Senate Bill S4847

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  4847

                       2009-2010 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                             April 27, 2009
                               ___________

Introduced  by Sen. STAVISKY -- 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 enacting  the  "higher
  education community service act"

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1.   Legislative findings. The legislature  hereby  finds  and
declares  that  the American tradition of volunteer community service is
essential to the common good and is vital to the success    of  not-for-
profit  agencies,  institutions  and  organizations  dealing with a vast
array of critical social problems. It recognizes growing support for the
idea that postsecondary students should receive recognition for substan-
tial commitment to  volunteer  service,  and  should  be  given  greater
encouragement  to participate in volunteer community service activities.
Volunteers and volunteer programs should be praised for their efforts in
helping and serving others, which result  in  changes  in  the  way  the
community  views  young  people  and  in the way young people view their
responsibilities to the community.
  The legislature further declares its desire to promote  further  inte-
gration  of  community  service  at  institutions of higher education by
encouraging student-initiated and student-designated  community  service
projects.
  S  2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 319 to read
as follows:
  S 319. HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY SERVICE ACT. 1. SHORT TITLE.    THIS
SECTION  SHALL BE KNOWN AND MAY BE CITED AS THE "HIGHER EDUCATION COMMU-
NITY SERVICE ACT".
  2. ESTABLISHMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY SERVICE ACT.  THERE  IS
HEREBY  ESTABLISHED  A  HIGHER  EDUCATION  COMMUNITY SERVICE ACT FOR THE
PURPOSE OF PROMOTING AND RECOGNIZING VOLUNTEER  SERVICE  INVOLVEMENT  BY

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD05065-01-9

              

S. 4847                             2

STUDENTS  IN  HIGHER  EDUCATION.  ACTIVITIES  CONDUCTED UNDER THE HIGHER
EDUCATION COMMUNITY SERVICE ACT SHALL INCLUDE:
  A.  A CAMPUS BASED SCREENING PROCESS TO IDENTIFY AND NOMINATE SUCCESS-
FUL AND PROMISING COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES FOR  RECOG-
NITION;
  B.  IDENTIFICATION  OF  EXISTING  QUALITY  COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAMS,
PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES INVOLVING POSTSECONDARY STUDENTS THAT PRODUCE A
SENSE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY;
  C. INCENTIVES FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, STUDENTS AND OTHER
MEMBERS OF THE COLLEGE COMMUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN LONG  TERM  COMMUNITY
SERVICE PROGRAMS;
  D.  ENCOURAGEMENT OF INSTITUTIONS TO FORMULATE A SYSTEMATIC PROCESS TO
DISSEMINATE INFORMATION CONCERNING PROSPECTIVE VOLUNTEER PROJECTS TO THE
PARTICIPANTS OF GENERAL VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS ON OR OFF CAMPUS;
  E. ESTABLISHMENT OF A FOUNDATION TO RECEIVE PRIVATE FUNDS TO  BE  USED
TO PROMOTE A WIDE VARIETY OF SERVICE RELATED PROJECTS; AND
  F.  ESTABLISHMENT OF A THREE-YEAR PROGRAM OF IMPLEMENTATION, INCLUDING
PILOT PROGRAMS AND ONGOING REVIEW AND EVALUATION.
  3. COUNCIL FOR HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY SERVICE. A.  A  COUNCIL  FOR
HIGHER  EDUCATION  COMMUNITY  SERVICE  SHALL  BE  ESTABLISHED WITHIN THE
DEPARTMENT FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONDUCTING  ACTIVITIES  PURSUANT  TO  THIS
SECTION.  THE  COUNCIL  SHALL BE COMPOSED OF ELEVEN MEMBERS, ONE OF WHOM
SHALL BE  THE  COMMISSIONER,  EX-OFFICIO,  AND  TEN  OF  WHOM  SHALL  BE
APPOINTED  BY  THE  GOVERNOR: TWO ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE TEMPORARY
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, TWO ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SPEAKER OF THE
ASSEMBLY, ONE ON THE  RECOMMENDATION  OF  THE  MINORITY  LEADER  OF  THE
SENATE,  AND  ONE  ON  THE  RECOMMENDATION OF THE MINORITY LEADER OF THE
ASSEMBLY. SUCH  MEMBERS  SHALL  INCLUDE  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE  STATE
UNIVERSITY, CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AND THE INDEPENDENT COLLEGES AND
UNIVERSITIES  OF NEW YORK. TWO OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS SHALL BE STUDENTS,
SELECTED BY THE GOVERNOR WITH THE ADVICE AND CONSENT OF THE SENATE.  THE
COUNCIL  SHALL  SELECT FROM AMONG ITS APPOINTED MEMBERS A CHAIR AND VICE
CHAIR WHO SHALL SERVE IN OFFICE FOR TERMS OF ONE YEAR AND WHO  SHALL  BE
ELIGIBLE FOR REELECTION FOR SUCCESSIVE TERMS.
  B.  THE  COUNCIL  SHALL MEET AT LEAST FOUR TIMES EACH YEAR. MEMBERS OF
THE COUNCIL SHALL RECEIVE NO COMPENSATION FOR THEIR SERVICES  BUT  SHALL
BE  REIMBURSED  BY THE HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY SERVICE FOUNDATION FOR
REASONABLE EXPENSES ACTUALLY AND NECESSARILY INCURRED  BY  THEM  IN  THE
PERFORMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION.
  4.  PETITIONING  BY  COUNCIL. THE COUNCIL SHALL, WITHIN NINETY DAYS OF
ITS APPOINTMENT, PETITION THE REGENTS TO INCORPORATE AS A PRIVATE,  NOT-
FOR-PROFIT  EDUCATION CORPORATION UNDER THIS CHAPTER, THE NEW YORK FOUN-
DATION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY SERVICE, TO RECEIVE  FUNDS  TO  BE
USED  AS  REQUESTED  BY THE COUNCIL TO SUPPORT AND ADMINISTER ACTIVITIES
AUTHORIZED IN THIS SECTION, AND OTHER PROJECTS THAT ENCOURAGE AND ASSIST
COMMUNITY SERVICE ACTIVITIES.
  5.  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  VOLUNTEER  CONNECTIONS.  THE  COMMISSIONER,  IN
CONSULTATION WITH THE CHANCELLOR OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY, THE CHANCELLOR
OF  THE  CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE COMMISSION
ON INDEPENDENT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES  SHALL  DEVELOP  A  PROGRAM  TO
ESTABLISH EFFECTIVE VOLUNTEER CONNECTIONS BETWEEN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER
EDUCATION AND THEIR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES.
  6. RECOGNITION OF EXEMPLARY SERVICE PROGRAMS. A. THE COUNCIL ON HIGHER
EDUCATION  COMMUNITY  SERVICE  SHALL  DEVELOP  A  PROGRAM OF IDENTIFYING
PROGRAMS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE BY COLLEGE STUDENTS FOR  SPECIAL  RECOGNI-
TION.

