S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  6227--A
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 11, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  BROOKS, BAILEY -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher  Education
   -- recommitted to the Committee on Higher Education in accordance with
   Senate  Rule  6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
   reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to the part-time  tuition
   assistance program
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 667-c of the education law, as added by  section  1
 of  part  N  of  chapter  58  of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as
 follows:
   § 667-c. Part-time tuition assistance program  awards.    1.  Notwith-
 standing  any  law, rule or regulation to the contrary, the president of
 the higher education services corporation is authorized to make  tuition
 assistance program awards to [part-time] students [enrolled at the state
 university,  a community college, the city university of New York, and a
 non-profit college or university incorporated by the regents or  by  the
 legislature  who  meet  all  requirements for tuition assistance program
 awards except for the students' part-time attendance] WHO ATTEND  A  NEW
 YORK  STATE  PUBLIC  INSTITUTION  OF  HIGHER  EDUCATION  OR A NON-PROFIT
 COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY INCORPORATED BY THE REGENTS OR BY THE  LEGISLATURE
 ON A PART-TIME BASIS.
   2. [For purposes of this section, a part-time student is one who:
   a.  enrolled as a first-time freshman during the two thousand six--two
 thousand seven academic year or thereafter at a  college  or  university
 within  the state university, including a statutory or contract college,
 a community college established pursuant to article one hundred  twenty-
 six  of  this  chapter, the city university of New York, or a non-profit
 college or university incorporated by the regents or by the legislature;

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11710-04-8
              

 S. 6227--A                          2

   b. has earned at least twelve  credits  in  each  of  two  consecutive
 semesters at one of the institutions named in paragraph a of this subdi-
 vision by the time of the awards;
   c.  is  enrolled for at least six but less than twelve semester hours,
 or the equivalent, per semester  in  an  approved  undergraduate  degree
 program; and
   d. has a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.00] TO BE ELIGI-
 BLE, AN APPLICANT MUST MEET THE QUALIFICATIONS OF SUBDIVISIONS THREE AND
 FIVE  OF  SECTION  SIX HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE OF THIS ARTICLE, ENROLLED IN AT
 LEAST SIX BUT LESS THAN TWELVE CREDIT HOURS AT A NEW YORK  STATE  PUBLIC
 INSTITUTION  OF  HIGHER  LEARNING  OR A NON-PROFIT COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY
 INCORPORATED BY THE REGENTS OR BY THE LEGISLATURE IN  THE  TWO  THOUSAND
 SEVENTEEN--TWO THOUSAND EIGHTEEN ACADEMIC YEAR, OR THEREAFTER, AND MAIN-
 TAIN A GRADE POINT AVERAGE OF AT LEAST 2.0.
   3.  a. For part-time students defined in this section, the award shall
 be calculated as provided in section six  hundred  sixty-seven  of  this
 article and shall be in an amount equal to the enrollment factor percent
 of  the  award  the  student would have been eligible for if the student
 were enrolled full-time. The enrollment factor percent is the percentage
 obtained by dividing the number of credits the student is  enrolled  in,
 as  certified by the school, by the number of credits required for full-
 time study in the semester, quarter or term as defined  by  the  commis-
 sioner.
   b.  Any semester, quarter or term of attendance during which a student
 receives an award pursuant to this  section  shall  be  counted  as  the
 enrollment  factor  percent  of  a  semester, quarter or term toward the
 maximum term of eligibility for tuition assistance  awards  pursuant  to
 section  six  hundred  sixty-seven of this article. [The total period of
 study for which payment may be made shall not exceed the  equivalent  of
 the maximum period authorized for that award.]
   C. THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF FUNDS AWARDED SHALL NOT EXCEED THE TOTAL AMOUNT
 AVAILABLE TO THE TRADITIONAL FULL-TIME STUDENT.
   4.  PART-TIME  STUDENTS DEFINED IN THIS SECTION WILL CREATE, IN AGREE-
 MENT WITH THE COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY,  AN  EDUCATION  PLAN  ALLOWING  THE
 STUDENT  TO COMPLETE HIS OR HER ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE PROGRAM IN AS MUCH AS
 FOUR AND ONE-HALF YEARS OR HIS OR HER BACHELOR'S DEGREE  PROGRAM  IN  AS
 MUCH AS NINE YEARS. THE EDUCATION PLAN WILL ESTABLISH A SCHEDULE REQUIR-
 ING  THE  STUDENT  TO CARRY A MINIMUM OF SIX CREDITS EACH SEMESTER AND A
 MINIMUM OF TWELVE CREDITS EACH YEAR. THE STUDENT WOULD  BE  REQUIRED  TO
 MAINTAIN CONTINUED ATTENDANCE (EXCLUDING SUMMER SESSIONS) FOR THE PERIOD
 OF  THE  AGREEMENT.  THE  COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY IS AUTHORIZED TO GRANT A
 LEAVE PERIOD FOR THE DURATION OF A SEMESTER OR  ITS  EQUIVALENT  AT  ITS
 DISCRETION  IN  THE EVENT OF MEDICAL CONDITIONS, FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES
 OR FINANCIAL EMERGENCIES.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.