Bill Text: NY S04831 | 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 (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-06-21 - SUBSTITUTED BY A6515A [S04831 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-S04831-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4831--A 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN SENATE March 2, 2017 ___________ Introduced by Sen. LAVALLE -- (at request of the State Education Depart- ment) -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit- tee 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 blind18student] provide such students with support to read, including the 19 employment of persons to read to such student and/or the purchase of 20 technology to assist the student in reading from text-books and EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD10187-03-7S. 4831--A 2 1 pamphlets [used by such student] in his or her studies at such college, 2 university or school, or to aid [a deaf] such student, in receiving 3 instruction in such studies[. In case such a college, university, tech-4nical or professional school as will meet the needs or requirements of5such a student is not located within this state, such a sum shall be6paid by this state for the use of such student attending such a college,7university, technical or professional school which shall conform to the8requirements of this section in another state. Such a sum shall also be9available to aid a deaf student in receiving instruction in a regularly10approved institution for the deaf located outside of the state but with-11in one hundred fifty miles of the borders thereof]. 12 b. The trustees of any institution meeting the requirements of this 13 section shall submit reports in such form and at such times as 14 prescribed by the commissioner identifying the number of students eligi- 15 ble to receive aid pursuant to this subdivision and shall estimate the 16 funds needed to support such students as provided herein. The commis- 17 sioner shall advance twice during the school year to each such institu- 18 tion such estimated amounts within the limits of the annual appropri- 19 ation provided therefore. 20 [d.] c. At the conclusion of the academic year for which such funds 21 are provided, each institution receiving funds pursuant to this subdivi- 22 sion shall submit to the commissioner a final accounting for the use of 23 such funds and any additional reporting requirements prescribed by the 24 commissioner in regulations and shall return any unspent funds. 25 2. Such moneys shall be paid annually, after the beginning of the 26 school year of such institution, by the commissioner of taxation and 27 finance on the warrant of the comptroller, to the treasurer of such 28 institution, on his presenting an account showing the actual number of 29 blind or deaf students matriculated and attending the institution, which 30 account shall be verified by the president of the institution and accom- 31 panied by his certificate that the trustees have recommended the 32 students named in said account as hereinbefore provided. 33 3. The trustees of any of the said institutions shall recommend no 34 blind or deaf person, who is not regularly matriculated, and who is not 35 in good and regular standing, and who is not working for a degree from 36 the institution in which he or she is matriculated; and no blind or deaf 37 person shall be recommended, who is not doing the work regularly 38 prescribed by the institution for the degree for which he or she is a 39 candidate. The moneys so paid to any such institution shall be disbursed 40 for the purposes aforesaid by and under the direction of its board of 41 trustees. 42 4. Funds appropriated in the two thousand seventeen--two thousand 43 eighteen academic year and thereafter for the purposes of this initi- 44 ative shall be allocated on a first-come, first serve basis based on the 45 order of applications received by the commissioner, in a timeframe and 46 manner prescribed by the commissioner in regulations. 47 5. Funds allocated pursuant to this section shall supplement not 48 supplant any aid provided and/or devices currently used by the college, 49 university, technical or professional school, including agriculture and 50 technical institutes and state institutes of applied arts and sciences 51 or licensed private career schools as defined in article one hundred one 52 of this title, for the purposes of this section. 53 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 54 have become a law.
