Provides that beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year, certain graduate students shall be required to pay 25% of all current and future mandatory university fees; provides that in the 2027-2028 academic year and thereafter, no mandatory university fees shall be charged to certain graduate students and adjunct staff, with the exclusion of the graduate student association student activity fee.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A10334A
SPONSOR: Solages TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to phasing out certain
mandatory university fees for certain graduate students and adjunct
staff
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To codify the phasing out of certain mandatory university fees for grad-
uate students prohibiting the State University of New York (SUNY) from
charging any current or future mandatory fees, except for the graduate
student association student activity fee, to a graduate student serving
as a graduate teaching assistant, graduate assistant, graduate research
assistant, graduate research associate or graduate teaching associate;
and prohibits the City University of New York (CUNY) from charging any
current or future mandatory fees, except for the graduate student asso-
ciation student activity fee, to a graduate student serving as a gradu-
ate assistant, adjunct instructor, adjunct lecturer, adjunct college
laboratory technician, or a non-teaching adjunct staff member.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1. Amends paragraph h of subdivision 2 of section 355 of the
education law by adding a new subparagraph 11 to prohibit the State
University of New York from charging any current or future mandatory
fees, except for the graduate student association student activity fee,
to a graduate student serving in certain capacities.
Section 2. Amends section 6206 by adding subdivision 24 to prohibit CUNY
from charging any current or future mandatory fees, except for the grad-
uate student association student activity fee, to a graduate student
serving in certain capacities.
Section 3. Sets forth the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
This bill codifies financial relief provided to graduate students serv-
ing in certain graduate teaching or graduate assisting capacities at
SUNY and CUNY by prohibiting the systems from charging mandatory fees.
Graduate student workers are responsible for all aspects of teaching
courses, including designing syllabi, holding office hours, mentoring
students, grading, and conducting research. Graduate student employees
are an essential labor force for SUNY and CUNY - and instrumental to the
long-term economic success of New York State. However, mandatory fees
amounting to 10-20%- of their annual income force many graduate student
employees into poverty.
While stipend amounts vary considerably between campuses and academic
departments, the average graduate employee stipend across the four SUNY
University Centers is about $20,000 per academic year for TAs and Gas
with full appointments. For those graduate employees earning the average
stipend, the amount they must pay back to their university each year in
fees can represent much of their annual income.
We must permanently end this pay-to-work practice that forces graduate
student workers to live in poverty.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2025: Vetoed - A5457
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the state.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediate.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10334--A
IN ASSEMBLY
February 20, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES, BURROUGHS, SEAWRIGHT, ROMERO, LASHER,
DAIS, MEEKS, SCHIAVONI, CLARK, SHRESTHA, SMITH, CONRAD, SAYEGH, GRIF-
FIN, SHIMSKY, RAGA, CRUZ, SIMONE, BARRETT, EACHUS, JACOBSON, KAY,
HEVESI, O'PHARROW, SLATER, GALLAGHER, DURSO, CASHMAN -- read once and
referred to the Committee on Higher Education -- committee discharged,
bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said
committee
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to phasing out certain
mandatory university fees for certain graduate students and adjunct
staff
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 12 to read as follows:
3 (12) (i) Beginning in the two thousand twenty-six--two thousand twen-
4 ty-seven academic year, all current and future mandatory university
5 fees, with the exclusion of the graduate student association student
6 activity fee, shall be charged to a state university of New York gradu-
7 ate student serving a full-time or half-time appointment as a graduate
8 teaching assistant, graduate assistant, graduate research assistant,
9 graduate research associate, or graduate teaching associate at the rate
10 of twenty-five percent of all mandatory university fees, with the exclu-
11 sion of the graduate student association student activity fee.
12 (ii) Beginning in the two thousand twenty-seven--two thousand twenty-
13 eight academic year and thereafter, no mandatory university fees shall
14 be charged to those serving as a full-time or half-time graduate teach-
15 ing assistant, graduate assistant, graduate research assistant, graduate
16 research associate or graduate teaching associate, with the exclusion of
17 the graduate student association student activity fee.
18 § 2. Section 6206 of the education law is amended by adding a new
19 subdivision 25 to read as follows:
20 25. a. Beginning in the two thousand twenty-six--two thousand twenty-
21 seven academic year, all current and future mandatory university fees,
22 with the exclusion of the graduate student association student activity
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07787-06-6
A. 10334--A 2
1 fee, shall be charged to a city university of New York graduate student
2 serving as a graduate assistant, adjunct instructor, adjunct lecturer,
3 adjunct college laboratory technician or a non-teaching adjunct staff
4 member at the rate of twenty-five percent of all mandatory university
5 fees, with the exclusion of the graduate student association student
6 activity fee.
7 b. Beginning in the two thousand twenty-seven--two thousand twenty-
8 eight academic year and thereafter, no mandatory university fees shall
9 be charged to those serving as a graduate assistant, adjunct instructor,
10 adjunct lecturer, adjunct college laboratory technician or a non-teach-
11 ing adjunct staff member, with the exclusion of the graduate student
12 association student activity fee.
13 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