S. 4847                             3

  B.  THE COUNCIL SHALL SELECT PARTICIPANTS AND PROGRAMS FOR LEGISLATIVE
RECOGNITION, PUBLISH THE DESIGNATED VOLUNTEERS OF EXEMPLARY PROGRAMS  IN
A  VOLUNTEER  HONOR ROLL AND REVIEW AND RECOMMEND OTHER FORMS OF SUPPORT
AND/OR INCENTIVES TO ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO CONTINUE  TO  PARTICIPATE  IN
COMMUNITY SERVICE THROUGHOUT THEIR ACADEMIC CAREERS AND LATER IN LIFE.
  C.  THE COUNCIL, IN COOPERATION WITH THE LEGISLATURE, SHALL SPONSOR AN
ANNUAL CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON CRITICAL ISSUES FACING COMMUNITIES IN  THE
STATE WHICH COULD BE ASSISTED BY VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS.
  D.  AWARDS  TO  SELECTED  VOLUNTEER  PROGRAMS  SHALL  BE  MADE BY, AND
PROVIDED FROM  FUNDS DERIVED FROM, THE NEW YORK HIGHER EDUCATION  COMMU-
NITY SERVICE FOUNDATION, A PRIVATE NON-PROFIT FOUNDATION PURSUANT TO THE
PROVISIONS  OF THIS SECTION. ALL AWARDS SHALL BE ACCOMPANIED BY A COMME-
MORATIVE PLAQUE.
  E. THE COUNCIL SHALL OVERSEE THE CREATION OF A STATEWIDE POSTSECONDARY
COMMUNITY SERVICE CENTER TO DISSEMINATE INFORMATION REGARDING   EXISTING
VOLUNTEER  ACTIVITIES,  MAKE  VOLUNTEER CONNECTIONS BETWEEN STUDENTS AND
THE COMMUNITIES, INTEGRATE PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY SERVICE INTO THE CURRIC-
ULUM, PROVIDE GUIDANCE AND COORDINATION, MONITOR AND EVALUATE  VOLUNTEER
PROGRAMS  AND  ACTIVITIES  AND  PROMOTE  THE  CONTINUATION OF PUBLIC AND
COMMUNITY SERVICE.
  F. THE COUNCIL SHALL REPORT BY SEPTEMBER FIRST EACH YEAR TO THE GOVER-
NOR, THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEM-
BLY ON THE PROGRESS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS SECTION, WITH  RECOMMENDA-
TIONS FOR FUTURE ACTIVITIES.
  S  3.  This  act  shall  take  effect  on  the first of September next
succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.