NY State Senate Bill 2023-S4958

Senate Bill S4958

2023-2024 Legislative Session

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

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Current 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 03, 2024	referred to higher education
Feb 17, 2023	referred to higher education

co-Sponsors

2023-S4958 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Higher Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Add §355-f, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2021-2022 Legislative Session:: S5436

2023-S4958 (ACTIVE) - Summary

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

2023-S4958 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S4958

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-F 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 resolutions calling
for the SUNY to adopt a student activity fee so that the Student Assem-
bly 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 inter-
ests 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 Assembly and the student
body.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2021-2022: S.5436 - Referred to Higher Education/A.7054 - Referred to
Higher Education

 
STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2023-S4958 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4958
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 17, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. JACKSON, CLEARE, KRUEGER, SKOUFIS -- 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-f
 to read as follows:
   § 355-F. 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.
                                                            LBD07401-01-3

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Senate Bill S4958

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Sponsored By

Robert Jackson