NY State Senate Bill 2025-S217

Senate Bill S217

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Creates a service learning program for students serving as active volunteer firefighters or volunteer ambulance workers

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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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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2025	referred to higher education

co-Sponsors

2025-S217 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A7908
Current Committee:: Senate Higher Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §355, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2013-2014: S6678
2015-2016: S3126
2017-2018: S1441
2019-2020: S1569
2021-2022: S6369
2023-2024: S4461

2025-S217 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Creates a service learning program for students serving as active volunteer firefighters or volunteer ambulance workers; mandates certain features of such program.

2025-S217 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S217

SPONSOR: HELMING
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to certain service learn-
ing, internship, or independent study programs

 
PURPOSE:

To allow community colleges and State University of New York (SUNY)
schools to implement programs that would provide academic credit for
successful completion of a service learning, internship, or independent
study program in relation to the volunteer fire service, as prescribed
by regulations established by the state university trustees.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Sections 1: amends section 355 of the education law to direct the state
university trustees to adopt regulations to establish a service learn-
ing, internship, or independent study program for students that serve as
active volunteer firefighters or ambulance workers.

Section 2: Establishes an effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Colleges and universities often offer internships and independent study
programs so students can earn academic credit while obtaining real-life
work experience. Service-learning programs are an emerging and growing
teaching method on college campuses and these programs are effective in
combining academic learning and real-life experiences.

One of the most critical community services provided by New York resi-
dents is volunteer fire protection and emergency services. Many younger
individuals may be interested in volunteering for their local fire
department or ambulance company but are discouraged from doing so due to
the time demands of being a college student. This bill provides a
common-sense approach to combining community service and academic learn-
ing, which will lead to greater volunteerism and more well-rounded and
experienced college students.

Under this legislation, the state university trustees will establish
regulations that create guidelines for service learning, internship or
independent study program for active volunteer firefighters and ambu-
lance workers. Such programs must include a service and an academic
requirement. Through involvement in the volunteer fire service, a
student not only provides vital community services but can also learn a
number of valuable principles in various academic areas.  Some topics
students will learn about in the volunteer fire service include not-for-
profit corporation governance, municipal government, licensing and
permitting, charitable giving, record keeping, compliance with safety
and other laws, insurance, taxes, budgeting, and management.

This bill provides valuable skills and learning opportunities for
students while encouraging more volunteerism to serve our communities.
The skills and knowledge gained through the volunteer fire service are
worthy of academic credit through properly developed and structured
service learning, internship and independent study programs. This legis-
lation allows SUNY schools and community colleges to recognize this by
offering students the opportunity to participate in such programs, as
prescribed by the state university trustees.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-2024: S.4461 referred to Higher Education

2021-2022: S.6369 referred to Higher Education

2019-2020: S1569 referred to Higher Education/A.4523 referred to Higher
Education

2017-2018: S.1441 committed to Rules/A.5533 referred to Higher Education

2015-2016: S.3126 passed Senate/A.2896 referred to Education

2014: S.6678 passed Senate/A.8989 referred to Education

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law; provided however that, effective immediately, the state
university trustees are authorized and directed to add, amend and/or
repeal any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this
act on its effective date.

2025-S217 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    217
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens. HELMING, RHOADS, TEDISCO -- 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 certain service learn-
   ing, internship, or independent study programs

   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 22 to read as follows:
   22. THE STATE UNIVERSITY TRUSTEES SHALL ADOPT REGULATIONS TO ESTABLISH
 A  SERVICE  LEARNING,  INTERNSHIP,  OR  INDEPENDENT  STUDY  PROGRAM  FOR
 STUDENTS  THAT  SERVE  AS  ACTIVE  VOLUNTEER  FIREFIGHTERS AND/OR ACTIVE
 VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE WORKERS. EACH STATE-OPERATED INSTITUTION AND  COMMU-
 NITY  COLLEGE  MAY, AS DETERMINED BY ITS PRESIDENT, OFFER SUCH A SERVICE
 LEARNING, INTERNSHIP, OR INDEPENDENT STUDY PROGRAM TO ELIGIBLE  STUDENTS
 IN  ACCORDANCE  WITH  THE REGULATIONS PRESCRIBED BY THE STATE UNIVERSITY
 TRUSTEES. SUCH PROGRAM SHALL CONSIST OF (A) A COMMUNITY  SERVICE  COMPO-
 NENT  THAT MAY BE COMPLETED THROUGH NO LESS THAN TWENTY HOURS OF VERIFI-
 ABLE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTING ACTIVITIES, VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE OR EMERGENCY
 RESPONSE ACTIVITIES, OR OTHER ACTIVITIES RELATED TO  VOLUNTEER  FIRE  OR
 AMBULANCE  SERVICE  AS  DETERMINED BY THE STATE UNIVERSITY TRUSTEES, AND
 (B) AN ACADEMIC COMPONENT RELATED TO SUCH VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY THAT MAY BE
 COMPLETED THROUGH A WRITTEN REPORT OR JOURNAL, OR OTHER WRITTEN  ASSIGN-
 MENT  AS DETERMINED BY THE STATE UNIVERSITY TRUSTEES. SUCH PROGRAM SHALL
 BE OPEN TO  ANY  STUDENT  ENROLLED  IN  AN  ASSOCIATE  OR  BACCALAUREATE
 DEGREE-PRODUCING  PROGRAM  ON  A FULL-TIME OR PART-TIME BASIS THAT IS AN
 ACTIVE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER AS DEFINED IN SUBDIVISION  ONE  OF  SECTION
 TWO  HUNDRED FIFTEEN OF THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL LAW OR AN ACTIVE VOLUNTEER
 AMBULANCE WORKER AS DEFINED  IN  SUBDIVISION  FOURTEEN  OF  SECTION  TWO
 HUNDRED  NINETEEN-K  OF  THE  GENERAL  MUNICIPAL LAW.   NO MORE THAN SIX
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD00550-01-5
 S. 217                              2
 
 ACADEMIC CREDITS SHALL BE AWARDED TO A STUDENT FOR SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION
 OF SUCH SERVICE LEARNING, INTERNSHIP OR INDEPENDENT  STUDY  PROGRAM.  IN
 DEVELOPING THE SERVICE LEARNING, INTERNSHIP OR INDEPENDENT STUDY PROGRAM
 DESCRIBED IN THIS SUBDIVISION, THE STATE UNIVERSITY TRUSTEES MAY, IN ITS
 DISCRETION,  CONSULT  WITH  THE  OFFICE  OF  FIRE PREVENTION AND CONTROL
 AND/OR ANY STATEWIDE ORGANIZATION THAT REPRESENTS THE INTERESTS  OF  THE
 VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE OR THE VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE SERVICE.
   §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary  for  the  implementation  of
 this  act  on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
 on or before such effective date.

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Senate Bill S217

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Sponsored By

Pamela Helming