Bill Text: NY S05839 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes a COVID-19 essential workers scholarship program to award annual scholarships to essential employees who worked during the outbreak of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and children of essential employees who have died as a result of contracting COVID-19.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION [S05839 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-S05839-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5839 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN SENATE March 20, 2023 ___________ Introduced by Sen. SANDERS -- 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 establishing a COVID- 19 essential workers scholarship program 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 608-b 2 to read as follows: 3 § 608-b. COVID-19 essential worker scholarships. 1. Notwithstanding 4 subdivision five of section six hundred sixty-one of this title, essen- 5 tial employees who worked during the outbreak of novel coronavirus 6 disease two thousand nineteen (COVID-19) and children of essential 7 employees who have died as a result of contracting COVID-19, shall be 8 eligible to receive a scholarship in an annual amount determined pursu- 9 ant to subdivision two of section six hundred sixty-eight-h of this 10 title. The commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations regarding 11 who qualifies as an essential employee. 12 2. Awards under this section shall be payable for each of not more 13 than four academic years of undergraduate study or five academic years 14 if a program normally requires five years, as defined by the commission- 15 er pursuant to this article. 16 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 668-h to 17 read as follows: 18 § 668-h. COVID-19 essential worker scholarships. 1. Eligible groups. 19 Notwithstanding subdivision five of section six hundred sixty-one of 20 this part, essential employees who worked during the outbreak of novel 21 coronavirus disease two thousand nineteen (COVID-19) and children of 22 essential employees who have died as a result of contracting COVID-19, 23 shall be eligible to receive a scholarship. The commissioner shall 24 promulgate rules and regulations regarding who qualifies as an essential 25 employee. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD03146-01-3S. 5839 2 1 2. Amount. (a) The president shall grant annual scholarships in the 2 following amounts: 3 (1) If the recipient attends an institution of the city university of 4 New York or an institution of the state university of New York other 5 than the statutory colleges at Cornell, the college of environmental 6 science and forestry at Syracuse and the college of ceramics at Alfred, 7 the annual award shall be an amount equal to: the tuition charged at 8 such institution provided that, notwithstanding any provision of law to 9 the contrary, the tuition charged to award recipients shall not exceed 10 that charged to state resident students attending such institution; the 11 mandatory fees charged at such institution; and the non-tuition cost of 12 attendance at such institution or college, provided that the scholarship 13 shall not exceed an amount that is equal to the total cost of attendance 14 determined for federal Title IV student financial aid purposes, less all 15 other scholarships and grants provided by New York state, other states, 16 the federal government, or other governments, and the amount of educa- 17 tional benefits paid under any program that would duplicate the purposes 18 of this program, provided that any scholarships or grants provided to a 19 recipient by the institution which are intended to fund any portion of 20 the difference between the annual state award and the actual costs of 21 attendance at any such institution shall not be considered to duplicate 22 the purposes of this program; or 23 (2) If the recipient attends any other approved program within New 24 York state, the annual award shall be based upon an amount equal to: the 25 tuition charged to state resident students attending a four-year college 26 of the state university of New York; the average mandatory fees charged 27 at four-year colleges of the state university of New York, or the actual 28 tuition and fees charged to the recipient, whichever is less; and the 29 average non-tuition cost of attendance, as determined by the president 30 and as approved by the director of the budget, for a student at the 31 state university of New York or actual non-tuition cost of attendance at 32 such institution, whichever is less, provided that the scholarship shall 33 not exceed an amount that is equal to the total cost of attendance 34 determined for federal Title IV student financial aid purposes, less all 35 other scholarships and grants provided by New York state, other states, 36 the federal government, or other governments, and the amount of educa- 37 tional benefits paid under any program that would duplicate the purposes 38 of this program, provided that any scholarships or grants provided to a 39 recipient by the institution which are intended to fund any portion of 40 the difference between the annual state award and the actual costs of 41 attendance at any such institution shall not be considered to duplicate 42 the purposes of this program. 43 (3) "Non-tuition cost of attendance", as used in this subdivision, 44 shall mean: (i) the actual amount charged by the institution for room 45 and board, and (ii) an allowance for transportation, books and supplies 46 as determined by the president and as approved by the director of the 47 budget, provided that such determination shall be made no later than 48 December first of each year for use in the succeeding academic year. In 49 the event a student does not incur room or board charges at the institu- 50 tion, "non-tuition cost of attendance" shall mean an allowance for room 51 and board as determined by the president and approved by the director of 52 the budget. In determining allowances pursuant to this subparagraph, the 53 president may take into consideration the allowances provided for in the 54 Pell grant program.S. 5839 3 1 (b) In no event shall the combination of all student financial aid 2 received by a student exceed a recipient's total cost of attendance at 3 the institution being attended. 4 3. Duration. Awards under this section shall be payable for each of 5 not more than four academic years of undergraduate study or five academ- 6 ic years if a program normally requires five years, as defined by the 7 commissioner pursuant to article thirteen of this title. 8 § 3. Section 604 of the education law is amended by adding a new 9 subdivision 13 to read as follows: 10 13. COVID-19 essential worker scholarships. 11 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
