S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4892
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 24, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Higher Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education  law,  in  relation  to  establishing  the
   COVID-19 children scholarship
 
   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  608-b
 to read as follows:
   §  608-B.  COVID-19 CHILDREN SCHOLARSHIPS. 1. NOTWITHSTANDING SUBDIVI-
 SION FIVE OF SECTION SIX HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE OF THIS TITLE, CHILDREN WHOSE
 PARENT, PRIMARY CARETAKER OR SIBLING DIED OR WAS DISABLED AS A RESULT OF
 CONTRACTING COVID-19, SHALL BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A SCHOLARSHIP  IN  AN
 ANNUAL  AMOUNT  DETERMINED  PURSUANT  TO  SUBDIVISION TWO OF SECTION SIX
 HUNDRED SIXTY-EIGHT-H OF THIS TITLE.
   2. AWARDS UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL BE PAYABLE FOR  EACH  OF  NOT  MORE
 THAN  FOUR  ACADEMIC YEARS OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDY OR FIVE ACADEMIC YEARS
 IF A PROGRAM NORMALLY REQUIRES FIVE YEARS, AS DEFINED BY THE COMMISSION-
 ER PURSUANT TO THIS ARTICLE.
   § 2. The education law is amended by adding a  new  section  668-h  to
 read as follows:
   § 668-H. COVID-19 CHILDREN SCHOLARSHIPS. 1. ELIGIBLE GROUPS.  NOTWITH-
 STANDING SUBDIVISION FIVE OF SECTION SIX HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE OF THIS PART,
 CHILDREN WHOSE PARENT, PRIMARY CARETAKER OR SIBLING DIED OR WAS DISABLED
 AS  A  RESULT  OF  CONTRACTING  COVID-19, SHALL BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A
 SCHOLARSHIP.
   2. AMOUNT. (A) THE PRESIDENT SHALL GRANT ANNUAL  SCHOLARSHIPS  IN  THE
 FOLLOWING AMOUNTS:
   (1)  IF THE RECIPIENT ATTENDS AN INSTITUTION OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF
 NEW YORK OR AN INSTITUTION OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY  OF  NEW  YORK  OTHER
 THAN  THE  STATUTORY  COLLEGES  AT CORNELL, THE COLLEGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL
 SCIENCE AND FORESTRY AT SYRACUSE AND THE COLLEGE OF CERAMICS AT  ALFRED,
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD09578-01-3
              

