vision by the time of the awards;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06865-01-9
        S. 1638                             2

     1    c.  is  enrolled for at least six but less than twelve semester hours,
     2  or the equivalent, per semester  in  an  approved  undergraduate  degree
     3  program; and
     4    d. has a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.00] To be eligi-
     5  ble, an applicant must meet the qualifications of subdivisions three and
     6  five  of  section  six hundred sixty-one of this article, enrolled in at
     7  least six but less than twelve credit hours at a New York  state  public
     8  institution  of  higher  learning  or a non-profit college or university
     9  incorporated by the regents or by the legislature in  the  two  thousand
    10  nineteen--two thousand twenty academic year, or thereafter, and maintain
    11  a grade point average of at least 2.0.
    12    3.  a. For part-time students defined in this section, the award shall
    13  be calculated as provided in section six  hundred  sixty-seven  of  this
    14  article and shall be in an amount equal to the enrollment factor percent
    15  of  the  award  the  student would have been eligible for if the student
    16  were enrolled full-time. The enrollment factor percent is the percentage
    17  obtained by dividing the number of credits the student is  enrolled  in,
    18  as  certified by the school, by the number of credits required for full-
    19  time study in the semester, quarter or term as defined  by  the  commis-
    20  sioner.
    21    b.  Any semester, quarter or term of attendance during which a student
    22  receives an award pursuant to this  section  shall  be  counted  as  the
    23  enrollment  factor  percent  of  a  semester, quarter or term toward the
    24  maximum term of eligibility for tuition assistance  awards  pursuant  to
    25  section  six  hundred  sixty-seven of this article. [The total period of
    26  study for which payment may be made shall not exceed the  equivalent  of
    27  the maximum period authorized for that award.]
    28    c. The total amount of funds awarded shall not exceed the total amount
    29  available to the traditional full-time student.
    30    4.  Part-time  students defined in this section will create, in agree-
    31  ment with the college or university,  an  education  plan  allowing  the
    32  student  to complete his or her associate's degree program in as much as
    33  four and one-half years or his or her bachelor's degree  program  in  as
    34  much as nine years. The education plan will establish a schedule requir-
    35  ing  the  student  to carry a minimum of six credits each semester and a
    36  minimum of twelve credits each year. The student would  be  required  to
    37  maintain continued attendance (excluding summer sessions) for the period
    38  of  the  agreement.  The  college or university is authorized to grant a
    39  leave period for the duration of a semester or  its  equivalent  at  its
    40  discretion  in  the event of medical conditions, family responsibilities
    41  or financial emergencies.
    42    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.