Bill Text: NY S09139 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Enacts "new deal for SUNY: the New York state higher education equality act" to provide free tuition to students who attend SUNY who are enrolled in academic coursework and are on track to graduate; establishes the state university tuition fund to reimburse the state university of New York for the cost of tuition for students who are eligible for free tuition.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-30 - REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION [S09139 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S09139-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          9139

                    IN SENATE

                                     April 30, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  WEBB  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education

        AN ACT to amend the education law and the state finance law, in relation
          to providing free tuition to students who attend the state  university
          of New York

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

     1    Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as "new  deal  for
     2  SUNY: the New York state higher education equality act".
     3    §  2. Paragraph h of subdivision 2 of section 355 of the education law
     4  is amended by adding a new subparagraph 1-a to read as follows:
     5    (1-a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, rule  or  regulation
     6  to  the  contrary,  the trustees shall implement a program to permit any
     7  student who has been admitted to a  state-operated  institution  of  the
     8  state  university  of  New York to attend without the payment of tuition
     9  and fees if such student  fulfills  the  requirements  of  such  program
    10  pursuant to the provisions of this subparagraph.
    11    (i)  The  trustees shall provide an application process and administer
    12  the program which shall be available to any student eligible  for  resi-
    13  dent  tuition  rates, who is enrolled in credit-bearing academic course-
    14  work and is on track to graduate.
    15    (ii) Any student not successfully completing  credit-bearing  academic
    16  coursework  in  a  semester shall still be eligible to receive all other
    17  grants, awards, and scholarships for which they qualify but shall not be
    18  eligible for the tuition and student fee waiver described herein.
    19    (iii) Students shall be eligible to receive a one  semester  exemption
    20  from  the requirement to complete credit-bearing academic coursework for
    21  such tuition waiver as promulgated by the trustees. Such exemption shall
    22  not preclude any student from exercising their right to appeal  pursuant
    23  to higher education services corporation policy.
    24    (iv) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, rule or regulation to
    25  the  contrary  subject  to  amounts  made  available  by  appropriation,
    26  commencing in the academic year next succeeding the  effective  date  of
    27  this  subdivision, and every academic year thereafter, the state univer-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08930-07-4
        S. 9139                             2

     1  sity  shall  be  entitled  to  annually  receive  one  hundred   percent
     2  reimbursement  for  the annual cost of tuition and student fees for each
     3  matriculated undergraduate student at a state university senior  college
     4  and community college who is enrolled in credit-bearing academic course-
     5  work  and  is on track to graduate from the fund established pursuant to
     6  section ninety-seven-aaaa of the state finance law.
     7    § 3. Section 667 of the education law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
     8  subdivision 1-a to read as follows:
     9    1-a. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, rule or regulation to
    10  the contrary, commencing in the academic year next succeeding the effec-
    11  tive  date  of this subdivision, and every academic year thereafter, all
    12  funding appropriated for tuition assistance program awards  pursuant  to
    13  this section shall be deposited into the fund specified in section nine-
    14  ty-seven-aaaa of the state finance law.
    15    §  4.  Section  669-h  of the education law is amended by adding a new
    16  subdivision 7 to read as follows:
    17    7. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, rule or  regulation  to
    18  the contrary, commencing in the academic year next succeeding the effec-
    19  tive  date  of this subdivision, and every academic year thereafter, all
    20  funding appropriated for the  excelsior  scholarship  pursuant  to  this
    21  section  shall  be  deposited into the fund specified in section ninety-
    22  seven-aaaa of the state finance law.
    23    § 5. Subdivision 1 of section 6304 of the education law is amended  by
    24  adding a new paragraph e to read as follows:
    25    e.  Notwithstanding  any other provision of law, rule or regulation to
    26  the contrary, the trustees, sponsors,  or  other  governing  body  of  a
    27  community  college  shall  implement a program to permit any student who
    28  has been admitted to a state-operated institution of the state universi-
    29  ty to attend without the payment of tuition and  fees  if  such  student
    30  fulfills  the requirements of such program pursuant to the provisions of
    31  this paragraph.
    32    (i) The trustees shall provide an application process  and  administer
    33  the  program  which shall be available to any student eligible for resi-
    34  dent tuition rates, who is enrolled in credit-bearing  academic  course-
    35  work and is on track to graduate.
    36    (ii)  Any  student not successfully completing credit-bearing academic
    37  coursework in a semester shall still be eligible to  receive  all  other
    38  grants, awards, and scholarships for which they qualify but shall not be
    39  eligible for the tuition and student fee waiver described herein.
    40    (iii)  Students  shall be eligible to receive a one semester exemption
    41  from the requirement to complete credit-bearing academic coursework  for
    42  such tuition waiver as promulgated by the trustees. Such exemption shall
    43  not  preclude any student from exercising their right to appeal pursuant
    44  to higher education services corporation policy.
    45    § 6. Subdivision 1 of section 6304 of the education law is amended  by
    46  adding a new paragraph a-1 to read as follows:
    47    a-1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, rule or regulation to
    48  the contrary, state financial aid shall be increased above the one-third
    49  amount  of  operating costs set forth in paragraph a of this subdivision
    50  by an amount which is equal to the cost of tuition awarded  to  students
    51  who  apply  and qualify for the program set forth in paragraph e of this
    52  subdivision and such aid shall be deposited into the fund  specified  in
    53  section ninety-seven-aaaa of the state finance law.
    54    §  7. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 97-aaaa
    55  to read as follows:
        S. 9139                             3

     1    § 97-aaaa. State university tuition fund. 1. There  is  hereby  estab-
     2  lished in the joint custody of the state comptroller and the commission-
     3  er  of  taxation  and finance a fund to be known as the state university
     4  tuition fund.
     5    2.  The fund shall consist of moneys received by the state pursuant to
     6  subparagraph one-a of paragraph h of subdivision two  of  section  three
     7  hundred  fifty-five of the education law, moneys donated or given to the
     8  state, and all other moneys appropriated, credited or transferred there-
     9  to from any other fund or source.
    10    3. Moneys of the fund shall be made available to the  commissioner  of
    11  education  to  be  distributed  to  the state university of New York and
    12  shall be deposited with the state university no later than  thirty  days
    13  after  the  start of the semester. The state university shall receive an
    14  amount equal to the full cost  of  in-state  undergraduate  tuition  and
    15  student  fees for each qualifying, matriculated student who successfully
    16  completes credit-bearing academic coursework and is on track to graduate
    17  from the state university.
    18    4. The full cost of tuition shall not include any additional funds the
    19  student may receive from any other New  York  state  or  federal  grant,
    20  award, or scholarship program.
    21    5. The deposit of these funds shall be utilized as first dollar awards
    22  to the students at the state university.
    23    § 8. This act shall take effect immediately.