NY State Senate Bill 2025-S2565

Senate Bill S2565

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Allows the higher education services corporation to consider an applicant's change in income due to the loss of employment in determining eligibility and award amount for the tuition assistance program

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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 21, 2025	referred to higher education

co-Sponsors

2025-S2565 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Higher Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §663, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S7458
2023-2024: S1220

2025-S2565 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S2565 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S2565

SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to allowing the higher
education services corporation to consider an applicant's change in
income due to the loss of employment in determining eligibility and
award amount for the tuition assistance program; and to provide for the
repeal of such provisions upon the expiration thereof

 
PURPOSE OF THE BILL:

THIS BILL WOULD ALLOW HESC TO CONSIDER A TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
APPLICANT'S MORE RECENT INCOME IN MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO ELIGIBILITY AND
AWARD AMOUNTS IF THE APPLICANT'S CHANGE IN INCOME IS DUE TO LOSS OF
EMPLOYMENT.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one of the bill amends section 663 of education law as it
relates to allowing the higher education services corporation to consid-

er an applicant's change in income due to the loss of employment
in_determining eligibility and award amount for the tuition assistance_
program.

Section two of the bill relates to the effective date. JUSTIFICATION:
The COVID-19 pandemic caused historic levels of unemployment and job
loss. As prospective students and their families begin to apply for
financial aid through the tuition assistance program (TAP) for the
upcoming school year, they may be impacted by the method in which the
Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) calculates eligibility and
award amounts. HESC uses an applicant's income from two years prior to
the school year; meaning that those who apply for the upcoming school
year will use their 2019 tax returns to determine eligibility. If an
applicant had become unemployed in 2020 due to the pandemic, their loss
of income would not be recognized until 2022.  This bill will allow for
applicants to apply for change in income circumstance and use the year
prior's 2020 tax return to determine eligibility and award amount.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S1220- 2024

S7458- 2022

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be deemed
repealed December 31, 2025.

2025-S2565 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2565
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 21, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  COMRIE,  HOYLMAN-SIGAL  -- 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 allowing the higher
   education services corporation to consider an  applicant's  change  in
   income  due  to  the loss of employment in determining eligibility and
   award amount for the tuition assistance program; and  to  provide  for
   the repeal of such provisions upon the expiration thereof
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 5 of section  663  of  the  education  law,  as
 amended  by  section  3  of part J of chapter 58 of the laws of 2011, is
 amended to read as follows:
   5. A. Adjustments of  income.  In  the  determination  of  income  for
 purposes  of  paragraphs  a  and  b  of subdivision three of section six
 hundred sixty-seven of this part if, during the academic year  in  which
 the  applicant  will  receive an award, one of either the parents of the
 applicant or other dependent child of such parents, the  spouse  of  the
 applicant,  or one or more dependent children of the applicant, in addi-
 tion to the applicant, will be in full-time attendance  in  an  approved
 program,  the  combined  net taxable income determined under subdivision
 one of this section shall be reduced by three thousand  dollars  and  an
 additional two thousand dollars for each other such person additional to
 the  aforesaid  persons  (including  the  applicant) who will be in such
 attendance, and the resulting amount  shall  be  deemed  the  applicable
 income in determining the applicant's award for the academic year.
   B.  FOR THE TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE--TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SIX ACADEMIC
 YEAR, THE CORPORATION, PURSUANT TO RULES AND REGULATIONS, SHALL CONSIDER
 AN APPLICANT'S CHANGE IN INCOME DUE TO THE LOSS  OF  EMPLOYMENT  OF  THE
 APPLICANT  OR PARENT OF THE APPLICANT AND UTILIZE THE APPLICANT'S INCOME
 REPORTED IN NEW YORK STATE INCOME TAX RETURNS  FOR  THE  PRIOR  CALENDAR
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04951-01-5

 S. 2565                             2
 
 YEAR  IN  MAKING  ADJUSTMENTS TO ELIGIBILITY AND THE AMOUNT OF THE AWARD
 FOR SUCH ACADEMIC YEAR. THE CORPORATION  MAY  REQUIRE  SUCH  DOCUMENTARY
 EVIDENCE,  TESTIMONY  OR  AFFIDAVITS  AS IT DEEMS SUFFICIENT IN GRANTING
 SUCH AN ADJUSTMENT OF AN AWARD.
   §  2.  This  act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
 deemed repealed December 31, 2026.

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Senate Bill S2565

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Sponsored By

Leroy Comrie