Bill Text: NY A04018 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Provides a recruitment incentive and scholarship program for certain active members of New York volunteer fire departments.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - referred to higher education [A04018 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A04018-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          4018

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 1, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M. of A. ABINANTI, BUTTENSCHON -- 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 providing a  recruitment  incentive  and  scholarship  program  for
          certain active members of New York volunteer fire departments

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section  669-c
     2  to read as follows:
     3    §  669-c.  New  York state volunteer firefighter recruitment incentive
     4  program scholarship. 1. Purpose. The New York state volunteer firefight-
     5  er recruitment incentive program scholarship (NY-VFR) is  hereby  estab-
     6  lished for the purpose of granting incentive scholarship awards to state
     7  residents who are active members of a local volunteer fire department.
     8    2.  Eligibility. A NY-VFR scholarship award shall be made to an appli-
     9  cant who:
    10    (a) is a resident of the state of New York;
    11    (b) is an active member of his or her local volunteer fire department;
    12    (c) is matriculated in an approved program leading to an undergraduate
    13  degree at a New York state public institution of higher education; and
    14    (d) is enrolled:
    15    (i) for full-time study, in at least twelve credits per  semester  and
    16  completes  at  least  thirty  combined  credits  per  year following the
    17  student's start date, or  its  equivalent,  applicable  to  his  or  her
    18  program  or programs of full-time study, except in limited circumstances
    19  as prescribed by the corporation in regulation; or
    20    (ii) for part-time study, in at least six  credits  per  semester  and
    21  completes  at  least  fifteen  combined  credits  per year following the
    22  student's start date, or  its  equivalent,  applicable  to  his  or  her
    23  program  or programs of part-time study, except in limited circumstances
    24  as prescribed by the corporation in regulation.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01760-01-1

        A. 4018                             2

     1    (iii) Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraphs (i) and (ii)  of
     2  this  paragraph, in the student's last semester, a full-time student may
     3  take at least one course needed to meet his or her  graduation  require-
     4  ments  and  enroll  in  and complete at least twelve credit hours or its
     5  equivalent  and  a part-time student may take at least one course needed
     6  to meet his or her graduation requirements and enroll in and complete at
     7  least six credit hours or its equivalent.
     8    3. Amount. (a) Within  amounts  appropriated  therefor  and  based  on
     9  availability of funds, NY-VFR scholarship awards shall be granted begin-
    10  ning with the two thousand twenty-two--two thousand twenty-three academ-
    11  ic year and thereafter to applicants that the corporation has determined
    12  are eligible to receive such awards.
    13    (b) For full-time students, the corporation shall grant such awards in
    14  an  amount  up  to five thousand five hundred dollars or actual tuition,
    15  whichever is less. For part-time students, the corporation  shall  grant
    16  such  awards in an amount up to two thousand seven hundred fifty dollars
    17  or actual tuition, whichever is less. All  awards  are  subject  to  the
    18  provisions of paragraph (c) of this subdivision.
    19    (c)  (i) A student who receives educational grants and/or scholarships
    20  that cover the student's full cost of attendance shall not  be  eligible
    21  for an award under this program.
    22    (ii) An award under this program shall be applied to tuition after the
    23  application  of  payments  received under the tuition assistance program
    24  pursuant to section six hundred sixty-seven  of  this  subpart,  tuition
    25  credits  pursuant  to section six hundred eighty-nine-a of this article,
    26  federal Pell grant pursuant to section one  thousand  seventy  of  title
    27  twenty  of  the United States code, et. seq., and any other program that
    28  covers  the  cost  of  attendance  unless  exclusively  for  non-tuition
    29  expenses,  and  the  award  under  this  program shall be reduced in the
    30  amount equal to such payments, provided that the  combined  benefits  do
    31  not exceed five thousand five hundred dollars for full-time study or two
    32  thousand seven hundred fifty dollars for part-time study.
    33    (d)  Upon notification of an award under this program, the institution
    34  shall defer the corresponding amount of tuition.  Notwithstanding  para-
    35  graph h of subdivision two of section three hundred fifty-five and para-
    36  graph  (a)  of subdivision seven of section six thousand two hundred six
    37  of this chapter, and any other law, rule or regulation to the  contrary,
    38  the undergraduate tuition charged by the institution to recipients of an
    39  award  shall  not exceed the tuition rate established by the institution
    40  for the two thousand twenty-two--two thousand twenty-three academic year
    41  provided, however, that in the two thousand  twenty-seven--two  thousand
    42  twenty-eight  academic  year and every four years thereafter, the under-
    43  graduate tuition charged by the institution to recipients  of  an  award
    44  shall  be reset to equal the tuition rate established by the institution
    45  for the forthcoming academic year, provided  further  that  the  tuition
    46  credit  calculated pursuant to section six hundred eighty-nine-a of this
    47  article shall be applied toward the tuition rate charged for  recipients
    48  of  an award under this program. Provided further that the state univer-
    49  sity of New York and the city university of New York  shall  provide  an
    50  additional  tuition  credit  to students receiving an award to cover the
    51  remaining cost of tuition.
    52    4. Duration. (a) An eligible recipient shall not receive an award  for
    53  more  than  four academic years of full-time undergraduate study or five
    54  academic years if the program of study normally requires five years.  An
    55  eligible  recipient  enrolled  in  an eligible two year program of study

