Bill Text: NY S07317 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Requires at least a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per one thousand students on all SUNY and CUNY campuses and for state colleges and universities to update such ratio every five years.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-17 - REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION [S07317 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S07317-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7317

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 17, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sen. GOUNARDES -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education

        AN  ACT  to amend the education law, in relation to requiring at least a
          ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per  one
          thousand students on all SUNY and CUNY campuses

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

     1    Section 1. Section 355 of the education law is amended by adding a new
     2  subdivision 20 to read as follows:
     3    20. Through on-campus  capacity,  each  state  college  or  university
     4  center  of  the  state university of New York and each state college and
     5  university center of the city university of New York shall have at least
     6  a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per  one
     7  thousand  full-time  equivalent  students. Two years after the effective
     8  date of this subdivision, and once every  five  years  thereafter,  each
     9  state  college  and  university  shall establish a board of advisors and
    10  experts and have such board update such ratio based on actual ratios  in
    11  this state and any new information related to appropriate benchmarks for
    12  clinician-to-student ratios; provided, however, such updated ratio shall
    13  be  at  least  a  ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff
    14  member per one thousand students. This subdivision shall not  be  funded
    15  by  student fees created on or after the effective date of this subdivi-
    16  sion. State colleges or universities may seek federal funding or private
    17  grants, if available, to support the provisions of this subdivision.
    18    § 2. Section 6206 of the education law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
    19  subdivision 20 to read as follows:
    20    20.  Through  on-campus  capacity,  each  state  college or university
    21  center of the state university of New York and each  state  college  and
    22  university center of the city university of New York shall have at least
    23  a  ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per one
    24  thousand full-time equivalent students. Two years  after  the  effective
    25  date  of  this  subdivision,  and once every five years thereafter, each
    26  state college and university shall establish a  board  of  advisors  and
    27  experts  and have such board update such ratio based on actual ratios in

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14720-02-0

        S. 7317                             2

     1  this state and any new information related to appropriate benchmarks for
     2  clinician-to-student ratios; provided, however, such updated ratio shall
     3  be at least a ratio of one clinical,  non-student  mental  health  staff
     4  member  per  one thousand students. This subdivision shall not be funded
     5  by student fees created on or after the effective date of this  subdivi-
     6  sion. State colleges or universities may seek federal funding or private
     7  grants, if available, to support the provisions of this subdivision.
     8    §  3.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
     9  the date on which it shall have become a law.
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