Bill Text: NY S05839 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes a COVID-19 essential workers scholarship program to award annual scholarships to essential employees who worked during the outbreak of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and children of essential employees who have died as a result of contracting COVID-19.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION [S05839 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S05839-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5839

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                     March 20, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen. SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education

        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a  COVID-
          19 essential workers scholarship program

          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 section  608-b
     2  to read as follows:
     3    §  608-b.  COVID-19  essential worker scholarships. 1. Notwithstanding
     4  subdivision five of section six hundred sixty-one of this title,  essen-
     5  tial  employees  who  worked  during  the  outbreak of novel coronavirus
     6  disease two thousand  nineteen  (COVID-19)  and  children  of  essential
     7  employees  who  have  died as a result of contracting COVID-19, shall be
     8  eligible to receive a scholarship in an annual amount determined  pursu-
     9  ant  to  subdivision  two  of  section six hundred sixty-eight-h of this
    10  title. The commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations regarding
    11  who qualifies as an essential employee.
    12    2. Awards under this section shall be payable for  each  of  not  more
    13  than  four  academic years of undergraduate study or five academic years
    14  if a program normally requires five years, as defined by the commission-
    15  er pursuant to this article.
    16    § 2. The education law is amended by adding a  new  section  668-h  to
    17  read as follows:
    18    §  668-h.  COVID-19 essential worker scholarships. 1. Eligible groups.
    19  Notwithstanding subdivision five of section  six  hundred  sixty-one  of
    20  this  part,  essential employees who worked during the outbreak of novel
    21  coronavirus disease two thousand nineteen  (COVID-19)  and  children  of
    22  essential  employees  who have died as a result of contracting COVID-19,
    23  shall be eligible to  receive  a  scholarship.  The  commissioner  shall
    24  promulgate rules and regulations regarding who qualifies as an essential
    25  employee.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03146-01-3
        S. 5839                             2

     1    2.  Amount.  (a)  The president shall grant annual scholarships in the
     2  following amounts:
     3    (1)  If the recipient attends an institution of the city university of
     4  New York or an institution of the state university  of  New  York  other
     5  than  the  statutory  colleges  at Cornell, the college of environmental
     6  science and forestry at Syracuse and the college of ceramics at  Alfred,
     7  the  annual  award  shall  be an amount equal to: the tuition charged at
     8  such institution provided that, notwithstanding any provision of law  to
     9  the  contrary,  the tuition charged to award recipients shall not exceed
    10  that charged to state resident students attending such institution;  the
    11  mandatory  fees charged at such institution; and the non-tuition cost of
    12  attendance at such institution or college, provided that the scholarship
    13  shall not exceed an amount that is equal to the total cost of attendance
    14  determined for federal Title IV student financial aid purposes, less all
    15  other scholarships and grants provided by New York state, other  states,
    16  the  federal  government, or other governments, and the amount of educa-
    17  tional benefits paid under any program that would duplicate the purposes
    18  of this program, provided that any scholarships or grants provided to  a
    19  recipient  by  the institution which are intended to fund any portion of
    20  the difference between the annual state award and the  actual  costs  of
    21  attendance  at any such institution shall not be considered to duplicate
    22  the purposes of this program; or
    23    (2) If the recipient attends any other  approved  program  within  New
    24  York state, the annual award shall be based upon an amount equal to: the
    25  tuition charged to state resident students attending a four-year college
    26  of  the state university of New York; the average mandatory fees charged
    27  at four-year colleges of the state university of New York, or the actual
    28  tuition and fees charged to the recipient, whichever is  less;  and  the
    29  average  non-tuition  cost of attendance, as determined by the president
    30  and as approved by the director of the budget,  for  a  student  at  the
    31  state university of New York or actual non-tuition cost of attendance at
    32  such institution, whichever is less, provided that the scholarship shall
    33  not  exceed  an  amount  that  is  equal to the total cost of attendance
    34  determined for federal Title IV student financial aid purposes, less all
    35  other scholarships and grants provided by New York state, other  states,
    36  the  federal  government, or other governments, and the amount of educa-
    37  tional benefits paid under any program that would duplicate the purposes
    38  of this program, provided that any scholarships or grants provided to  a
    39  recipient  by  the institution which are intended to fund any portion of
    40  the difference between the annual state award and the  actual  costs  of
    41  attendance  at any such institution shall not be considered to duplicate
    42  the purposes of this program.
    43    (3) "Non-tuition cost of attendance", as  used  in  this  subdivision,
    44  shall  mean:  (i)  the actual amount charged by the institution for room
    45  and board, and (ii) an allowance for transportation, books and  supplies
    46  as  determined  by  the president and as approved by the director of the
    47  budget, provided that such determination shall be  made  no  later  than
    48  December first of each year for use in the succeeding academic year.  In
    49  the event a student does not incur room or board charges at the institu-
    50  tion,  "non-tuition cost of attendance" shall mean an allowance for room
    51  and board as determined by the president and approved by the director of
    52  the budget. In determining allowances pursuant to this subparagraph, the
    53  president may take into consideration the allowances provided for in the
    54  Pell grant program.
        S. 5839                             3

     1    (b) In no event shall the combination of  all  student  financial  aid
     2  received  by  a student exceed a recipient's total cost of attendance at
     3  the institution being attended.
     4    3.  Duration.  Awards  under this section shall be payable for each of
     5  not more than four academic years of undergraduate study or five academ-
     6  ic years if a program normally requires five years, as  defined  by  the
     7  commissioner pursuant to article thirteen of this title.
     8    §  3.  Section  604  of  the  education law is amended by adding a new
     9  subdivision 13 to read as follows:
    10    13. COVID-19 essential worker scholarships.
    11    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.