NY State Senate Bill 2019-S7317

Senate Bill S7317

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Relates to requiring at least a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per one thousand students on all SUNY and CUNY campuses

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 17, 2020	referred to higher education

2019-S7317 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9746
Current Committee:: Senate Higher Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§355 & 6206, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S844, A302
2023-2024: A4142

2019-S7317 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires at least a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per one thousand students on all SUNY and CUNY campuses and for state colleges and universities to update such ratio every five years.

2019-S7317 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S7317

SPONSOR: GOUNARDES
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring at least a
ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per one
thousand students on all SUNY and CUNY campuses

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This bill will require all SUNY and CUNY campuses to maintain a ratio of
at least one certified mental health professional to every one thousand
students.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends section 355 of education law to require each SUNY or
CUNY campus to maintain a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental
health staff member to every one thousand students within two years of
enactment. Each campus will be required to establish a board of experts

and advisors within two years to study and make updates to the clini-
cian-to-student ratio, and make recommendations every five years to
update the ratio based on average national ratios and best-available
practices. Updated ratios cannot fall below a minimum of a one to one
thousand clinician-to-student ratio. Maintaining the minimum clinician-
to-student ratio cannot be funded by the imposition of any new student
fees created on or after the date of enactment of this subdivision.

Section 2: Makes the above changes to section 6206 of education law.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Mental health is a pressing issue on college campuses across the state.
Approximately 75% of mental health conditions are diagnoses prior to age
24, yet young adults are least likely to receive mental health coun-
seling. Mental health issues can have dire impact for college students
academic successes, and in more serious cases can lead to physical harm
from suicide and depression. College students on SUNY and CUNY campuses
currently pay a fee for mental health services, but the reported staff-
ing ratios, particularly on CUNY campuses, are in excess of one mental
health clinician to over 2000 students. The national average across
campuses is approximately 1-to-1250. Research shows that low-income
students are more likely to suffer from mental health illnesses, and
CUNY and SUNY campuses have a higher share of low-income, urban students
than their national counterparts. This bill ensures that campuses are
required to staff an adequate number of licensed clinicians in order to
meet the specific needs of their unique student populations.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

None.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
First of July after passage

2019-S7317 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7317
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 17, 2020
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sen. GOUNARDES -- 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 requiring at least a
   ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per  one
   thousand students on all SUNY and CUNY campuses
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 355 of the education law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 20 to read as follows:
   20. THROUGH ON-CAMPUS  CAPACITY,  EACH  STATE  COLLEGE  OR  UNIVERSITY
 CENTER  OF  THE  STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AND EACH STATE COLLEGE AND
 UNIVERSITY CENTER OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK SHALL HAVE AT LEAST
 A RATIO OF ONE CLINICAL, NON-STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH STAFF MEMBER PER  ONE
 THOUSAND  FULL-TIME  EQUIVALENT  STUDENTS. TWO YEARS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE
 DATE OF THIS SUBDIVISION, AND ONCE EVERY  FIVE  YEARS  THEREAFTER,  EACH
 STATE  COLLEGE  AND  UNIVERSITY  SHALL ESTABLISH A BOARD OF ADVISORS AND
 EXPERTS AND HAVE SUCH BOARD UPDATE SUCH RATIO BASED ON ACTUAL RATIOS  IN
 THIS STATE AND ANY NEW INFORMATION RELATED TO APPROPRIATE BENCHMARKS FOR
 CLINICIAN-TO-STUDENT RATIOS; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, SUCH UPDATED RATIO SHALL
 BE  AT  LEAST  A  RATIO OF ONE CLINICAL, NON-STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH STAFF
 MEMBER PER ONE THOUSAND STUDENTS. THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL NOT  BE  FUNDED
 BY  STUDENT FEES CREATED ON OR AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SUBDIVI-
 SION. STATE COLLEGES OR UNIVERSITIES MAY SEEK FEDERAL FUNDING OR PRIVATE
 GRANTS, IF AVAILABLE, TO SUPPORT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
   § 2. Section 6206 of the education law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 subdivision 20 to read as follows:
   20.  THROUGH  ON-CAMPUS  CAPACITY,  EACH  STATE  COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY
 CENTER OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AND EACH  STATE  COLLEGE  AND
 UNIVERSITY CENTER OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK SHALL HAVE AT LEAST
 A  RATIO OF ONE CLINICAL, NON-STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH STAFF MEMBER PER ONE
 THOUSAND FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STUDENTS. TWO YEARS  AFTER  THE  EFFECTIVE
 DATE  OF  THIS  SUBDIVISION,  AND ONCE EVERY FIVE YEARS THEREAFTER, EACH
 STATE COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY SHALL ESTABLISH A  BOARD  OF  ADVISORS  AND
 EXPERTS  AND HAVE SUCH BOARD UPDATE SUCH RATIO BASED ON ACTUAL RATIOS IN
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14720-02-0

 S. 7317                             2

 THIS STATE AND ANY NEW INFORMATION RELATED TO APPROPRIATE BENCHMARKS FOR
 CLINICIAN-TO-STUDENT RATIOS; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, SUCH UPDATED RATIO SHALL
 BE AT LEAST A RATIO OF ONE CLINICAL,  NON-STUDENT  MENTAL  HEALTH  STAFF
 MEMBER  PER  ONE THOUSAND STUDENTS. THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL NOT BE FUNDED
 BY STUDENT FEES CREATED ON OR AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS  SUBDIVI-
 SION. STATE COLLEGES OR UNIVERSITIES MAY SEEK FEDERAL FUNDING OR PRIVATE
 GRANTS, IF AVAILABLE, TO SUPPORT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
   §  3.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law.

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