Bill Text: NY S03043 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to high school equivalency diplomas.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO EDUCATION [S03043 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-S03043-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3043 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN SENATE February 1, 2019 ___________ Introduced by Sen. SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, the state finance law, the public health law, the social services law, the correction law, the adminis- trative code of the city of New York and the civil service law, in relation to high school equivalency diplomas 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 317-a 2 to read as follows: 3 § 317-a. High school equivalency exams. No fee shall be established 4 for admission to any exam that would award a high school equivalency 5 diploma or its equivalent, as determined by the commissioner. 6 § 2. Clause (ii) of subparagraph 8 of paragraph h of subdivision 2 of 7 section 355 of the education law, as added by chapter 327 of the laws of 8 2002, is amended to read as follows: 9 (ii) attended an approved New York state program for [general] high 10 school equivalency diploma exam preparation, received a [general] high 11 school equivalency diploma issued within New York state and applied for 12 attendance at an institution or educational unit of the state university 13 within five years of receiving a [general] high school equivalency 14 diploma issued within New York state; or 15 § 3. Subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (a-1) of subdivision 7 of section 16 6206 of the education law, as amended by chapter 260 of the laws of 17 2011, is amended to read as follows: 18 (ii) attended an approved New York state program for [general] high 19 school equivalency diploma exam preparation, received a [general] high 20 school equivalency diploma issued within New York state and applied for 21 attendance at an institution or educational unit of the city university 22 within five years of receiving a [general] high school equivalency 23 diploma issued within New York state; or EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD09177-01-9S. 3043 2 1 § 4. Subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 7 of section 2 6206 of the education law, as amended by chapter 327 of the laws of 3 2002, is amended to read as follows: 4 (ii) attended an approved New York state program for [general] high 5 school equivalency diploma exam preparation, received a [general] high 6 school equivalency diploma issued within New York state and applied for 7 attendance at an institution or educational unit of the city university 8 within five years of receiving a [general] high school equivalency 9 diploma issued within New York state; or 10 § 5. Paragraph (ii) of subdivision 5 of section 6301 of the education 11 law, as amended by chapter 327 of the laws of 2002, is amended to read 12 as follows: 13 (ii) attended an approved New York state program for [general] high 14 school equivalency diploma exam preparation, received a [general] high 15 school equivalency diploma issued within New York state and applied for 16 attendance at an institution or educational unit of the state university 17 within five years of receiving a [general] high school equivalency 18 diploma issued within New York state; or 19 § 6. Subdivisions 2 and 3 of section 97-hhh of the state finance law, 20 as added by section 84 of part A of chapter 436 of the laws of 1997, are 21 amended to read as follows: 22 2. Notwithstanding any other law, rule or regulation to the contrary, 23 the state comptroller is hereby authorized and directed to receive for 24 deposit to the credit of the high school equivalency account, fees 25 established by the commissioner of education and approved by the direc- 26 tor of the budget to supplement administration of [the general educa-27tional development tests] high school equivalency exams for the high 28 school equivalency diploma. 29 3. Moneys of this account, following appropriation by the legislature, 30 shall be available to the state education department for services and 31 expenses related to the administration of [the general educational32development tests] high school equivalency exams for the high school 33 equivalency diploma. 34 § 7. Subdivision 4 of section 2807-g of the public health law, as 35 added by chapter 1 of the laws of 1999, is amended to read as follows: 36 4. Eligible programs shall include programs which provide one or more 37 of the following services in connection with training an eligible worker 38 to: (i) obtain a new position, (ii) continue to meet the requirements of 39 an existing position, or (iii) otherwise meet the requirements of the 40 changing health care industry: (a) assessments to help determine train- 41 ing needs; (b) remediation, including preparation in English for speak- 42 ers or writers of other languages, instruction in basic reading or math- 43 ematics, or completion of requirements for a [general] high school 44 equivalency diploma [(GED)]; (c) basic skills development; (d) reorien- 45 tation; and (e) skills and educational enhancement, including, where 46 appropriate, the provision of college level or college degree course 47 work. To the extent that an eligible program is providing services to 48 train eligible workers to obtain a new position or to continue to meet 49 the requirements of an existing position only, reimbursement shall also 50 be available to an eligible organization for the actual cost of any 51 employment or employment-related expenses incurred by the eligible 52 organization in fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of such 53 employees while they are engaged in such training programs. 