Bill Text: NY A01727 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Enacts The New Deal for CUNY; increases the ratio of faculty and mental health counselors to full-time students; requires that certain amounts of tuition be replaced by federal, state, and city funds.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 39-1)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-14 - referred to higher education [A01727 Detail]
Download: New_York-2025-A01727-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1727 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. REYES, ROSENTHAL, EPSTEIN, ANDERSON, DAVILA, FORREST, GALLAGHER, WEPRIN, MITAYNES, TAYLOR, SIMON, SEPTIMO, SAYEGH, JACKSON, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, CRUZ, R. CARROLL, DINOWITZ, SEAWRIGHT, BICHOTTE HERMELYN, LAVINE, CLARK, KIM, McDONOUGH, MAMDANI, FALL, TAPIA, COLTON, COOK, DE LOS SANTOS, PAULIN, RAGA, BORES, ALVAREZ, JACOBSON, LEE, SIMONE, SHIMSKY, SHRESTHA, WALKER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education AN ACT to amend the education law and the state finance law, in relation to enacting The New Deal for CUNY The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Short title. This enacts "The New Deal for CUNY". 2 § 2. Legislative intent. The Legislature hereby recognizes the need 3 for The New Deal for CUNY to ensure that the commitment the Legislature 4 articulated in establishing the city university of New York is extended 5 to present and future generations. The 1961 legislation recognized that 6 the creation of a city university as a single unified system was "justi- 7 fied" by the special needs of a multi-racial urban constituency and the 8 "vital importance" of creating opportunities for disadvantaged New York- 9 ers. Those needs have only grown in the half-century since the Legisla- 10 ture's action. Yet CUNY's ability to fulfill them has diminished as 11 enrollment has skyrocketed and investment has failed to keep pace. The 12 New Deal for CUNY reimagines CUNY as the vital urban university it must 13 be if it is to serve the people of New York. It enhances CUNY's historic 14 role as a leader in educational justice and economic transformation. 15 This legislation restores free tuition, ensures adequate faculty staff- 16 ing, and aligns student support with nationally recommended standards. 17 In doing so, The New Deal for CUNY restores New York to national leader- 18 ship in public higher education and removes the barriers to student 19 success that have prevented thousands of CUNY students from realizing 20 the full potential of a college degree. The New Deal for CUNY gradually EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD03187-01-5A. 1727 2 1 increases the ratio of students to full-time faculty at CUNY to 2 nationally recommended levels, with a special emphasis on racial and 3 ethnic diversity in hiring. It also replaces the system of underpayment 4 for contingent faculty with a dignified labor system that provides 5 students with the support they urgently need. CUNY students, perhaps 6 more than any other college population in the country, bear stresses 7 that make it extraordinarily difficult to stay in college, sometimes 8 even to survive. The New Deal for CUNY addresses the urgent need for 9 student support by gradually escalating the hiring of mental health and 10 other counselors to bring CUNY into line with national standards. The 11 New Deal for CUNY mandates that all tuition and student fees for 12 in-state undergraduate students within specified time frames for 13 completion of degree be eliminated, and that the revenue to the colleges 14 that would otherwise derive from tuition and fees be replaced annually 15 by federal, state, and city funds. 16 § 3. Subdivision A of section 6221 of the education law is amended by 17 adding a new paragraph 4-b to read as follows: 18 4-b. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, rule or regulation to 19 the contrary, subject to amounts made available by appropriation, 20 commencing in the two thousand twenty-seven--two thousand twenty-eight 21 academic year, the city university shall be entitled to annually receive 22 one hundred percent reimbursement for the annual cost of tuition and 23 student fees for each matriculated undergraduate student at a city 24 university senior college and community college who is enrolled in 25 credit-bearing academic coursework and is on track to graduate. The 26 state comptroller shall establish a separate fund for such monies to be 27 distributed to the city university of New York. The city university 28 shall receive an amount equal to the full cost of in-state undergraduate 29 tuition and student fees for each qualifying, matriculated student who 30 successfully completes credit-bearing academic coursework and is on 31 track to graduate. The full cost of tuition shall not include any addi- 32 tional funds the student may receive from any other New York state or 33 federal grant, award, or scholarship program. The deposit of these funds 34 shall be utilized as first dollar awards to the students at the city 35 university. Any student not successfully completing credit-bearing 36 academic coursework in a semester shall still be eligible to receive all 37 other grants, awards, and scholarships for which they qualify but shall 38 not be eligible for the tuition and student fee reimbursement described 39 herein. Students shall be eligible to receive a one semester exemption 40 from the requirement to complete credit-bearing academic coursework for 41 such tuition reimbursement as promulgated by the higher education 42 services corporation. Such exemption shall not preclude any student from 43 exercising their right to appeal pursuant to higher education services 44 corporation policy. The state comptroller shall deposit such monies with 45 the city university no later than thirty days after the start of the 46 semester. 