Senate Bill S8405

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Includes underrepresented ethnic groups in the admission criteria for the science and technology entry program and collegiate science and technology entry program

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Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules 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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2023-S8405 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A9498
Current Committee:
Senate Rules
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §§6454 & 6455, Ed L

2023-S8405 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Updates the admission criteria for the science and technology entry program and collegiate science and technology entry program to consider whether a student is a member of an ethnic group that is underrepresented in the eligible profession they are pursuing.

2023-S8405 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S8405 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8405
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 26, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. STAVISKY -- 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 including  underrepre-
   sented  ethnic  groups  in  the admission criteria for the science and
   technology entry program and collegiate science and  technology  entry
   program

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Legislative findings. Representation in  the  workforce  is
 critical,  especially  in  New York's healthcare workforce. A 2017 study
 published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found  that  Black
 and  Hispanic  patients  were  more likely to report feeling comfortable
 discussing sensitive topics with a provider of the same race or ethnici-
 ty. A 2019 study published in the Journal of Health Care  Administration
 found  that  culturally  competent  care  was  associated  with improved
 patient satisfaction,  adherence  to  treatment,  and  health  outcomes.
 Further  a  2020 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineer-
 ing, and Medicine found that a diverse healthcare workforce can  improve
 access  to  care  for  underserved  populations.  These benefits are not
 limited to healthcare. A 2017 study published in Nature and a 2019 study
 in the Harvard Business  Review  found  that  diverse  teams  outperform
 homogenous  teams in terms of creativity and problem-solving. This means
 that the health and economic future of our state  is  dependent  on  the
 diversity of our workforce.
   The Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) and Collegiate Science
 and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) have a successful history of bring-
 ing underrepresented students into science, technology, engineering, and
 math  (STEM), licensed professions and health professions fields.  These
 programs create academic  opportunities  for  students  who  have  faced
 disadvantages  and  discrimination.  To  ensure  that these programs can
 continue to fulfill their mission of delivering opportunity  and  equity
 to  students, the programs' admissions criteria must be updated to be in
 line with recent legal findings.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14240-01-4
              

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