Bill Text: NY A04958 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides tuition assistance program awards for students completing programs of micro-credentialing; includes micro-credential programs in reports which determine community college funding.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to higher education [A04958 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-A04958-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4958 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY February 27, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. KELLES -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to tuition assistance program awards for micro-credential and certificate programs The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 667-c of the education law, as amended by section 1 2 of part E of chapter 56 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as 3 follows: 4 § 667-c. Part-time tuition assistance program awards. 1. Notwithstand- 5 ing any law, rule or regulation to the contrary, the president of the 6 higher education services corporation is authorized to make tuition 7 assistance program awards to: 8 a. part-time students enrolled at the state university, a community 9 college, the city university of New York, and a non-profit college or 10 university incorporated by the regents or by the legislature who meet 11 all requirements for tuition assistance program awards except for the 12 students' part-time attendance; or 13 b. part-time students enrolled at a community college in a non-degree 14 workforce credential, micro-credential or certificate program directly 15 leading to the employment or advancement of a student in a "significant 16 industry" as identified by the department of labor in its three most 17 recent statewide significant industries reports published preceding the 18 student's enrollment in such non-degree workforce credential, micro-cre- 19 dential or certificate program. The state university of New York and the 20 city university of New York shall publish and maintain a master list of 21 all eligible non-degree workforce credential, micro-credential or 22 certificate program courses and update such list every semester. A 23 student who successfully completes a non-degree workforce credential, 24 micro-credential or certificate program and receives part-time tuition 25 assistance program awards pursuant to this paragraph shall be awarded EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD08176-01-3A. 4958 2 1 academic credit by the state university of New York or city university 2 of New York upon matriculation into a degree program at such institu- 3 tion, provided that such credit shall be equal to the corresponding 4 credit hours earned in the non-degree workforce credential, micro-cre- 5 dential or certificate program. 6 2. For purposes of this section: 7 a. for students defined in paragraph a of subdivision one of this 8 section, a part-time student is one who: (i) enrolled as a first-time 9 freshman during the two thousand six--two thousand seven academic year 10 or thereafter at a college or university within the state university, 11 including a statutory or contract college, a community college estab- 12 lished pursuant to article one hundred twenty-six of this chapter, the 13 city university of New York, or a non-profit college or university 14 incorporated by the regents or by the legislature; 15 (ii) is enrolled for at least six but less than twelve semester hours, 16 or the equivalent, per semester in an approved undergraduate degree 17 program; and 18 (iii) has a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.00. 19 b. for students defined in paragraph b of subdivision one of this 20 section, a part-time student is one who: (i) meets all requirements for 21 tuition assistance program awards except for the student's part-time 22 attendance and any other requirements that are inconsistent with the 23 student's enrollment in a non-degree workforce credential, micro-creden- 24 tial or certificate program; and 25 (ii) is enrolled in an approved non-degree workforce credential, 26 micro-credential or certificate program at a community college pursuant 27 to paragraph b of subdivision one of this section. 28 c. Micro-credential shall mean qualifications that demonstrate skills, 29 knowledge, and/or experience in a given subject area or capability. 30 3. a. For part-time students defined in this section, the award shall 31 be calculated as provided in section six hundred sixty-seven of this 32 article and shall be in an amount equal to the enrollment factor percent 33 of the award the student would have been eligible for if the student 34 were enrolled full-time. For part-time students defined in paragraph a 35 of subdivision one of this section, the enrollment factor percent is the 36 percentage obtained by dividing the number of credits the student is 37 enrolled in, as certified by the school, by the number of credits 38 required for full-time study in the semester, quarter or term as defined 39 by the commissioner. For part-time students defined in paragraph b of 40 subdivision one of this section, the enrollment factor shall be calcu- 41 lated pursuant to regulations established by the higher education 42 services corporation. 43 b. (i) For part-time students defined in paragraph a of subdivision 44 one of this section, any semester, quarter or term of attendance during 45 which a student receives an award pursuant to this section shall be 46 counted as the enrollment factor percent of a semester, quarter or term 47 toward the maximum term of eligibility for tuition assistance awards 48 pursuant to section six hundred sixty-seven of this article. The total 49 period of study for which payment may be made shall not exceed the 50 equivalent of the maximum period authorized for that award. 