Bill Text: NY S08821 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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

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Bill Title: Directs the commissioner of education to change the name of the state high school equivalency diploma, formerly known as the general education development (GED) program, to the Excelsior high school diploma.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-16 - ADVANCED TO THIRD READING [S08821 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S08821-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8821

                    IN SENATE

                                     March 15, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  SEPULVEDA,  GOUNARDES  --  read twice and ordered
          printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Educa-
          tion

        AN  ACT to amend the education law, the correction law, and the adminis-
          trative code of the city of New York, in relation to changing the name
          of the general education development diploma to  the  New  York  state
          high school diploma

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

     1    Section 1. Section 317 of the education law, as added by  chapter  170
     2  of the laws of 1994, is amended to read as follows:
     3    § 317. [General  education  development]  New  York  state high school
     4  diploma exam.  Notwithstanding any provision of law,  no  fee  shall  be
     5  established  for  admission  to  the [general education development] New
     6  York state high school diploma exam.
     7    § 2. Section 305 of the education law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
     8  subdivision 61 to read as follows:
     9    61.  The commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations to change
    10  the name of the state high school equivalency  diploma,  as  established
    11  pursuant  to  section  100.7 of title eight of the New York codes, rules
    12  and regulations, to the New York state high school diploma.
    13    § 3. Subdivision 19 of section 2 of the correction law, as amended  by
    14  chapter 322 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read as follows:
    15    19.  "Vocational  and  skills  training facility" means a correctional
    16  facility designated by the commissioner  to  provide  a  vocational  and
    17  skills  training  program  ("VAST") to incarcerated individuals who need
    18  such service before they participate in a work release program. The VAST
    19  facility shall provide  intensive  assessment,  counseling,  job  search
    20  assistance  and where appropriate academic and vocational instruction to
    21  program participants. Such assistance may include an assessment  of  any
    22  incarcerated  individual's  education  attainment level and skills apti-
    23  tudes; career counseling and exploration; the development of  a  compre-
    24  hensive  instructional  plan including identification of educational and
    25  training needs that may extend  beyond  the  date  of  entry  into  work

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14835-01-4
        S. 8821                             2

     1  release;  instructional  programs  including  [GED]  New York state high
     2  school diploma preparation or post-secondary instruction as appropriate;
     3  occupational skills training; life skills training; employment readiness
     4  including  workplace behavior; and job search assistance. The department
     5  and the department of labor shall jointly develop  activities  providing
     6  career counseling, job search assistance, and job placement services for
     7  participants. Nothing contained in this section shall be deemed to modi-
     8  fy  the eligibility requirements provided by law applicable to incarcer-
     9  ated individuals participating in a work release program.
    10    § 4. The 7th undesignated paragraph of subdivision a of section  9-151
    11  of  the  administrative  code of the city of New York, as added by local
    12  law number 168 of the city of New York for the year 2017, is amended  to
    13  read as follows:
    14    High school equivalency diploma test. The term "high school equivalen-
    15  cy  diplomacy  test" means any test offered by the New York state educa-
    16  tion department for the purpose of establishing the equivalent of a high
    17  school diploma, including, but not  limited  to,  a  [general  education
    18  development] New York state high school diploma test or the test assess-
    19  ing secondary completion.
    20    § 5. Subdivision a of section 21-408 of the administrative code of the
    21  city  of  New  York,  as added by local law number 86 of the city of New
    22  York for the year 2018, is amended to read as follows:
    23    a. Definitions. For the purposes  of  this  section,  the  term  "test
    24  assessing  secondary  completion  (TASC)"  means the New York state high
    25  school [equivalency] diploma test which replaced the  General  Education
    26  Development (GED) as the primary pathway to a New York state high school
    27  [equivalency] diploma.
    28    §  6. Subdivision b and paragraph 4 of subdivision c of section 21-703
    29  of the administrative code of the city of New York, as  added  by  local
    30  law  number 23 of the city of New York for the year 2003, are amended to
    31  read as follows:
    32    b. If an applicant, recipient  or  participant  who  is  eligible  for
    33  education  or  training  as  set  forth in subdivision c of this section
    34  expresses an intention or preference to the agency to enroll  in  educa-
    35  tion,  training  or  vocational  rehabilitation,  or  if an applicant's,
    36  recipient's or participant's assessment indicates that [he or she]  such
    37  applicant,  recipient  or  participant lacks basic literacy, a secondary
    38  school diploma, or a [general equivalency] New York  state  high  school
    39  diploma [(GED)] or otherwise indicates that education, training or voca-
    40  tional  rehabilitation  would enhance the individual's ability to obtain
    41  and maintain employment, then the agency  shall  offer  such  applicant,
    42  recipient  or  participant  the  opportunity  to  enroll  in an approved
    43  program or programs, provided that such approved program or programs can
    44  be classified as countable work activities.
    45    4. An applicant, recipient or participant is eligible  to  participate
    46  in  a  [GED]  New  York state high school diploma program if [s/he] such
    47  applicant, recipient or participant has attained basic literacy but  has
    48  not received a secondary school diploma.
    49    §  7.  The  20th  undesignated  paragraph  of subdivision a of section
    50  21-902.1 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as  amended
    51  by  local  law  number 145 of the city of New York for the year 2016, is
    52  amended to read as follows:
    53    Test assessing secondary completion (TASC). The term  "test  assessing
    54  secondary  completion  (TASC)"  means  the  New  York  state high school
    55  [equivalency] diploma test which replaced the general education develop-
        S. 8821                             3

     1  ment examination as the primary pathway to a New York state high  school
     2  [equivalency] diploma.
     3    §  8.  The  11th  undesignated  paragraph  of subdivision a of section
     4  21-924 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as  added  by
     5  local  law  number  21  of  the  city  of New York for the year 2024, is
     6  amended to read as follows:
     7    High school equivalency diploma test. The term "high school equivalen-
     8  cy diploma test" means any  test  that  the  New  York  state  education
     9  department  offers  for  the purpose of establishing the equivalent of a
    10  high school diploma, including, but not limited to, a [general education
    11  development] New York state high school diploma test or the test assess-
    12  ing secondary completion.
    13    § 9. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
    14  have become a law. Effective immediately, the amendment, addition and/or
    15  repeal  of  any  rule  or regulation necessary for the implementation of
    16  this act on its effective date are authorized to be made  on  or  before
    17  such effective date.