Bill Text: NY S05635 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Provides free SUNY and CUNY tuition, books, and fees to all current New York state and New York city employees who have been such employees for at least two years, and who continue such employment throughout their academic program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION [S05635 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S05635-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5635

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                     March 15, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- 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  providing  free  SUNY
          and CUNY tuition to all New York state and New York city employees

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

     1    Section 1. Paragraph h of subdivision 2 of section 355 of  the  educa-
     2  tion law is amended by adding a new subparagraph 1-a to read as follows:
     3    (1-a) The trustees shall implement a program to permit any student who
     4  has been admitted to a state-operated institution of the state universi-
     5  ty  to  attend  without  the payment of tuition, books, and fees if such
     6  student is a current employee, and has been for at least two  years,  of
     7  the  state  of  New York or the city of New York. The provisions of this
     8  subparagraph shall only apply to costs of one undergraduate and/or grad-
     9  uate degree and any additional  costs  associated  with  more  than  one
    10  simultaneous  undergraduate  or  graduate degree shall not be covered by
    11  this program.
    12    (i) The trustees shall provide an application process  and  administer
    13  the program according to the following criteria:
    14    (A)  Any  student  eligible for resident tuition rates is eligible for
    15  this program.
    16    (B) The student shall be required to be  a  current  employee  of  the
    17  state  or  the  city  of New York for at least two years prior to making
    18  such application and through the  completion  of  his  or  her  academic
    19  program.
    20    (C) Students shall be required to complete their degree program within
    21  a  minimum  period  of  time to be set by the trustees which shall be no
    22  fewer than three years and no more than five years.
    23    (D) The student shall be required to maintain a cumulative grade point
    24  average (G.P.A.)  of at least 2.5 in order to remain  eligible  for  the
    25  program.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10192-01-1

        S. 5635                             2

     1    (ii)  If  a  student  or  former  student  fails to fulfill any of the
     2  requirements set forth in clause (i) of this subparagraph, the  trustees
     3  shall  convert  to  a  student loan the full amount of the tuition which
     4  would have been paid by such student, as  determined  by  the  New  York
     5  state higher education services corporation, plus interest, according to
     6  a schedule to be determined by such corporation. Such repayment may also
     7  be  required if a recipient fails to respond to requests for information
     8  necessary to determine continued eligibility or  for  administration  of
     9  the program.
    10    (iii)  Any student who elects to participate in the program under this
    11  subparagraph shall be required to apply for tuition  assistance  program
    12  funding.  Funds  awarded  on  the  tuition  assistance  program shall be
    13  applied towards the cost of tuition prior to an award under this subpar-
    14  agraph.
    15    (iv) Students shall be responsible for all other costs including hous-
    16  ing, fees and other non-tuition related charges.
    17    § 2. Subdivision 7 of section 6206 of the education law is amended  by
    18  adding a new paragraph (f) to read as follows:
    19    (f)  The  trustees shall implement a program to permit any student who
    20  has been admitted to an institution operated by the city  university  to
    21  attend  without  the payment of tuition, books, and fees if such student
    22  fulfills the requirements of such program pursuant to the provisions  of
    23  this paragraph.
    24    (i)  The  trustees shall provide an application process and administer
    25  the program according to the following criteria:
    26    (A) Any student eligible for resident tuition rates  is  eligible  for
    27  this program.
    28    (B)  The  student  shall  be  required to be a current employee of the
    29  state of New York or the city of New York for at least two  years  prior
    30  to  making  such  application  and  through the completion of his or her
    31  academic program.
    32    (C) Students shall be required to complete their degree program within
    33  a minimum period of time to be set by the trustees  which  shall  be  no
    34  fewer than three years and no more than five years.
    35    (D) The student shall be required to maintain a cumulative grade point
    36  average  (G.P.A.)    of at least 2.5 in order to remain eligible for the
    37  program.
    38    (ii) If a student or former  student  fails  to  fulfill  any  of  the
    39  requirements  set forth in subparagraph (i) of this paragraph, the trus-
    40  tees shall convert to a student loan the  full  amount  of  the  tuition
    41  which  would  have  been  paid by such student, as determined by the New
    42  York state higher education services corporation, plus interest, accord-
    43  ing to a schedule to be determined by such corporation.  Such  repayment
    44  may  also  be  required  if a recipient fails to respond to requests for
    45  information necessary to determine continued eligibility or for adminis-
    46  tration of the program.
    47    (iii) Any student who elects to participate in the program under  this
    48  paragraph  shall  be  required  to  apply for tuition assistance program
    49  funding. Funds awarded  on  the  tuition  assistance  program  shall  be
    50  applied towards the cost of tuition prior to an award under this subpar-
    51  agraph.
    52    (iv) Students shall be responsible for all other costs including hous-
    53  ing, fees and other non-tuition related charges.
    54    §  3.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
    55  have become a law.
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