51 (ii) For part-time students defined in paragraph b of subdivision one 52 of this section, the total period of study for which payment may be made 53 shall not exceed the equivalent of the maximum period authorized for the 54 non-degree workforce credential, micro-credential or certificate program 55 pursuant to paragraph b of subdivision one of this section.A. 4958 3 1 § 2. Paragraphs b-1 and b-2 of subdivision 1 of section 6304 of the 2 education law, as added by section 1 of part D of chapter 57 of the laws 3 of 2013, are amended to read as follows: 4 b-1. (i) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, for the 5 community college fiscal year two thousand thirteen--two thousand four- 6 teen and thereafter, each program that confers a credit-bearing certif- 7 icate, an associate of occupational studies degree, or an associate of 8 applied science degree, shall demonstrate that it is preparing students 9 for current and future job opportunities by partnering with employers as 10 follows: 11 (A) The program is a partnership between the community college and one 12 or more employers to train and employ students in a specific occupation; 13 (B) The program has an advisory committee made up of members of whom 14 the majority are employers in the occupation or sector, or a related 15 sector, or is otherwise advised by one or more employers in the occupa- 16 tion or sector, that employ or will employ workers in the region where 17 the community college is located, and such committee serves to advise 18 the community college on the program's curriculum, recruitment, place- 19 ment and evaluation so that it remains up-to-date with employer needs; 20 [or] 21 (C) The program is in a high-tech sector and is in demand for current 22 or projected job growth, including those sectors identified by the 23 regional economic development council, and is advised by current or 24 potential future employers in the occupation or sector[.]; or 25 (D) The program offers micro-credentialing, as defined in section six 26 hundred sixty-seven-c of this chapter, or certificate programs. 27 (ii) On or before January first, two thousand fourteen for the commu- 28 nity college fiscal year two thousand thirteen--two thousand fourteen, 29 November first, two thousand fourteen for the community college fiscal 30 year two thousand fourteen--two thousand fifteen and November first of 31 each community college fiscal year thereafter, the state university 32 trustees and the city university trustees shall each submit a job link- 33 age report to the director of the budget, the chairs of the senate and 34 assembly higher education committees and the chair of the senate finance 35 committee and the chair of the assembly ways and means committee, 36 including an accounting of full time equivalent enrollment in programs 37 that confer credit-bearing certificates, associate of occupational 38 studies degrees, or associate of applied science degrees, or enrollment 39 in micro-credentialing programs, in such a form and manner as the direc- 40 tor of the budget may require to verify compliance with subparagraph (i) 41 of this paragraph. 42 b-2. (i) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, within 43 amounts appropriated for incentive funding, the state university of New 44 York and city university of New York shall make awards to community 45 colleges from the next generation NY job linkage program incentive fund 46 based on measures of student success for all students enrolled in 47 programs that confer a credit-bearing certificate, an associate of occu- 48 pational studies degree, [or] an associate of applied science degree, or 49 offers micro-credentialing, including, but not limited to: 50 (A) The number of students who are employed following degree [or], 51 certificate completion or micro-credentialing and their wage gains, if 52 any, as determined by the department of labor, which shall be given the 53 greatest weighting among all measures of student success; 54 (B) The number of degree completions, certificate completions, micro- 55 credentials and student transfers to other institutions of higher educa- 56 tion;A. 4958 4 1 (C) The number of degree [and], certificate completions and micro-cre- 2 dentials under clause (B) of this paragraph by students considered 3 academically at-risk due to economic disadvantage or other factor of 4 under-representation within the field of study; veterans; and the disa- 5 bled; 6 (D) The number of students who make adequate progress towards 7 completion of a degree or certificate or a micro-credential, which may 8 include accelerated completion of a developmental education program; 9 (E) The number of degree or micro-credential completions in innovative 10 programs designed to enable students to balance school, work and other 11 personal responsibilities; and 12 (F) The number of students engaged in career and employment opportu- 13 nities including apprenticeships, cooperative education programs or 14 other paid work experience that is an integral part of their academic 15 program. 16 (ii) Awards shall be made on a pro-rata basis in accordance with a 17 methodology and in a form and manner developed by the director of the 18 budget, in consultation with the state university and city university. 19 (iii) On or before December first of each year, or an alternative date 20 as determined by the director of the budget in consultation with the 21 state university and city university, the state university trustees and 22 the city university trustees shall each submit a plan for approval by 23 the director of the budget to allocate amounts available for the next 24 generation NY job linkage program incentive fund in accordance with this 25 paragraph. 26 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
