S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3774
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 31, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. ORTIZ, COLTON, COOK, LENTOL, RIVERA, O'DONNELL,
   WRIGHT -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M.  of  A.  SIMON  --  read  once  and
   referred to the Committee on Higher Education
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the education law, in relation to the state university
   of New York veteran fee waiver program

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 669-i
 to read as follows:
   § 669-I. VETERAN FEE WAIVER PROGRAM. 1. ELIGIBLE STUDENTS.    STUDENTS
 MUST MEET ALL THE REQUIREMENTS OF AT LEAST ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PLANS:
   (A) PLAN A. THE STUDENT MUST BE THE SPOUSE, CHILD OR UNMARRIED SURVIV-
 ING SPOUSE OF A VETERAN WHO IS TOTALLY SERVICE CONNECTED DISABLED OR WHO
 DIED OF SERVICE RELATED CAUSES. THE CHILD MUST BE LESS THAN TWENTY-SEVEN
 YEARS  OF AGE TO RECEIVE THE FEE WAIVER BUT MAY BE UP TO THIRTY YEARS OF
 AGE IF THE CHILD IS A VETERAN. A DEPENDENT MAY NOT RECEIVE ANY  BENEFITS
 HEREUNDER IF OTHERWISE IN RECEIPT OF USDVA CHAPTER 35 BENEFITS.
   (B)  PLAN  B.  THE  STUDENT  MUST  BE THE CHILD OF A VETERAN WHO HAS A
 SERVICE CONNECTED DISABILITY OR HAD A SERVICE  CONNECTED  DISABILITY  AT
 TIME OF DEATH. A CHILD'S INCOME, INCLUDING STUDENT ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME
 PLUS  THE  VALUE  OF  SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE PARENTS, CANNOT EXCEED THE
 NATIONAL POVERTY LEVEL AS CALCULATED BY THE UNITED STATES CENSUS BUREAU.
   (C) PLAN C. ANY DEPENDENT, OR SURVIVING SPOUSE WHO HAS NOT  REMARRIED,
 OF  ANY MEMBER OF THE NEW YORK STATE NATIONAL GUARD, WHO, IN THE LINE OF
 DUTY AND WHILE IN ACTIVE SERVICE OF THE STATE, WAS KILLED.
   2. APPLICABILITY. FEE WAIVERS PROVIDED UNDER THIS SECTION  SHALL  ONLY
 BE  AVAILABLE  WITHIN THE STATE OF NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SYSTEM; PROVIDED,
 HOWEVER, THAT NOTHING CONTAINED HEREIN SHALL PREVENT  INSTITUTIONS  FROM
 CHARGING NONRESIDENT FEES.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD08226-01-9

              

 A. 3774                             2
 
   3.  APPLICATION. ELIGIBLE STUDENTS MUST FILE ON OR BEFORE MAY FIRST OF
 THE ACADEMIC YEAR FOR WHICH REQUESTING PAYMENT IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED
 FOR THE FEE WAIVER PROGRAM.
   4.  AMOUNT  OF  FEE  WAIVER.  (A) FOR FULL-TIME STUDY, AWARDS SHALL BE
 TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF TOTAL TUITION COSTS.   FULL-TIME STUDY  SHALL  BE
 DEFINED  AS  TWELVE OR MORE CREDIT HOURS PER SEMESTER (OR THE EQUIVALENT
 THEREOF) AT A DEGREE GRANTING INSTITUTION WITHIN THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF
 NEW YORK SYSTEM, OR TWENTY-FOUR OR MORE HOURS PER WEEK IN  A  VOCATIONAL
 TRAINING PROGRAM.
   (B)  FOR PART-TIME STUDY, AWARDS SHALL BE TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF TOTAL
 TUITION COSTS.  PART-TIME STUDY SHALL BE DEFINED AS  BETWEEN  THREE  AND
 ELEVEN  CREDIT HOURS PER SEMESTER (OR THE EQUIVALENT) AT A DEGREE GRANT-
 ING INSTITUTION WITHIN THE STATE  UNIVERSITY  OF  NEW  YORK  SYSTEM,  OR
 BETWEEN  SIX  AND  TWENTY-THREE  HOURS PER WEEK IN A VOCATIONAL TRAINING
 PROGRAM.
   (C) IF A TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TAP) AWARD IS ALSO RECEIVED,  THE
 COMBINED ACADEMIC YEAR AWARD CANNOT EXCEED TUITION. IN SUCH INSTANCE THE
 TAP  AWARD  SHALL  BE  REDUCED  ACCORDINGLY. THE TOTAL UNDERGRADUATE AND
 GRADUATE TUITION AWARDS RECEIVED CANNOT EXCEED TEN THOUSAND  DOLLARS  IN
 AN ACADEMIC YEAR.
   §  2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.