        A. 4018                             3

     1  shall not receive an award for more than two academic years of full-time
     2  academic study.
     3    (b)  An  eligible  recipient  shall not receive an award for more than
     4  eight academic years of part-time undergraduate study  or  ten  academic
     5  years if the program of study normally requires ten years to complete on
     6  a  part-time  basis.  An  eligible recipient enrolled in an eligible two
     7  year program of study shall not receive an  award  for  more  than  four
     8  academic years of part-time undergraduate study.
     9    (c)  Notwithstanding  the provisions of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this
    10  subdivision, such duration may be extended for an allowable interruption
    11  of study including, but not  limited  to,  death  of  a  family  member,
    12  medical  leave,  military service, and parental leave, as established by
    13  the corporation in regulation.
    14    5. Application. An applicant for NY-VFR scholarship award shall:
    15    (a) complete the admissions process, be accepted into and  matriculate
    16  in  an approved program leading to an undergraduate degree at a New York
    17  state public institution of higher education;
    18    (b) complete the membership process and be accepted into and join  his
    19  or her local volunteer fire department;
    20    (c)  for each semester for which an award is sought, complete a NY-VFR
    21  Scholarship Award Volunteer Service  Commitment  Form,  have  such  form
    22  signed  by  the  chief  of the volunteer fire department and submit such
    23  form to the corporation. Such form shall be in a form acceptable to  the
    24  corporation  and  shall  indicate  the  course of study the applicant is
    25  pursuing and whether the applicant is a full-time or part-time  student;
    26  and
    27    (d)  execute  an  award conversion agreement, as described in subpara-
    28  graph (ii) of paragraph (e) of subdivision six of this section.
    29    6. Conditions. (a) An applicant who would be eligible for a  New  York
    30  state  tuition  assistance program award pursuant to section six hundred
    31  sixty-seven of this subpart and/or a  federal  Pell  grant  pursuant  to
    32  section  one thousand seventy of title twenty of the United States code,
    33  et. seq., is required to apply for each such award.
    34    (b) An applicant who has earned a bachelor's degree is  ineligible  to
    35  receive an award pursuant to this section.
    36    (c) An applicant who has earned an associate's degree is ineligible to
    37  receive  an  award  for  a  two  year  program of study pursuant to this
    38  section.
    39    (d) Notwithstanding paragraph c of subdivision  four  of  section  six
    40  hundred  sixty-one of this part, a school shall certify that a recipient
    41  has achieved a grade point average necessary for  successful  completion
    42  of his or her coursework to receive payment under the award.
    43    (e)  (i)  A  recipient  shall  agree to reside exclusively in New York
    44  state and provide a year of service to his or her local  volunteer  fire
    45  department for a continuous number of years equal to the duration of the
    46  award  received. Such service will commence within six months of receipt
    47  of the recipient's final award payment; provided, however, that  if  the
    48  recipient  has  provided  service  to  his  or  her local volunteer fire
    49  department as a full-time or part-time active member  during  all  or  a
    50  part  of  the  period  that he or she was receiving an award pursuant to
    51  this section, such service shall  be  credited  toward  the  recipient's
    52  service  requirement.  For  purposes  of this subparagraph, two years of
    53  part-time service shall be the  equivalent  of  one  year  of  full-time
    54  service.
    55    (ii)  The  service  obligations  described  in  this  subdivision  are
    56  required of each recipient of  an  award,  regardless  of  whether  such