47 § 4. Section 6206 of the education law is amended by adding three new 48 subdivisions 24, 25 and 26 to read as follows: 49 24. Each community college and senior college of the city university 50 of New York shall maintain, at a minimum, a ratio of one clinical, non- 51 student mental health staff member per one thousand students. Within two 52 years of the effective date of this subdivision, each community and 53 senior college shall establish, and require a meeting of, a board of 54 advisors having expertise in the area of clinical mental health 55 services. The advisory boards shall, using current data, update and 56 modify, as necessary, such ratios based on actual ratios in this stateA. 1727 3 1 and any new information related to appropriate benchmarks for clini- 2 cian-to-student ratios. Data collected by the advisory boards may be 3 used as a means to increase the number of mental health staff members. 4 In no event shall the ratio fall below one clinical, non-student mental 5 health staff member per one thousand students. Following the initial 6 meeting, advisory boards shall meet once every five years. This subdivi- 7 sion shall not be funded by student tuition or fees created on or after 8 the effective date of this subdivision. Community colleges and senior 9 colleges in the city university of New York may seek federal funding or 10 private grants, if available, to further expand and support the 11 provisions of this subdivision. Any faculty and staff hired through the 12 assistance of federal funding or private grants pursuant to this subdi- 13 vision shall be treated and classified as full-time public employees and 14 covered under any collectively bargained contracts in their respective 15 bargaining units. The city university shall report annually, on July 16 first, to the chair of the senate finance committee, the chair of the 17 assembly ways and means committee, the chair of the senate higher educa- 18 tion committee, and the chair of the assembly higher education committee 19 on the following criteria: 20 a. the ratio of clinical and non-student mental health staff employed 21 and what that number equates to per student; 22 b. the number of full-time mental health staff, and number of part- 23 time mental health staff per campus, including those who may not possess 24 the title mental health staff but are primarily employed to perform and 25 carry out the duties typically assigned to, and function as, mental 26 health staff; and 27 c. the mean and median number of students receiving services per 28 campus in the two thousand twenty-seven--two thousand twenty-eight 29 academic year and in the academic year in which the report is prepared 30 from full-time mental health staff, and from part-time academic advi- 31 sors. 32 25. Commencing in the two thousand twenty-seven--two thousand twenty- 33 eight academic year each community college and senior college of the 34 city university of New York shall maintain a minimum academic staffing 35 ratio of forty-five full-time faculty members per one thousand full-time 36 equivalent students. Commencing in the two thousand twenty-eight--two 37 thousand twenty-nine academic year each community college and senior 38 college of the city university of New York shall maintain a minimum 39 academic staffing ratio of fifty full-time faculty members per one thou- 40 sand full-time equivalent students. Commencing in the two thousand 41 twenty-nine--two thousand thirty academic year each community college 42 and senior college of the city university of New York shall maintain a 43 minimum academic staffing ratio of fifty-five full-time faculty members 44 per one thousand full-time equivalent students. Commencing in the two 45 thousand thirty--two thousand thirty-one academic year each community 46 college and senior college of the city university of New York shall 47 maintain a minimum academic staffing ratio of sixty full-time faculty 48 members per one thousand full-time equivalent students. Commencing in 49 the two thousand thirty-one--two thousand thirty-two academic year and 50 each year thereafter, each community college and senior college of the 51 city university of New York shall maintain a minimum academic staffing 52 ratio of sixty-five full-time faculty members per one thousand full-time 53 equivalent students. This subdivision shall not be funded by student 54 fees created on or after the effective date of this subdivision. Any 55 faculty or staff hired through the assistance of federal funding or 56 private grants pursuant to this subdivision shall be treated and classi-A. 1727 4 1 fied as full-time public employees and covered under any collectively 2 bargained contracts in their respective bargaining units. The city 3 university shall utilize national searches to ensure recruitment of 4 diverse faculty from underrepresented racial, ethnic, and gender groups, 5 and prioritize the creation of full-time faculty positions for adjunct 6 faculty currently employed by the university in order to meet the mini- 7 mum academic staffing ratios described herein. The city university shall 8 report annually, on July first, to the chair of the senate finance 9 committee, the chair of the assembly ways and means committee, the chair 10 of the senate higher education committee, and the chair of the assembly 11 higher education committee. The report shall include, but not be limited 12 to, the following criteria: 13 a. data that indicates whether the city university is in compliance 14 with the mandatory minimum academic staffing ratios established pursuant 15 to this subdivision; 16 b. the number by campus, in the two thousand twenty-seven--two thou- 17 sand twenty-eight academic year and in the academic year in which the 18 report is prepared, of each full-time tenured faculty, full-time 19 tenure-track faculty, full-time non-tenure track faculty, including 20 those who may not have a faculty or academic job title but perform 21 instructional duties and number of faculty lines and unfilled faculty 22 positions; 23 c. the mean and median class size by campus in the two thousand twen- 24 ty-seven--two thousand twenty-eight academic year and in the academic 25 year in which the report is prepared, for full-time tenured faculty, 26 full-time tenure-track faculty, and full-time non-tenure track faculty 27 and instructional staff; 28 d. the mean and median class size by level for remedial one hundred 29 level introductory courses, and two hundred level mid-level courses and 30 above for completion of an associate degree and baccalaureate degree in 31 the two thousand twenty-seven--two thousand twenty-eight academic year 32 and in the academic year in which the report is prepared; 33 e. the number of part-time non-tenure track faculty in the two thou- 34 sand twenty-seven--two thousand twenty-eight academic year and in the 35 academic year in which the report is prepared, including those who may 36 not have a faculty or academic job title but perform instructional 37 duties, by campus; and 38 f. the mean and median class size by campus for part-time non-tenure 39 track faculty and instructional staff in the two thousand twenty-seven- 40 -two thousand twenty-eight academic year and in the academic year in 41 which the report is prepared. 