Senate Bill S3490

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3490
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 31, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  WEIK  --  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 establishing  the  New
   York nurse expansion 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. NEW YORK NURSE EXPANSION PROGRAM.  1. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
 WHO ARE MATRICULATED IN AN APPROVED UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM LEADING  TO  A
 CAREER  IN NURSING AT A NEW YORK STATE PUBLIC OR PRIVATE DEGREE GRANTING
 INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION ARE ELIGIBLE  FOR  THE  NEW  YORK  NURSE
 EXPANSION  PROGRAM,  PROVIDED  THE  APPLICANT: (A) GRADUATES FROM A HIGH
 SCHOOL LOCATED IN NEW YORK STATE DURING OR AFTER THE TWO THOUSAND  TWEN-
 TY-TWO--TWO  THOUSAND TWENTY-THREE SCHOOL YEAR; (B) GRADUATES WITHIN THE
 TOP THIRTY-THREE PERCENT OF HIS OR HER HIGH SCHOOL CLASS; (C) ENROLLS IN
 FULL-TIME STUDY EACH TERM BEGINNING IN THE FALL TERM AFTER  HIS  OR  HER
 HIGH  SCHOOL GRADUATION IN AN APPROVED UNDERGRADUATE NURSING PROGRAM, AS
 DEFINED BY THE CORPORATION, AT A NEW YORK STATE  INSTITUTION  OF  HIGHER
 EDUCATION;  (D)  SIGNS A CONTRACT WITH THE CORPORATION AGREEING THAT HIS
 OR HER AWARD WILL BE CONVERTED TO  A  STUDENT  LOAN  IN  THE  EVENT  THE
 STUDENT  FAILS  TO COMPLY WITH THE TERMS OF THIS PROGRAM AS SET FORTH IN
 SUBDIVISION FOUR OF THIS SECTION; AND (E) COMPLIES WITH  THE  APPLICABLE
 PROVISIONS  OF  THIS  ARTICLE  AND  ALL  REQUIREMENTS PROMULGATED BY THE
 CORPORATION FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROGRAM.
   2. AWARDS SHALL BE GRANTED BEGINNING WITH  THE  TWO  THOUSAND  TWENTY-
 THREE--TWO  THOUSAND  TWENTY-FOUR ACADEMIC YEAR AND THEREAFTER TO APPLI-
 CANTS AT NEW YORK STATE PUBLIC OR PRIVATE DEGREE  GRANTING  INSTITUTIONS
 OF  HIGHER EDUCATION THAT THE CORPORATION HAS DETERMINED ARE ELIGIBLE TO
 RECEIVE SUCH AWARDS. THE CORPORATION  SHALL  GRANT  SUCH  AWARDS  IN  AN
 AMOUNT EQUAL TO THE AMOUNT OF UNDERGRADUATE TUITION FOR RESIDENTS OF NEW
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07012-01-3
              

