Bill Text: NY S06677 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Introduced

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

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-26 - REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION [S06677 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-S06677-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         6677
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                   February 26, 2014
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen. MAZIARZ -- 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
   24  FULL-TIME OR PART-TIME STUDENT IN SUCH INSTITUTION.
   25    S 2. Subdivision 5 of section 6303 of the education law, as amended by
   26  chapter 552 of the laws of 1984, is amended to read as follows:
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD14169-01-4
       S. 6677                             2
    1    5. Notwithstanding the provisions of any  other  general,  special  or
    2  local  law,  rule  or  regulation, community colleges may permit persons
    3  sixty years of age or over, OR RESIDENTS WHO SERVE AS  ACTIVE  VOLUNTEER
    4  FIREFIGHTERS  AS  DEFINED  IN  SUBDIVISION  ONE  OF  SECTION TWO HUNDRED
    5  FIFTEEN  OF  THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL LAW, OR AS ACTIVE VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE
    6  WORKERS AS DEFINED IN SUBDIVISION FOURTEEN OF SECTION TWO HUNDRED  NINE-
    7  TEEN-K OF THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL LAW to audit courses given therein with-
    8  out tuition, examination, grading or credit therefor upon a space avail-
    9  able  basis,  subject  to  the provisions of section sixty-three hundred
   10  four of this [chapter] ARTICLE, as determined by the president  of  each
   11  such  institution,  provided  that  such  audit attendance does not deny
   12  course attendance at a community college by an individual who is  other-
   13  wise  qualified  under  the  regulations  and  the provisions of section
   14  sixty-three hundred four of this [chapter] ARTICLE.  THE BOARD OF  TRUS-
   15  TEES  OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY MAY PRESCRIBE REGULATIONS TO AUTHORIZE THE
   16  GRANTING OF COURSE CREDIT FOR SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF AN AUDITED COURSE
   17  BY AN ACTIVE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER  OR  AN  ACTIVE  VOLUNTEER  AMBULANCE
   18  WORKER.  PURSUANT  TO  SUCH  REGULATIONS,  EACH SUCH INSTITUTION MAY, AS
   19  DETERMINED BY ITS PRESIDENT, AWARD CREDIT FOR SUCCESSFUL  COMPLETION  OF
   20  SUCH  AN  AUDITED COURSE BY AN ACTIVE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER OR AN ACTIVE
   21  VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE WORKER THAT IS CURRENTLY ENROLLED AS A FULL-TIME  OR
   22  PART-TIME  STUDENT IN SUCH INSTITUTION OR THAT LATER BECOMES ENROLLED AS
   23  A FULL-TIME OR PART-TIME STUDENT IN SUCH INSTITUTION. The provisions  of
   24  this  paragraph  shall  not  affect  any state aid to community colleges
   25  granted pursuant to THIS article [one hundred twenty-six of  this  chap-
   26  ter].
   27    S  3.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
   28  have become a law.