42 26. Commencing in the two thousand twenty-seven--two thousand twenty- 43 eight academic year each community college and senior college of the 44 city university of New York shall maintain, at a minimum, a ratio of one 45 academic advisor per six hundred full-time equivalent students. Commenc- 46 ing in the two thousand twenty-eight--two thousand twenty-nine academic 47 year, the minimum staffing ratio for academic advisors at each community 48 college and senior college of the city university of New York shall be 49 one academic advisor per every four hundred full-time equivalent 50 students. Commencing in the two thousand twenty-nine--two thousand thir- 51 ty academic year, the minimum staffing ratio for academic advisors at 52 each community college and senior college of the city university of New 53 York shall be one academic advisor for every three hundred full-time 54 equivalent students. Commencing in the two thousand thirty--two thousand 55 thirty-one academic year, and every year thereafter, the minimum staff- 56 ing ratio for academic advisors at each community college and seniorA. 1727 5 1 college of the city university of New York shall be one academic advisor 2 for every two hundred fifty students. This subdivision shall not be 3 funded by student tuition or fees created on or after its effective 4 date. Community colleges and senior colleges in the city university of 5 New York may seek federal funding or private grants, if available, to 6 further expand and support the provisions of this subdivision. Any 7 faculty and staff hired through the assistance of federal funding or 8 private grants pursuant to this subdivision shall be treated and classi- 9 fied as full-time public employees and covered under any collectively 10 bargained contracts in their respective bargaining units. The city 11 university shall report annually on July first to the chair of the 12 senate finance committee, the chair of the assembly ways and means 13 committee, the chair of the senate higher education committee, and the 14 chair of the assembly higher education committee. The report shall 15 include, but not be limited to, the following criteria: 16 a. whether the city university is in compliance with the mandatory 17 minimum academic advisor staffing ratios established pursuant to this 18 subdivision; 19 b. the number of full-time academic advisors per campus, and number of 20 part-time academic advisors, including those who may not possess the 21 title academic advisor but are primarily employed to perform and carry 22 out the duties typically assigned to, and function as, an academic advi- 23 sor; and 24 c. the mean and median number of student advisees, per full-time and 25 part-time academic advisor per campus in the two thousand twenty-seven- 26 -two thousand twenty-eight academic year and in the academic year in 27 which the report is prepared. 28 § 5. The second undesignated paragraph of section 6220 of the educa- 29 tion law is amended by adding a new subparagraph 16-a to read as 30 follows: 31 16-a. Part-time and adjunct faculty shall receive wages and compen- 32 sation equal to those in the lecturer title of this section based on 33 comparable hours, duties and level of responsibility assigned to those 34 in the title of lecturer. Commensurate increases in wages and compen- 35 sation for adjunct faculty with professoriate titles shall correlate to 36 the appropriate professor, associate professor, and assistant professor 37 titles as bargained. 38 § 6. Section 22-c of the state finance law is amended by adding a new 39 subdivision 7 to read as follows: 40 7. For the fiscal year beginning on April first, two thousand twenty- 41 six and every fifth fiscal year thereafter, the governor shall submit to 42 the legislature as part of the annual executive budget, five-year capi- 43 tal plans for the state university of New York state operated campuses 44 and city university of New York senior colleges. Such plans shall 45 provide for the annual appropriation of capital funds to cover one 46 hundred percent of the annual critical maintenance needs identified by 47 each university system, and may include funds for new infrastructure or 48 other major capital initiatives, provided that such funding for new 49 infrastructure or other major capital initiatives shall not count 50 towards meeting the overall critical maintenance requirement. In the 51 event that such plan is unable to fund one hundred percent of the crit- 52 ical maintenance needs due to the limitation imposed by article five-B 53 of this chapter, the director of the budget shall develop five-year 54 capital plans whereby the implementation of each capital plan would 55 annually reduce the overall facility condition index for each university 56 system. For the purposes of this subdivision, "facility condition index"A. 1727 6 1 shall mean an industry benchmark that measures the ratio of deferred 2 maintenance dollars to replacement dollars for the purposes of analyzing 3 the effect of investing in facility improvements. The apportionment of 4 capital appropriations to each state-operated campus or senior college 5 shall be based on a methodology to be developed by the director of the 6 budget, in consultation with the state university of New York and the 7 city university of New York. 8 § 7. This act shall take effect immediately.
