NY State Senate Bill 2025-S3369

Senate Bill S3369

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to allowing for students in postsecondary education experience or transition program to receive awards from the tuition assistance program

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Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance 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 27, 2025	referred to finance

co-Sponsors

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2025-S3369 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Finance
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§602 & 667, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S5071
2021-2022: S1786
2023-2024: S1880

2025-S3369 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to allowing for students in certain postsecondary education experience or transition programs to receive awards from the tuition assistance program.

2025-S3369 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S3369

SPONSOR: SKOUFIS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to allowing for students
in postsecondary education experience or transition program to receive
awards from the tuition assistance program

 
PURPOSE:

Correcting the inequity in the current law by making students with
intellectual disabilities who are enrolled in a postsecondary education
experience or transition programs eligible for assistance from the
Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends Section 602 of the education law to add a new subdivi-
sion requiring the Commissioner of Education for students with intellec-
tual disabilities enrolled in an approved postsecondary education expe-
rience or transition program to receive financial assistance from the

Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).

Section 2: Amends Section 667 of the education law to add a new subdivi-
sion defining the meaning of "postsecondary education experience or
transition program" and states that TAP awards shall be made available
to qualified students with intellectual disabilities who are enrolled in
an approved postsecondary education experience or transition program. It
also defines "students with intellectual disabilities" for this section.

Section 3: Sets Effective Date

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Postsecondary education experiences or transition programs are important
avenues for young adults with disabilities who seek to improve their
future through higher education and vocational preparation. The mission
of these programs enjoys significant support among New Yorkers. However,
because these programs are generally non-degree programs, students are
not eligible for financial support through the Tuition Assistance
Program. Federally funded aid for non-degree programs serving intellec-
tually disabled students became available through the Higher Education
Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008, which authorized the US Department of
Education to certify specific programs as Comprehensive Training and
Post-secondary Programs or CTPs. Programs meeting CTP eligibility
requirements have their Title IV Financial Aid agreement with the feder-
al government amended to permit disbursing select forms of aid Pell
Grants and Work Study - to non-degree-seeking students with ID/DD.

It is reasonable for New York State to support these programs and
students' efforts to better themselves by mirroring the federal govern-
ment's example. This bill makes TAP funds available to intellectually
disabled students attending a qualified postsecondary education experi-
ence or transition program.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

Senate
2019: 55071A, Passed Senate

2020: 55071A, Amended and Recommitted to Finance

2021: S1786A, Amended and Recommitted to Finance

2022: S1786A, Referred to Finance 2023: S1880, Referred to Finance

2024: S1880, Referred to Finance

Assembly

2019: No Assembly Same-As

2020: No Assembly Same-As

2021: A3032A, Amended and Recommitted to Higher Education

2022: A3032A, Referred to Higher Education

2023: A2341, Referred to Higher Education

2024: A2341, Referred to Higher Education

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S3369 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3369
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 27, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  SKOUFIS,  GOUNARDES, JACKSON, LIU, RAMOS, RHOADS,
   STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and  when  printed  to  be
   committed to the Committee on Finance
 
 AN  ACT to amend the education law, in relation to allowing for students
   in postsecondary education experience or transition program to receive
   awards from the tuition assistance program
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 602 of the education law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 5 to read as follows:
   5.  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS ALLOWING
 FOR STUDENTS ENROLLED IN AN APPROVED POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION  EXPERIENCE
 OR  TRANSITION  PROGRAM TO RECEIVE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FROM THE TUITION
 ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
   § 2. Section 667 of the education law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 subdivision 4 to read as follows:
   4.    POSTSECONDARY  EDUCATION  EXPERIENCE OR TRANSITION PROGRAMS.  A.
 NOTWITHSTANDING SUBDIVISIONS ONE, TWO AND THREE  OF  THIS  SECTION,  THE
 PRESIDENT  SHALL  MAKE AWARDS TO STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
 IN APPROVED POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION EXPERIENCE OR TRANSITION PROGRAMS IN
 THE SAME MANNER AS  STUDENTS  ENROLLED  IN  AN  APPROVED  PROGRAM  AT  A
 DEGREE-GRANTING  INSTITUTION INCLUDING THE SAME INCOME LIMITS AND AWARDS
 FOR EACH YEAR.
   B.  AN  APPROVED  POSTSECONDARY  EDUCATION  EXPERIENCE  OR  TRANSITION
 PROGRAM SHALL:
   (I) SERVE STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES;
   (II)  PROVIDE  INDIVIDUAL  SUPPORTS  AND SERVICES FOR THE ACADEMIC AND
 SOCIAL INCLUSION OF STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES IN  ACADEMIC
 COURSES,  EXTRACURRICULAR  ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER ASPECTS OF THE INSTITU-
 TION OF HIGHER EDUCATION'S REGULAR POSTSECONDARY PROGRAM;
   (III) PROVIDE A FOCUS ON:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD06983-01-5

 S. 3369                             2
 
   (A) ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT;
   (B) SOCIALIZATION;
   (C) INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS, INCLUDING SELF-ADVOCACY SKILLS; AND
   (D) INTEGRATED WORK EXPERIENCES AND CAREER SKILLS THAT LEAD TO GAINFUL
 EMPLOYMENT;
   (IV)  INTEGRATE  PERSON-CENTERED  PLANNING  IN  THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
 COURSE OF STUDY FOR EACH STUDENT WITH AN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY;
   (V) CREATE AND OFFER A MEANINGFUL CREDENTIAL FOR STUDENTS WITH  INTEL-
 LECTUAL  DISABILITIES UPON THE COMPLETION OF THE POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION
 EXPERIENCE OR TRANSITION PROGRAM; AND
   (VI) BE A FEDERALLY APPROVED COMPREHENSIVE TRANSITION  AND  POSTSECON-
 DARY PROGRAM.
   C.  FOR  THE PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, "STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL
 DISABILITIES" SHALL MEAN A STUDENT WITH AN IMPAIRMENT OF GENERAL  INTEL-
 LECTUAL FUNCTIONING OR ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR WHICH CONSTITUTES A SUBSTANTIAL
 HANDICAP  TO  THE  STUDENT'S ABILITY TO FUNCTION NORMALLY IN SOCIETY AND
 WHICH HAS ORIGINATED AT ANY POINT IN THE STUDENT'S LIFE.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S3369

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Sponsored By

James Skoufis

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

co-Sponsors

Andrew Gounardes

Robert Jackson

John C. Liu

Jessica Ramos

2025-S3369 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S3369 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S3369 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S3369 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments