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A08093 Actions:

BILL NOA08093
 
09/29/2023referred to higher education
01/03/2024referred to higher education
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A08093 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          8093
 
                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                   September 29, 2023
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M. of A. SOLAGES, STECK -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Higher Education
 
        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to providing  free  SUNY,
          CUNY and community college tuition to volunteer firefighters
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. Paragraph h of subdivision 2 of section 355 of  the  educa-
     2  tion law is amended by adding a new subparagraph 1-a to read as follows:
     3    (1-a) The trustees shall implement a program to permit any student who
     4  has been admitted to a state-operated institution of the state universi-
     5  ty  to  attend  without  the payment of tuition and fees if such student
     6  serves as an active volunteer firefighter as defined in subdivision  one
     7  of  section  two  hundred  fifteen  of  the  general  municipal law. The
     8  provisions of this subparagraph shall only apply to costs of one  under-
     9  graduate  degree  and any additional costs associated with more than one
    10  simultaneous undergraduate degree shall not be covered by this program.
    11    (i) The trustees shall provide an application process  and  administer
    12  the program according to the following criteria:
    13    (A)  Any  student  eligible for resident tuition rates is eligible for
    14  this program.
    15    (B) The student shall be required to  serve  as  an  active  volunteer
    16  firefighter through the completion of his or her academic program.
    17    (C) Students shall be required to complete their degree program within
    18  a  minimum  period  of  time to be set by the trustees which shall be no
    19  fewer than three years and no more than five years.
    20    (D) The student shall be required to maintain a cumulative grade point
    21  average (G.P.A.)  of at least 2.5 in order to remain  eligible  for  the
    22  program.
    23    (ii)  If  a  student  or  former  student  fails to fulfill any of the
    24  requirements set forth in clause (i) of this subparagraph, the  trustees
    25  shall  convert  to  a  student loan the full amount of the tuition which
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02200-01-3

        A. 8093                             2
 
     1  would have been paid by such student, as  determined  by  the  New  York
     2  state higher education services corporation, plus interest, according to
     3  a schedule to be determined by such corporation. Such repayment may also
     4  be  required if a recipient fails to respond to requests for information
     5  necessary to determine continued eligibility or  for  administration  of
     6  the program.
     7    (iii)  Any student who elects to participate in the program under this
     8  subparagraph shall be required to apply for tuition  assistance  program
     9  funding.  Funds  awarded  on  the  tuition  assistance  program shall be
    10  applied towards the cost of tuition prior to an award under this subpar-
    11  agraph.
    12    (iv) Students shall be responsible for all other costs including hous-
    13  ing, fees and other non-tuition related charges.
    14    § 2. Subdivision 7 of section 6206 of the education law is amended  by
    15  adding a new paragraph (g) to read as follows:
    16    (g)  The  trustees shall implement a program to permit any student who
    17  has been admitted to an institution operated by the city  university  to
    18  attend  without the payment of tuition and fees if such student fulfills
    19  the requirements of such program pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  this
    20  paragraph.
    21    (i)  The  trustees shall provide an application process and administer
    22  the program according to the following criteria:
    23    (A) Any student eligible for resident tuition rates  is  eligible  for
    24  this program.
    25    (B)  The  student  shall  be  required to serve as an active volunteer
    26  firefighter through the completion of his or her academic program.
    27    (C) Students shall be required to complete their degree program within
    28  a minimum period of time to be set by the trustees  which  shall  be  no
    29  fewer than three years and no more than five years.
    30    (D) The student shall be required to maintain a cumulative grade point
    31  average  (G.P.A.)    of at least 2.5 in order to remain eligible for the
    32  program.
    33    (ii) If a student or former  student  fails  to  fulfill  any  of  the
    34  requirements  set forth in subparagraph (i) of this paragraph, the trus-
    35  tees shall convert to a student loan the  full  amount  of  the  tuition
    36  which  would  have  been  paid by such student, as determined by the New
    37  York state higher education services corporation, plus interest, accord-
    38  ing to a schedule to be determined by such corporation.  Such  repayment
    39  may  also  be  required  if a recipient fails to respond to requests for
    40  information necessary to determine continued eligibility or for adminis-
    41  tration of the program.
    42    (iii) Any student who elects to participate in the program under  this
    43  paragraph  shall  be  required  to  apply for tuition assistance program
    44  funding. Funds awarded  on  the  tuition  assistance  program  shall  be
    45  applied towards the cost of tuition prior to an award under this subpar-
    46  agraph.
    47    (iv) Students shall be responsible for all other costs including hous-
    48  ing, fees and other non-tuition related charges.
    49    §  3. Subdivision 1 of section 6304 of the education law is amended by
    50  adding a new paragraph e to read as follows:
    51    e. The trustees, sponsors or  other  governing  body  of  a  community
    52  college  shall  implement  a  program to permit any student who has been
    53  admitted to such community college to  attend  without  the  payment  of
    54  tuition  and  fees  if  such  student  fulfills the requirements of such
    55  program pursuant to the provisions of this paragraph.

        A. 8093                             3
 
     1    (i) The trustees shall provide an application process  and  administer
     2  the program according to the following criteria:
     3    (A)  Any  student  eligible for resident tuition rates is eligible for
     4  this program.
     5    (B) The student shall be required to  serve  as  an  active  volunteer
     6  firefighter through the completion of his or her academic program.
     7    (C) Students shall be required to complete their degree program within
     8  a  minimum  period  of  time to be set by the trustees which shall be no
     9  fewer than three years and no more than five years.
    10    (D) The student shall be required to maintain a cumulative grade point
    11  average (G.P.A.) of at least 2.5 in order to  remain  eligible  for  the
    12  program.
    13    (ii)  If  a  student  or  former  student  fails to fulfill any of the
    14  requirements set forth in subparagraph (i) of this paragraph, the  trus-
    15  tees  shall  convert  to  a  student loan the full amount of the tuition
    16  which would have been paid by such student, as  determined  by  the  New
    17  York state higher education services corporation, plus interest, accord-
    18  ing  to  a schedule to be determined by such corporation. Such repayment
    19  may also be required if a recipient fails to  respond  to  requests  for
    20  information necessary to determine continued eligibility or for adminis-
    21  tration of the program.
    22    (iii)  Any student who elects to participate in the program under this
    23  paragraph shall be required to  apply  for  tuition  assistance  program
    24  funding.  Funds  awarded  on  the  tuition  assistance  program shall be
    25  applied towards the cost of tuition prior to an award under this subpar-
    26  agraph.
    27    (iv) Students shall be responsible for all other costs including hous-
    28  ing, fees and other non-tuition related charges.
    29    § 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
    30  have become a law.
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