NY State Senate Bill 2021-S5436

Senate Bill S5436

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Establishes a student activity fee to fund the student assembly of the state university of New York

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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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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 05, 2022	referred to higher education
Mar 04, 2021	referred to higher education

co-Sponsors

2021-S5436 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A7054
Current Committee:: Senate Higher Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Add §355-e, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S4958

2021-S5436 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes a student activity fee to fund the student assembly of the state university of New York.

2021-S5436 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S5436

SPONSOR: JACKSON
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a student
activity fee to fund the student assembly of the state university of New
York

 
PURPOSE:

The purpose of this legislation is to ensure that the SUNY Student
Assembly has enough funding to accomplish its purpose of providing
programs and services for the SUNY student body.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 adds a new Section 355-E to the Education Law that provides
for a $1 student activity fee per semester that shall be the property of
the SUNY Student Assembly and the revenue derived shall be spent at its
sole discretion.

Section 2 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The SUNY Student Assembly provides programs and services for the nearly
1.4 million students at 64 SUNY campuses across the state and serves as
the representative voice for those students. For many years, however,
the Student Assembly has been underfunded making it extremely difficult
for the Student Assembly to adequately serve and represent the interests
of SUNY students. For example, the SUNY Student Assembly, which is fund-
ed by the state, received an appropriation of $57,100. Compare that to
the CUNY University Student Senate that has an annual budget of approxi-
mately $768,000; the California State Student Association that has an
annual budget of approximately $1.7 million; and the University of Cali-
fornia Student Association that has an annual budget of approximately
$732,000.  In 2019 and 2021, the SUNY Student Assembly passed resol-
utions calling for the SUNY to adopt a student activity fee so that the
Student Assembly can be properly funded. A student activity fee of $1
per semester has the potential to raise $800,000.  Having sufficient
funding would allow the SUNY Student Assembly to better advocate and
lobby the interests of the SUNY student body, connect and offer
resources to students and student government associations within SUNY,
and provide greater engagement opportunities between the Student Assem-
bly and the student body.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2021-S5436 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5436
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               March 4, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. JACKSON -- 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 student
   activity fee to fund the student assembly of the state  university  of
   New York

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section  355-e
 to read as follows:
   §  355-E. STUDENT ACTIVITY FEE. 1. THERE SHALL BE ASSESSED A FEE OF NO
 LESS THAN ONE DOLLAR PER SEMESTER TO EACH ENROLLED STUDENT AT A  COLLEGE
 OR INSTITUTION OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY.
   2.  SUCH  FEE  SHALL BE WHOLLY THE PROPERTY OF THE STUDENT ASSEMBLY OF
 THE STATE UNIVERSITY. NO INSTITUTION OR PERSONS OTHER THAN  THE  STUDENT
 ASSEMBLY  OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY SHALL BE ENTITLED TO ANY APPORTIONMENT
 OF SUCH STUDENT ACTIVITY FEE, NOTWITHSTANDING ANY INCONSISTENT PROVISION
 OF ANY RULE OR LAW.
   3. THE REVENUE  GENERATED  BY  SUCH  STUDENT  ACTIVITY  FEE  SHALL  BE
 UTILIZED  AT  THE  SOLE  DISCRETION OF THE STUDENT ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE
 UNIVERSITY.
   4. THE STUDENT ACTIVITY FEE SHALL BE ASSESSED AND COLLECTED CONCURRENT
 WITH THE STANDARD BILL SCHEDULE OF A COLLEGE OR INSTITUTION.  EACH  SUCH
 COLLEGE  OR  INSTITUTION  SHALL DELIVER THE COLLECTED FEE TO THE STUDENT
 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY WITHIN THIRTY DAYS OF SUCH COLLECTION.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD09746-02-1

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Senate Bill S5436

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Sponsored By

Robert Jackson