 A. 4892                             2
 
 THE  ANNUAL  AWARD  SHALL  BE AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO: THE TUITION CHARGED AT
 SUCH INSTITUTION PROVIDED THAT, NOTWITHSTANDING ANY PROVISION OF LAW  TO
 THE  CONTRARY,  THE TUITION CHARGED TO AWARD RECIPIENTS SHALL NOT EXCEED
 THAT  CHARGED TO STATE RESIDENT STUDENTS ATTENDING SUCH INSTITUTION; THE
 MANDATORY FEES CHARGED AT SUCH INSTITUTION; AND THE NON-TUITION COST  OF
 ATTENDANCE AT SUCH INSTITUTION OR COLLEGE, PROVIDED THAT THE SCHOLARSHIP
 SHALL NOT EXCEED AN AMOUNT THAT IS EQUAL TO THE TOTAL COST OF ATTENDANCE
 DETERMINED FOR FEDERAL TITLE IV STUDENT FINANCIAL AID PURPOSES, LESS ALL
 OTHER  SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS PROVIDED BY NEW YORK STATE, OTHER STATES,
 THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, OR OTHER GOVERNMENTS, AND THE AMOUNT  OF  EDUCA-
 TIONAL BENEFITS PAID UNDER ANY PROGRAM THAT WOULD DUPLICATE THE PURPOSES
 OF  THIS PROGRAM, PROVIDED THAT ANY SCHOLARSHIPS OR GRANTS PROVIDED TO A
 RECIPIENT BY THE INSTITUTION WHICH ARE INTENDED TO FUND ANY  PORTION  OF
 THE  DIFFERENCE  BETWEEN  THE ANNUAL STATE AWARD AND THE ACTUAL COSTS OF
 ATTENDANCE AT ANY SUCH INSTITUTION SHALL NOT BE CONSIDERED TO  DUPLICATE
 THE PURPOSES OF THIS PROGRAM; OR
   (2)  IF  THE RECIPIENT ATTENDS ANY OTHER TWO- OR FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTION
 WITHIN NEW YORK STATE, THE ANNUAL AWARD SHALL BE BASED  UPON  AN  AMOUNT
 EQUAL  TO:  THE  TUITION  CHARGED TO STATE RESIDENT STUDENTS ATTENDING A
 FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE OF THE STATE  UNIVERSITY  OF  NEW  YORK;  THE  AVERAGE
 MANDATORY  FEES CHARGED AT FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF
 NEW YORK, OR THE ACTUAL TUITION  AND  FEES  CHARGED  TO  THE  RECIPIENT,
 WHICHEVER  IS  LESS;  AND THE AVERAGE NON-TUITION COST OF ATTENDANCE, AS
 DETERMINED BY THE PRESIDENT AND AS APPROVED BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE BUDG-
 ET, FOR A STUDENT AT THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK OR ACTUAL NON-TUI-
 TION COST OF ATTENDANCE AT SUCH INSTITUTION, WHICHEVER IS LESS, PROVIDED
 THAT THE SCHOLARSHIP SHALL BE AT LEAST TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS
 PER YEAR, AND PROVIDED THAT THE SCHOLARSHIP SHALL NOT EXCEED  AN  AMOUNT
 THAT  IS  EQUAL  TO  THE TOTAL COST OF ATTENDANCE DETERMINED FOR FEDERAL
 TITLE IV STUDENT FINANCIAL AID PURPOSES, LESS ALL OTHER SCHOLARSHIPS AND
 GRANTS PROVIDED BY NEW YORK STATE, OTHER STATES, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT,
 OR OTHER GOVERNMENTS, AND THE AMOUNT OF EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS PAID  UNDER
 ANY  PROGRAM THAT WOULD DUPLICATE THE PURPOSES OF THIS PROGRAM, PROVIDED
 THAT ANY SCHOLARSHIPS OR GRANTS PROVIDED TO A RECIPIENT BY THE  INSTITU-
 TION  WHICH  ARE  INTENDED TO FUND ANY PORTION OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
 THE ANNUAL STATE AWARD AND THE ACTUAL COSTS OF ATTENDANCE  AT  ANY  SUCH
 INSTITUTION  SHALL  NOT  BE CONSIDERED TO DUPLICATE THE PURPOSES OF THIS
 PROGRAM.
   (3) "NON-TUITION COST OF ATTENDANCE", AS  USED  IN  THIS  SUBDIVISION,
 SHALL  MEAN:  (I)  THE ACTUAL AMOUNT CHARGED BY THE INSTITUTION FOR ROOM
 AND BOARD, AND (II) AN ALLOWANCE FOR TRANSPORTATION, BOOKS AND  SUPPLIES
 AS  DETERMINED  BY  THE PRESIDENT AND AS APPROVED BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE
 BUDGET, PROVIDED THAT SUCH DETERMINATION SHALL BE  MADE  NO  LATER  THAN
 DECEMBER  FIRST OF EACH YEAR FOR USE IN THE SUCCEEDING ACADEMIC YEAR. IN
 THE EVENT A STUDENT DOES NOT INCUR ROOM OR BOARD CHARGES AT THE INSTITU-
 TION, "NON-TUITION COST OF ATTENDANCE" SHALL MEAN AN ALLOWANCE FOR  ROOM
 AND BOARD AS DETERMINED BY THE PRESIDENT AND APPROVED BY THE DIRECTOR OF
 THE BUDGET. IN DETERMINING ALLOWANCES PURSUANT TO THIS SUBPARAGRAPH, THE
 PRESIDENT MAY TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE ALLOWANCES PROVIDED FOR IN THE
 PELL GRANT PROGRAM.
   (B)  IN  NO  EVENT  SHALL THE COMBINATION OF ALL STUDENT FINANCIAL AID
 RECEIVED BY A STUDENT EXCEED A RECIPIENT'S TOTAL COST OF  ATTENDANCE  AT
 THE INSTITUTION BEING ATTENDED.
   3.  DURATION.  AWARDS  UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL BE PAYABLE FOR EACH OF
 NOT MORE THAN FOUR ACADEMIC YEARS OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDY OR FIVE ACADEM-
 A. 4892                             3
 
 IC YEARS IF A PROGRAM NORMALLY REQUIRES FIVE YEARS, AS  DEFINED  BY  THE
 COMMISSIONER PURSUANT TO ARTICLE THIRTEEN OF THIS TITLE.
   §  3.  Section  604  of  the  education law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 13 to read as follows:
   13. COVID-19 CHILDREN SCHOLARSHIPS.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.