Bill Text: NY A08941 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Relates to tuition assistance program awards for dual or concurrent enrollment coursework; awards dual or concurrent enrollment program awards for payment annually to school districts in which dual or concurrent enrollment programs are located.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-08 - print number 8941a [A08941 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A08941-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8941

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 30, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  BENEDETTO  --  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 dual or concurrent enrollment coursework

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

     1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new  article  13-D
     2  to read as follows:
     3                                ARTICLE 13-D
     4            TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AWARDS FOR DUAL ENROLLMENT
     5                                 COURSEWORK
     6  Section 645. Tuition  assistance  program  awards for dual or concurrent
     7                 enrollment coursework.
     8    § 645. Tuition  assistance  program  awards  for  dual  or  concurrent
     9  enrollment  coursework.  1.  Legislative  intent. The legislature hereby
    10  finds and declares it necessary to promote on time and early  graduation
    11  through  supporting  access  to college-level courses and college degree
    12  credits at  the  secondary  level  with  innovative  partnerships  among
    13  secondary  and post-secondary schools, staff and resources. The legisla-
    14  ture also values early college high school  programs,  P-TECH  programs,
    15  and other dual or concurrent enrollment programs which not only increase
    16  students'  access  to  higher education, but also reduce potential costs
    17  for students in completing college degrees by allowing  them  to  either
    18  complete  a  degree  upon  graduation from high school or to apply their
    19  earned college credits toward a Baccalaureate degree.  This  legislation
    20  provides  incentives  for high school students to proceed to college and
    21  to earn a college degree by accelerating  their  overall  completion  of
    22  such  a  degree.  It  also  better  prepares  high  school  students for
    23  college-level coursework, which will in turn,  increase  their  academic
    24  performance. Ultimately, dual or concurrent enrollment programs increase
    25  graduation rates both at the high school and college levels.
    26    The  legislature  hereby  finds  and  declares it necessary to provide
    27  funding for dual or concurrent enrollment programs to ensure  access  to
    28  high  quality  programming  that  continues to innovate and continues to

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10124-01-3
        A. 8941                             2

     1  grow through performance based results.    Students  will  require  less
     2  tuition assistance funds (TAP) to complete their degree at the post-sec-
     3  ondary level and potentially avoid  new debt.
     4    2.  Establishment  of dual or concurrent enrollment tuition assistance
     5  program awards.  Notwithstanding any rule, regulation,  or  law  to  the
     6  contrary, the president is hereby authorized to award dual or concurrent
     7  enrollment  program  awards for payment annually, beginning with the two
     8  thousand twenty-three--two thousand twenty-four  academic  year  and  in
     9  each  academic  year  thereafter,  through  the  department,  to  school
    10  districts in which dual or concurrent enrollment programs  are  located,
    11  upon  application  by  such  school  districts,  in  such amounts as are
    12  authorized to be paid by subdivision five  of  this  section,  and  upon
    13  certification  by  the higher education services corporation pursuant to
    14  subdivision one of section six hundred sixty-nine-e of this title.
    15    3. Definitions. For purposes of this section:
    16    a. "dual or concurrent enrollment program" means a  program  of  study
    17  that  provides  post-secondary  coursework  outside  of a post-secondary
    18  setting for eligible students enrolled  in  programs  with  high  school
    19  courses  leading  to  the granting of a high school diploma and college-
    20  level credit leading to the granting of a post-secondary degree, diploma
    21  or certificate at a post-secondary institution. Such dual or  concurrent
    22  enrollment  program  shall  have a written agreement between the partic-
    23  ipating high school and an institution of higher education located with-
    24  in New York state outlining policies for the academic program including,
    25  but not limited to, the type of degree and credits awarded.
    26    b. "eligible student" means a student who:
    27    (i) has graduated from a dual or concurrent enrollment program in  the
    28  two  thousand  twenty-two--two  thousand  twenty-three  academic year or
    29  thereafter;
    30    (ii) is matriculated in an approved program leading to the granting of
    31  a post-secondary degree at  a  post-secondary  institution  eligible  to
    32  participate in the tuition assistance program;
    33    (iii)  meets  the eligibility criteria for a general award pursuant to
    34  section six hundred sixty-one of this title;
    35    (iv) is eligible for a tuition assistance program  award  pursuant  to
    36  section six hundred sixty-seven of this title; and
    37    (v) has received degree granting credit from a post-secondary institu-
    38  tion  eligible  to participate in the tuition assistance program for the
    39  coursework undertaken in the  approved  dual  or  concurrent  enrollment
    40  program.
    41    4.  Part-time study. A student who otherwise satisfies the eligibility
    42  requirements set forth in paragraph  b  of  subdivision  three  of  this
    43  section  and is enrolled at least half-time at a post-secondary institu-
    44  tion eligible to participate in the tuition  assistance  program,  shall
    45  also be deemed an eligible student.
    46    5. Amount. The commissioner shall make an award to the school district
    47  in  which  the dual or concurrent enrollment program is located for each
    48  eligible student in an amount certified by the president.
    49    § 2. The education law is amended by adding a  new  section  669-i  to
    50  read as follows:
    51    §  669-i.  Dual  or  concurrent enrollment award program. 1.   Certif-
    52  ication. For each student identified by the post-secondary  institution,
    53  which  shall  be  eligible  to  participate  in  the  tuition assistance
    54  program, shall certify to the president: (i)  whether  such  student  is
    55  eligible  for a tuition assistance program award pursuant to section six
    56  hundred sixty-seven of this subpart; (ii) whether such student meets the
        A. 8941                             3

