Provides that a scholarship for academic excellence that is declined by a student or is revoked for any reason shall be granted to the next most qualified student.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A1956
SPONSOR: Bichotte Hermelyn TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to scholarships for
academic excellence
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To ensure the full amount of merit scholarships available are distrib-
uted to students attending New York State schools
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
The bill amends subdivision 2 of section 605-a of the education law to
ensure the full amount of merit scholarships available are distributed
to students attending New York State schools.
JUSTIFICATION:
Current law authorizes 8,000 Merit Scholarships annually. The top schol-
ar of each public or private high school in the state is eligible for a
Merit Scholarship and the remaining balance of the awards are distrib-
uted to students using a weighted average of scores from certain Regents
examinations. Unfortunately, if a student declines the scholarship or
such scholarship is revoked, the scholarship goes unused. This legis-
lation would award the scholarship to the next most qualified student in
the event of a declination or revocation ensuring that all 5,000 schol-
arships are distributed.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-22:A06827; Referred to higher education
2019-20:A2958; Referred to higher education
2017-18:A3634; Referred to higher education
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The fiscal implications of this bill would be negligible.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of August next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1956
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 23, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BICHOTTE HERMELYN, COLTON -- read once and
referred to the Committee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to scholarships for
academic excellence
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 605-a of the education law, as
2 amended by section 83 of part C of chapter 58 of the laws of 1998, is
3 amended to read as follows:
4 2. In the event that a scholarship awarded is declined by a student,
5 or for any reason is revoked by the commissioner or the president, its
6 benefits shall [lapse and there shall be no further payments or awarding
7 of such scholarship] be granted to the next most qualified student as
8 defined in paragraph (a) of subdivision one of this section.
9 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of August next succeeding
10 the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03338-01-3