 S. 3490                             2
 
 YORK STATE CHARGED BY THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK OR ACTUAL TUITION
 CHARGED,  WHICHEVER  IS  LESS;  PROVIDED,  HOWEVER,  (A)  A  STUDENT WHO
 RECEIVES EDUCATIONAL GRANTS AND/OR SCHOLARSHIPS THAT COVER THE STUDENT'S
 FULL  COST  OF  ATTENDANCE SHALL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR AN AWARD UNDER THIS
 PROGRAM; (B) FOR A STUDENT WHO RECEIVES EDUCATIONAL GRANTS AND/OR SCHOL-
 ARSHIPS THAT COVER LESS THAN THE STUDENT'S FULL COST OF ATTENDANCE, SUCH
 GRANTS AND/OR SCHOLARSHIPS SHALL  NOT  BE  DEEMED  DUPLICATIVE  OF  THIS
 PROGRAM  AND  MAY BE HELD CONCURRENTLY WITH AN AWARD UNDER THIS PROGRAM,
 PROVIDED THAT THE COMBINED BENEFITS DO NOT  EXCEED  THE  STUDENT'S  FULL
 COST OF ATTENDANCE; AND (C) AN AWARD UNDER THIS PROGRAM SHALL BE APPLIED
 TO  TUITION  AFTER  THE  APPLICATION OF ALL OTHER EDUCATIONAL GRANTS AND
 SCHOLARSHIPS LIMITED TO TUITION AND SHALL BE REDUCED IN AN AMOUNT  EQUAL
 TO  SUCH EDUCATIONAL GRANTS AND/OR SCHOLARSHIPS. UPON NOTIFICATION OF AN
 AWARD UNDER THIS PROGRAM, THE INSTITUTION  SHALL  DEFER  THE  AMOUNT  OF
 TUITION  EQUAL  TO  THE AWARD. NO AWARD SHALL BE FINAL UNTIL THE RECIPI-
 ENT'S SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF A TERM HAS BEEN CERTIFIED BY THE INSTITU-
 TION.
   3. AN ELIGIBLE RECIPIENT SHALL NOT RECEIVE AN AWARD FOR MORE THAN FOUR
 ACADEMIC YEARS OF FULL-TIME UNDERGRADUATE STUDY OR FIVE  ACADEMIC  YEARS
 IF  THE  PROGRAM  OF  STUDY  NORMALLY REQUIRES FIVE YEARS, EXCLUDING ANY
 ALLOWABLE INTERRUPTION OF STUDY.
   4. THE CORPORATION SHALL CONVERT TO A STUDENT LOAN THE FULL AMOUNT  OF
 THE  AWARD GIVEN PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION, PLUS INTEREST, ACCORDING TO A
 SCHEDULE TO BE DETERMINED BY THE CORPORATION IF:  (A) A RECIPIENT  FAILS
 TO  COMPLETE  AN  APPROVED  UNDERGRADUATE  NURSING  PROGRAM; OR (B) UPON
 COMPLETION OF SUCH UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAM  A  RECIPIENT  FAILS  TO
 EITHER (I) COMPLETE FIVE YEARS OF CONTINUOUS FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT IN THE
 FIELD OF NURSING RELATED TO THEIR STUDIES WITH A PUBLIC OR PRIVATE ENTI-
 TY LOCATED WITHIN NEW YORK STATE, OR (II) MAINTAIN RESIDENCY IN NEW YORK
 STATE FOR SUCH PERIOD OF EMPLOYMENT; OR (C) A RECIPIENT FAILS TO RESPOND
 TO  REQUESTS BY THE CORPORATION FOR THE STATUS OF HIS OR HER ACADEMIC OR
 PROFESSIONAL PROGRESS. THE TERMS  AND  CONDITIONS  OF  THIS  SUBDIVISION
 SHALL  BE  DEFERRED  FOR  INDIVIDUALS  WHO  GRADUATE WITH A DEGREE IN AN
 APPROVED UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM AND ENROLL ON AT LEAST A HALF-TIME  BASIS
 IN  A  GRADUATE OR HIGHER DEGREE PROGRAM OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE
 DEGREE PROGRAM UNTIL THEY ARE CONFERRED A  DEGREE,  AND  SHALL  ALSO  BE
 DEFERRED  FOR  ANY  INTERRUPTION IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDY OR EMPLOYMENT AS
 ESTABLISHED BY THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE CORPORATION.  ANY  OBLI-
 GATION  TO COMPLY WITH SUCH PROVISIONS AS OUTLINED IN THIS SECTION SHALL
 BE CANCELLED UPON  THE  DEATH  OF  THE  RECIPIENT.  NOTWITHSTANDING  ANY
 PROVISIONS  OF  THIS  SUBDIVISION  TO  THE  CONTRARY, THE CORPORATION IS
 AUTHORIZED TO PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS TO PROVIDE FOR THE WAIVER
 OR SUSPENSION OF ANY FINANCIAL OBLIGATION WHICH  WOULD  INVOLVE  EXTREME
 HARDSHIP.
   5.  THE CORPORATION IS AUTHORIZED TO PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS,
 AND MAY PROMULGATE EMERGENCY REGULATIONS, NECESSARY FOR THE  IMPLEMENTA-
 TION  OF  THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
 THE RATE OF INTEREST CHARGED FOR REPAYMENT OF THE STUDENT LOAN  AND  THE
 CRITERIA FOR DISTRIBUTING THE AWARDS.
   §  2.  This  act  shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary  for  the  implementation  of
 this  act  on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
 on or before such date.