Bill Text: NY S00874 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes the state university of New York educational opportunity centers which provide an integrated system of education, vocational training and student support services targeted to higher education access and the development of a quality workforce which supports the economic development of New York's distressed communities.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-01-28 - SIGNED CHAP.13 [S00874 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S00874-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           874

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 6, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules

        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to the  state  university
          of New York educational opportunity centers

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

     1    Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section  352  of  the  education  law,  as
     2  amended  by  a  chapter  of  the laws of 2020 amending the education law
     3  relating to the state university of  New  York  educational  opportunity
     4  centers,  as  proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 4549 and A. 9804,
     5  is amended to read as follows:
     6    3. The state university shall consist of the four  university  centers
     7  at  Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo and Stony Brook, the designated colleges
     8  of arts and sciences at Brockport, Buffalo, Cortland, Fredonia, Geneseo,
     9  New Paltz, Old  Westbury,  Oneonta,  Oswego,  Plattsburgh,  Potsdam  and
    10  Purchase,  empire state college, the agricultural and technical colleges
    11  at Alfred, Canton, Cobleskill, Delhi, Farmingdale and Morrisville, down-
    12  state medical center, upstate medical center, the college of  optometry,
    13  the college of environmental science and forestry, maritime college, the
    14  college  of technology at Utica/Rome, the statutory or contract colleges
    15  at Cornell university and Alfred university, and such additional univer-
    16  sities, colleges and other institutions, facilities and research centers
    17  as have been or hereafter may  be  acquired,  established,  operated  or
    18  contracted  to  be  operated for the state by the state university trus-
    19  tees[, including, but not limited to educational opportunity centers  as
    20  defined in this article].
    21    §  2. Section 355-d of the education law, as added by a chapter of the
    22  laws of 2020 amending the education law relating to the state university
    23  of New York educational opportunity centers, as proposed in  legislative
    24  bills numbers S. 4549 and A. 9804, is amended to read as follows:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07160-01-1
        S. 874                              2

     1    §  355-d.  Educational  opportunity centers. 1. There shall be created
     2  within the state university  of  New  York  a  comprehensive  system  of
     3  [tuition  free]  higher  education [institutions providing] programs and
     4  services that promote the growth and stability  of  the  state's  educa-
     5  tionally  and economically challenged communities as referred to in this
     6  section as educational opportunity centers.
     7    2. Such educational opportunity centers shall be  managed  and  super-
     8  vised  by  the  state university and shall provide programs and services
     9  that include, but are not limited to the following,  provided  that  the
    10  state university shall have the discretion to determine the programs and
    11  services offered at each educational opportunity center:
    12    (a)  academic programs leading to and increasing persistence in higher
    13  education;
    14    (b) vocational programs leading to career pathways, gainful employment
    15  and self-sufficiency;
    16    (c) counseling and guidance services to enhance student retention;
    17    (d) targeted services for business and industry to upgrade  the  skill
    18  levels  of  emerging  and  incumbent  workers  such  that  they  support
    19  increased productivity and the creation and retention  of  job  opportu-
    20  nities;
    21    (e)  collaboration  with  secondary  schools to assist in the academic
    22  preparation of at-risk youth;
    23    (f) collaborative programs with colleges and universities to  increase
    24  opportunities for center graduates for advanced placement and receipt of
    25  academic credits for academic work completed at such center;
    26    (g)  collaboration  with  other  state  and  local agencies, workforce
    27  development boards and charitable organizations to meet emerging  state-
    28  wide priorities for serving the disadvantaged; and
    29    (h)  entrepreneurial training opportunities that may lead to community
    30  economic development.
    31    3. The state university shall formulate a plan and guidelines for  the
    32  organization,  development,  coordination  and  operation of educational
    33  opportunity centers and may promulgate such rules and regulations neces-
    34  sary to carry out the  provisions  of  this  section.  Such  plan  shall
    35  include:
    36    (a)  definition of academic and economic eligibility [provided, howev-
    37  er, that state residency be a minimum eligibility requirement];
    38    (b) procedures for the selection of such students for admission  to  a
    39  center;
    40    (c)  program  objectives  including coordination with the university's
    41  long range mission and goals; and
    42    (d) program evaluation and reporting.
    43    [4. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the employees
    44  of the educational opportunity centers operated in cooperation with  the
    45  city  university of New York and/or a college within the city university
    46  of New York shall be employees of the city university of  New  York  and
    47  shall  retain  their respective bargaining unit representation.  Nothing
    48  in this section shall be deemed to waive or impair any rights  or  bene-
    49  fits  of  employees  of  the  city university of New York that otherwise
    50  would be available to them pursuant to the terms of  agreements  between
    51  the  certified representatives of such employees and the city university
    52  of New York pursuant to article fourteen of the civil service law.]
    53    § 3. Nothing set forth in this  act  shall  be  construed  to  impede,
    54  infringe  or  diminish  the rights and benefits that accrue to employees
    55  and employers through collective bargaining agreements, impact or change
        S. 874                              3

     1  an employee's membership in a bargaining unit, or otherwise diminish the
     2  integrity of the collective bargaining relationship.
     3    §  4.  This  act  shall  take  effect on the same date and in the same
     4  manner as a chapter of the laws  of  2020  amending  the  education  law
     5  relating  to  the  state  university of New York educational opportunity
     6  centers, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S.4549  and  A.  9804,
     7  takes effect.