     1  eligibility criteria for a general award pursuant to section six hundred
     2  sixty-one of  this  part;  (iii)  whether  such  student  satisfies  the
     3  requirement  set forth in subdivision four of section six hundred forty-
     4  five  of  this  title;  (iv)  the number of degree granting credits such
     5  student received from the post-secondary institution for the  coursework
     6  undertaken  in  the  dual or concurrent enrollment program; and (v) such
     7  other information as the commissioner and/or the president  deem  neces-
     8  sary  to administer the program. The president shall certify this infor-
     9  mation and the amount of the award calculated in accordance with  subdi-
    10  vision two of this section to the commissioner.
    11    2.  Calculation  of  award amounts. The president shall be responsible
    12  for calculating the dollar amount of each award in an  amount  equal  to
    13  the  product of:   the number of degree granting credits accepted by the
    14  eligible student's post-secondary institution for coursework  undertaken
    15  in  the  dual or concurrent enrollment program for such eligible student
    16  and the dollar amount established  for  one  credit  for  such  eligible
    17  student.  For an eligible student enrolled full-time at a post-secondary
    18  institution  eligible  to participate in the tuition assistance program,
    19  the dollar amount for one credit shall be established  as  the  quotient
    20  of:  the eligible student's tuition assistance program award pursuant to
    21  section six hundred sixty-seven of this subpart; and the minimum  number
    22  of  credits required for full-time study as defined by the commissioner.
    23  For an eligible student enrolled part-time at a post-secondary  institu-
    24  tion  eligible  to  participate  in  the tuition assistance program, the
    25  dollar amount for one credit shall be established as  the  quotient  of:
    26  the  average  tuition  assistance  program  award  paid to all part-time
    27  tuition assistance program recipients, pursuant to section  six  hundred
    28  sixty-six of this subpart, from the academic year two years prior to the
    29  academic  year  in which the award is to be made; and the average number
    30  of credits taken by such recipients.
    31    3. Award disbursement. Annual award disbursements shall be the respon-
    32  sibility of the commissioner through a joint agreement with  the  presi-
    33  dent and shall be made directly to the school district in which the dual
    34  or  concurrent enrollment program is located using funds appropriated to
    35  the tuition assistance program.
    36    § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July  next  succeeding
    37  the  date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately the
    38  addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule  or  regulation  necessary
    39  for  implementation  of this act on its effective date are authorized to
    40  be made and completed on or before such date.