Bill Text: NY A04809 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to punitive measures and the collection of student loans and suspension and revocation of tuition assistance awards for individuals found guilty of anti-Semitism.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-06 - referred to higher education [A04809 Detail]
Download: New_York-2025-A04809-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4809 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY February 6, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. E. BROWN -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Higher Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to punitive measures and the collection of student loans for individuals found guilty of anti- Semitism The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "anti-Semitism accountability and student loan repayment act". 3 § 2. Section 665 of the education law is amended by adding a new 4 subdivision 6-a to read as follows: 5 6-a. Students found guilty of anti-Semitism. a. If the recipient of an 6 award is found guilty of anti-Semitism by any administrative tribunal or 7 court of competent jurisdiction, including in disciplinary proceedings 8 brought by a higher education institution, the president shall suspend 9 further payments under the award until and unless the student shall 10 repay in full all existing student loans or other student financial aid 11 awarded pursuant to this article, and the president may revoke the award 12 if the recipient does not repay all existing student loans or other 13 student financial aid awarded pursuant to this article within a reason- 14 able time to be set by the commissioner. 15 b. The repayment required pursuant to paragraph a of this subdivision 16 shall not be deferred until after such recipient has completed the 17 program for which any such loan or award is made. 18 c. For the purposes of this subdivision, "anti-Semitism" shall mean: 19 (i) a violation of any state law, rule, or regulation or of title VI 20 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.) on the basis 21 of race, color, or national origin, based on an individual's actual or 22 perceived shared Jewish ancestry or Jewish ethnic characteristics; or 23 (ii) a practice that is defined as anti-Semitism as such term is 24 defined under the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance on May EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD07325-01-5A. 4809 2 1 twenty-sixth, two thousand sixteen, including contemporary examples of 2 anti-Semitism. 3 d. The president shall report all suspensions or revocations of loans 4 or awards pursuant to this subdivision to the department on an annual 5 basis. 6 § 3. Subdivision 7 of section 693 of the education law is amended by 7 adding a new paragraph (a-1) to read as follows: 8 (a-1) (i) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the 9 corporation shall be entitled to garnish the disposable pay of an indi- 10 vidual to collect the amount owed by the individual, if such individual 11 is found guilty of anti-Semitism by any administrative tribunal or court 12 of competent jurisdiction, including in disciplinary proceedings brought 13 by a higher education institution, provided that: 14 (A) The amount deducted for any pay period does not exceed fifteen 15 percent of disposable pay. However, the amount deducted for any period 16 may exceed fifteen percent with the written consent of the individual; 17 (B) Prior to garnishment, the individual shall have been given thirty 18 days written notice to the individual's last known address advising such 19 individual of the nature of the obligation, amount of the loan obli- 20 gation, the corporation's intent to garnish and an explanation of the 21 individual's rights under this section including the right to inspect 22 and copy records relating to the debt; and 23 (C) The individual shall have been given an opportunity within such 24 thirty-day period to enter into a written repayment agreement with the 25 corporation to avoid garnishment of wages. 26 (ii) For the purposes of this paragraph, "anti-Semitism" shall mean: 27 (A) a violation of any state law, rule, or regulation or of title VI 28 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.) on the basis 29 of race, color, or national origin, based on an individual's actual or 30 perceived shared Jewish ancestry or Jewish ethnic characteristics; or 31 (B) a practice that is defined as anti-Semitism as such term is 32 defined under the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance on May 33 twenty-sixth, two thousand sixteen, including contemporary examples of 34 anti-Semitism. 35 (iii) The corporation shall report all instances of wage garnishment 36 conducted pursuant to this paragraph to the department on an annual 37 basis. 38 § 4. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivi- 39 sion, section or part of this act shall be adjudged by any court of 40 competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, 41 impair, or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in 42 its operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section 43 or part thereof directly involved in the controversy in which such judg- 44 ment shall have been rendered. It is hereby declared to be the intent of 45 the legislature that this act would have been enacted even if such 46 invalid provisions had not been included herein. 47 § 5. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 48 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 49 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 50 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 51 completed on or before such effective date.