        A. 4018                             4

     1  recipient  has  completed  his  or  her degree. A recipient shall sign a
     2  contract with the corporation to have his or her award, in  full  or  in
     3  part,  converted  to a student loan according to a schedule to be deter-
     4  mined  by  the  corporation  if such student fails to fulfill his or her
     5  service requirement as described in subparagraph (i) of this paragraph.
     6    (iii) The terms and conditions of this paragraph may,  as  established
     7  by  the  rules  and  regulations of the corporation, be deferred: (A) to
     8  complete undergraduate study; or (B) to attend  graduate  school  on  at
     9  least a half-time basis.
    10    (iv) Any obligation to comply with the service requirement as outlined
    11  in  this  paragraph  may  be  cancelled upon the death of the recipient.
    12  Notwithstanding any provisions of this paragraph to  the  contrary,  the
    13  corporation is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to provide
    14  for  the  waiver  or  suspension  of any financial obligation or service
    15  requirement which would involve extreme hardship.
    16    (f) A recipient shall be ineligible for additional awards if:
    17    (i) such recipient who ceases to be an active member  of  his  or  her
    18  local  volunteer fire department, unless such cessation is temporary and
    19  due to circumstances beyond his or her  control  as  determined  by  the
    20  corporation;
    21    (ii)  such  recipient  who fails to meet acceptable volunteer activity
    22  levels as determined by his or her local volunteer fire department;
    23    (iii) such recipient who quits or forfeits membership in or is  termi-
    24  nated or expelled from his or her volunteer fire department.
    25    7.  Recipient  selection. The president may establish: (a) an applica-
    26  tion deadline and (b) a method of selecting recipients if in  any  given
    27  year  there  are insufficient funds to cover the needs of all the appli-
    28  cants provided that priority shall be given to eligible  applicants  who
    29  are currently in attendance at a public institution of higher education.
    30    8.  Rules and regulations. The corporation is authorized to promulgate
    31  rules and regulations, and may promulgate emergency regulations,  neces-
    32  sary for the implementation of the provisions of this section including,
    33  but  not limited to, the criteria for distributing the awards, which may
    34  include a lottery or other form of random selection.
    35    9. Definitions. As used in this section:
    36    (a) "Active member" shall mean a member of a volunteer fire department
    37  who:
    38    (i) meets his or her  local  volunteer  fire  department's  membership
    39  requirements;
    40    (ii)  has  been  accepted into his or her local volunteer fire depart-
    41  ment; and
    42    (iii) fulfills the established service  requirements  of  his  or  her
    43  local volunteer fire department.
    44    (b)  "Volunteer  fire  department"  means a volunteer fire department,
    45  volunteer fire company or volunteer fire district that is  a  member  of
    46  the Fireman's Association of the State of New York.
    47    (c)  "Chief  of  the  fire department" means any person serving in the
    48  highest operations  or  administrative  capacity  in  a  volunteer  fire
    49  department.
    50    (e)  "Part-time  study" means enrollment in an approved post-secondary
    51  degree program for at least six but less than twelve semester hours.
    52    (f) "Resident" means a person  whose  principal  domicile  is  located
    53  within New York state in excess of one hundred eighty-six days per year.
    54    §  2.  Section  604  of  the  education law is amended by adding a new
    55  subdivision 13 to read as follows:

        A. 4018                             5

     1    13. A New  York  state  volunteer  firefighter  recruitment  incentive
     2  program scholarship pursuant to section six hundred sixty-nine-c of this
     3  title.
     4    §  3. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 91-e to
     5  read as follows:
     6    § 91-e. New York state  volunteer  firefighter  recruitment  incentive
     7  program  scholarship  fund.  1. There is hereby established in the joint
     8  custody of the state comptroller and the commissioner  of  taxation  and
     9  finance an account in the miscellaneous special revenue fund to be known
    10  as  the  New  York  state  volunteer  firefighter  recruitment incentive
    11  program scholarship fund.
    12    2. Such fund shall consist of  all  revenues  received  from  contrib-
    13  utions,  donations and all other moneys appropriated, credited or trans-
    14  ferred thereto from any other fund or source pursuant to law.
    15    3. Moneys of the fund, following appropriation by the legislature  may
    16  be  expended  for  the  New York state volunteer firefighter recruitment
    17  incentive program scholarship program established  pursuant  to  section
    18  six  hundred sixty-nine-c of the education law. Moneys shall be paid out
    19  of the fund on the audit and warrant of the state comptroller on  vouch-
    20  ers certified or approved by the commissioner of education.
    21    §  4.  The commissioner of education shall report on the operation and
    22  subsequent effectiveness of the program created by this  act,  one  year
    23  after  it shall have become a law and annually thereafter, to the gover-
    24  nor, temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the
    25  minority leader of the senate and the minority leader of the assembly.
    26    § 5. This act shall take effect January 1, 2022.
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