NY State Senate Bill 2021-S7458

Senate Bill S7458

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Allows the higher education services corporation to consider an applicant's change in income due to the loss of employment in determining eligibility and award amount for the tuition assistance program

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 05, 2022	referred to higher education
Oct 20, 2021	referred to rules

2021-S7458 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A7050
Current Committee:: Senate Higher Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §663, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S1220, A9641

2021-S7458 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2021-S7458 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7458

SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to allowing the higher
education services corporation to consider an applicant's change in
income due to the loss of employment in determining eligibility and
award amount for the tuition assistance program; and to provide for the
repeal of such provisions upon the expiration thereof

 
PURPOSE OF THE BILL:

THIS BILL WOULD ALLOW HESC TO CONSIDER A TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
APPLICANT'S MORE RECENT INCOME IN MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO ELIGIBILITY AND
AWARD AMOUNTS IF THE APPLICANT'S CHANGE IN INCOME IS DUE TO LOSS OF
EMPLOYMENT.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one of the bill amends section 663 of education law as it
relates to allowing the higher education services corporation to consid-

er an applicant's change in income due to the loss of employment
in_determining eligibility and award amount for the tuition assistance_
program. Section two of the bill relates to the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The COVID-19 pandemic caused historic levels of unemployment and job
loss. As prospective students and their families begin to apply for
financial aid through the tuition assistance program (TAP) for the
upcoming school year, they may be impacted by the method in which the
Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) calculates eligibility and
award amounts. HESC uses an applicant's income from two years prior to
the school year; meaning that those who apply for the upcoming school
year will use their 2019 tax returns to determine eligibility. If an
applicant had become unemployed in 2020 due to the pandemic, their loss
of income would not be recognized until 2022.  This bill will allow for
applicants to apply for change in income circumstance and use the year
prior's 2020 tax return to determine eligibility and award amount.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be deemed
repealed December 31, 2022.

2021-S7458 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7458
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             October 20, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to  allowing  the  higher
   education  services  corporation  to consider an applicant's change in
   income due to the loss of employment in  determining  eligibility  and
   award  amount  for  the tuition assistance program; and to provide for
   the repeal of such provisions upon the expiration thereof
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision  5  of  section  663 of the education law, as
 amended by section 3 of part J of chapter 58 of the  laws  of  2011,  is
 amended to read as follows:
   5.  A.  Adjustments  of  income.  In  the  determination of income for
 purposes of paragraphs a and b  of  subdivision  three  of  section  six
 hundred  sixty-seven  of this part if, during the academic year in which
 the applicant will receive an award, one of either the  parents  of  the
 applicant  or  other  dependent child of such parents, the spouse of the
 applicant, or one or more dependent children of the applicant, in  addi-
 tion  to  the  applicant, will be in full-time attendance in an approved
 program, the combined net taxable income  determined  under  subdivision
 one  of  this  section shall be reduced by three thousand dollars and an
 additional two thousand dollars for each other such person additional to
 the aforesaid persons (including the applicant)  who  will  be  in  such
 attendance,  and  the  resulting  amount  shall be deemed the applicable
 income in determining the applicant's award for the academic year.
   B. FOR THE TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-ONE--TWO THOUSAND  TWENTY-TWO  ACADEMIC
 YEAR, THE CORPORATION, PURSUANT TO RULES AND REGULATIONS, SHALL CONSIDER
 AN  APPLICANT'S  CHANGE  IN  INCOME DUE TO THE LOSS OF EMPLOYMENT OF THE
 APPLICANT OR PARENT OF THE APPLICANT AND UTILIZE THE APPLICANT'S  INCOME
 REPORTED  IN  NEW  YORK  STATE INCOME TAX RETURNS FOR THE PRIOR CALENDAR
 YEAR IN MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO ELIGIBILITY AND THE AMOUNT  OF  THE  AWARD
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD10667-01-1

 S. 7458                             2
 
 FOR  SUCH  ACADEMIC  YEAR.  THE CORPORATION MAY REQUIRE SUCH DOCUMENTARY
 EVIDENCE, TESTIMONY OR AFFIDAVITS AS IT  DEEMS  SUFFICIENT  IN  GRANTING
 SUCH AN ADJUSTMENT OF AN AWARD.
   §  2.  This  act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
 deemed repealed December 31, 2022.

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