Senator Foley Reduces Fiscal Burden on Vocational Education and Extension Boards

Senator Brian X. Foley (D – Blue Point) announced the passage of legislation that would change the way in which state aid overpayments to county vocational education and extension boards (CVEEB) are recovered.

The legislation does away with the current practice of requiring the boards to return overpayments but cutting a check to the state in one lump sum, which places a great deal of fiscal strain on the boards. The new practice would allow boards to repay the state through reductions in future state aid payments, amortized over three years.

“County vocational education and extension boards are important components of our communities because they provide training to groups that is usually not available elsewhere,” said Senator Foley. “Eliminating the requirement for one lump sum payment will lessen the burden on the budgets of these boards and ensure they can better plan to make repayments without having to negatively impact the important programming and training they provide.”

“For agencies that receive aid in any form from the state, being able to spread out payments when a conflict arises will help to ease the burden,” said Dick Stockinger, Executive Director of the Suffolk County Fire Academy. “As a result of a repayment situation we encountered, we were forced to cancel several trainings. This legislation will allow us to continue training uninterrupted should this occur again in the future.”

The three year time period allowed for repayment will consist of the school year in which the board is notified of the repayment and the two successive school years.

The legislation (S5800) passed the Senate on Thursday. The Assembly same-as is currently in the Assembly Education Committee.