54 § 8. Paragraph (k) of subdivision 1 of section 336 of the social 55 services law, as added by section 148 of part B of chapter 436 of the 56 laws of 1997, is amended to read as follows:S. 3043 3 1 (k) satisfactory attendance at secondary school or a course of study 2 leading to a certificate of [general] high school equivalency in the 3 case of a recipient who has not completed secondary school or received 4 such certificate; 5 § 9. The opening paragraph of subparagraph (iv) of paragraph (d) of 6 subdivision 1 of section 803 of the correction law, as added by section 7 7 of chapter 738 of the laws of 2004, is amended to read as follows: 8 Such merit time allowance may be granted when an inmate successfully 9 participates in the work and treatment program assigned pursuant to 10 section eight hundred five of this article and when such inmate obtains 11 a [general] high school equivalency diploma, an alcohol and substance 12 abuse treatment certificate, a vocational trade certificate following at 13 least six months of vocational programming or performs at least four 14 hundred hours of service as part of a community work crew. 15 § 10. The opening paragraph of subparagraph (iv) of paragraph (d) of 16 subdivision 1 of section 803 of the correction law, as added by section 17 10-a of chapter 738 of the laws of 2004, is amended to read as follows: 18 Such merit time allowance may be granted when an inmate successfully 19 participates in the work and treatment program assigned pursuant to 20 section eight hundred five of this article and when such inmate obtains 21 a [general] high school equivalency diploma, an alcohol and substance 22 abuse treatment certificate, a vocational trade certificate following at 23 least six months of vocational programming or performs at least four 24 hundred hours of service as part of a community work crew. 25 § 11. Subdivision 19 of section 2 of the correction law, as amended by 26 chapter 63 of the laws of 1994, is amended to read as follows: 27 19. "Vocational and skills training facility" means a correctional 28 facility designated by the commissioner to provide a vocational and 29 skills training program ("VAST") to inmates who need such service before 30 they participate in a work release program. The VAST facility shall 31 provide intensive assessment, counseling, job search assistance and 32 where appropriate academic and vocational instruction to program partic- 33 ipants. Such assistance may include an assessment of any inmate's educa- 34 tion attainment level and skills aptitudes; career counseling and explo- 35 ration; the development of a comprehensive instructional plan including 36 identification of educational and training needs that may extend beyond 37 the date of entry into work release; instructional programs including 38 [GED] high school equivalency exam preparation or post-secondary 39 instruction as appropriate; occupational skills training; life skills 40 training; employment readiness including workplace behavior; and job 41 search assistance. The department and the department of labor shall 42 jointly develop activities providing career counseling, job search 43 assistance, and job placement services for participants. Nothing 44 contained in this section shall be deemed to modify the eligibility 45 requirements provided by law applicable to inmates participating in a 46 work release program. 47 § 12. Subdivision c of section 3-209 of the administrative code of the 48 city of New York, as added by local law number 34 of the city of New 49 York for the year 2004, is amended to read as follows: 50 c. Registration of graduating seniors. The department of education of 51 the city of New York shall provide a postage paid board of elections of 52 the city of New York voter registration form to each graduating student 53 who receives a high school diploma, including but not limited to a 54 Regents, local, [general] high school equivalency or Individualized 55 Education Program diploma. The department shall deliver such voterS. 3043 4 1 registration form to each graduating student at the same time and in the 2 same manner as it delivers diplomas to each such student. 3 § 13. Subdivision b of section 21-703 of the administrative code of 4 the city of New York, as added by local law number 23 of the city of New 5 York for the year 2003, is amended to read as follows: 6 b. If an applicant, recipient or participant who is eligible for 7 education or training as set forth in subdivision c of this section 8 expresses an intention or preference to the agency to enroll in educa- 9 tion, training or vocational rehabilitation, or if an applicant's, 10 recipient's or participant's assessment indicates that he or she lacks 11 basic literacy, a secondary school diploma, or a [general] high school 12 equivalency diploma [(GED)] or otherwise indicates that education, 13 training or vocational rehabilitation would enhance the individual's 14 ability to obtain and maintain employment, then the agency shall offer 15 such applicant, recipient or participant the opportunity to enroll in an 16 approved program or programs, provided that such approved program or 17 programs can be classified as countable work activities. 18 § 14. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 1 of section 58 of the civil 19 service law, as amended by chapter 244 of the laws of 2013, is amended 20 to read as follows: 21 (b) he or she is a high school graduate or a holder of a high school 22 equivalency diploma issued by an education department of any of the 23 states of the United States or a holder of a comparable diploma issued 24 by any commonwealth, territory or possession of the United States or by 25 the Canal Zone or a holder of a report from the United States armed 26 forces certifying his or her successful completion of a high school 27 equivalency exam or the tests of general educational development, high 28 school level; 29 § 15. Severability. The provisions of this act shall be severable, and 30 if the application of any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, 31 section or part of this act to any person or circumstance shall be 32 adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such 33 judgement shall not necessarily affect, impair or invalidate the appli- 34 cation of any such clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section, 35 part of this act or remainder thereof, as the case may be, to any other 36 person or circumstance, but shall be confined in its operation to the 37 clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section or part thereof 38 directly involved in the controversy in which such judgment shall have 39 been rendered. 40 § 16. This act shall take effect January 1, 2020; provided, however, 41 that the amendments to paragraph (a-1) of subdivision 7 of section 6206 42 of the education law made by section three of this act shall be subject 43 to the expiration of such paragraph pursuant to section 16 of chapter 44 260 of the laws of 2011, as amended; provided further, that section four 45 of this act shall take effect on the same date as the reversion of para- 46 graph (a) of subdivision 7 of section 6206 of the education law as 47 provided in section 16 of chapter 260 of the laws of 2011, as amended; 48 and provided, further, that the amendments to subparagraph (iv) of para- 49 graph (d) of subdivision 1 of section 803 of the correction law made by 50 section nine of this act shall be subject to the expiration and rever- 51 sion of such section, when upon such date the provisions of section ten 52 of this act shall take effect.
