Bill Text: NY S06937 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Enhances supports and services for students with disabilities for postsecondary success starting in the 2023-2024 academic year; funds shall be appropriated proportionally for each student with a disability enrolled in an institution of higher education.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION [S06937 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S06937-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          6937

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                      May 16, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  STAVISKY  --  (at  request  of the State Education
          Department) -- 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 enhancing supports and
          services for students with disabilities for postsecondary success

          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  6457
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 6457. Enhancing supports and services for students with disabilities
     4  for  postsecondary  success.  1.  For  the  purposes  of  this  section,
     5  "students with disabilities" shall mean individuals  with  a  disability
     6  who  have  a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one
     7  or more major life activity or activities, a record of such  impairment,
     8  or  being  regarded  as having such impairment and who are enrolled in a
     9  degree-granting institution in New York.
    10    2. Subject to an appropriation, the commissioner shall allocate  funds
    11  available for enhancing supports and services for students with disabil-
    12  ities  in  New  York  State degree granting colleges and universities so
    13  they can succeed in their education. Such funds shall be awarded through
    14  grants to institutions of the state university and institutions  of  the
    15  city  university  of  New  York,  and  the commissioner shall enter into
    16  contracts  with  degree-granting  institutions  in  New  York  that  are
    17  currently  funded  under  the  tuition  assistance program under article
    18  fourteen of  this  chapter  for  the  purpose  of  providing  additional
    19  services and supports to expand opportunities for students with disabil-
    20  ities.
    21    3.  (a) Funds appropriated in the two thousand twenty-three--two thou-
    22  sand twenty-four academic year and thereafter for the  purpose  of  this
    23  initiative  shall  be  allocated  proportionally for each student with a
    24  disability enrolled in an institution of higher education that  success-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03182-01-3
        S. 6937                             2

     1  fully  applies  for  funding pursuant to subdivision six of this section
     2  based upon the total number  of  students  with  disabilities  that  are
     3  enrolled in all institutions of higher education that successfully apply
     4  for  funding  pursuant to subdivision six of this section. The number of
     5  students with disabilities used for this calculation shall be  based  on
     6  data submitted annually by the institution to the commissioner through a
     7  process required for this purpose by the commissioner.
     8    (b)  Funds  shall  be  awarded to each institution of higher education
     9  that successfully applies for funding pursuant  to  subdivision  six  of
    10  this  section  directly  and  not  through  entities who do not directly
    11  enroll students.
    12    4. Funds shall be awarded through a formula in equal amounts per iden-
    13  tified student with a disability to each institution of higher education
    14  that successfully applies for funding pursuant  to  subdivision  six  of
    15  this  section. The number of students with disabilities at each institu-
    16  tion shall be determined based upon the data submitted annually  by  the
    17  institution  to  the  commissioner  through  a process required for this
    18  purpose by the commissioner.
    19    5. Moneys made available to institutions under this section  shall  be
    20  spent for the following purposes:
    21    (a)  to supplement funding for supports and accommodations of students
    22  with disabilities to expand supports and services provided at the  state
    23  university,  the  city university of New York, and other degree-granting
    24  higher education institutions;
    25    (b) to support college preparation programs to  assist  students  with
    26  disabilities  in  transitioning to college, and prepare them to navigate
    27  campus facilities and systems;
    28    (c) to provide full and part-time  faculty  and  staff  at  the  state
    29  university,  the  city university of New York, and other degree-granting
    30  higher education institutions with disability training; and
    31    (d) to improve the identification process of students  with  disabili-
    32  ties  and  enhance data collection capabilities at the state university,
    33  the city university of New York, and other degree-granting higher educa-
    34  tion institutions.
    35    6. Eligible institutions shall file an application for approval by the
    36  commissioner no later than the first of May each  year  demonstrating  a
    37  need  for  such funding, including how the funding would be used and how
    38  many students with disabilities would be assisted with such funding. The
    39  commissioner shall review  all  applications  for  compliance  with  all
    40  eligibility  criteria and other requirements set forth in regulations of
    41  the commissioner.  Successful applicants will be funded as  provided  in
    42  subdivision four of this section.
    43    7.  No  funds  pursuant  to  this  section  shall be made available to
    44  support the regular academic programs of any  institution  participating
    45  in this program.
    46    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.