Assembly Bill A7966

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7966
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              April 16, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. EACHUS -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. KAY --
   read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to enacting  the  nursing
   education support act of 2025; and making an appropriation therefor
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
 the "nursing education support act of 2025".
   §  2.  Legislative  findings and purpose. The healthcare system in New
 York state faces a critical shortage of registered nurses, projected  to
 peak  by the year 2030. Community colleges play a vital role in training
 and graduating a significant portion of the state's  nursing  workforce.
 Current funding levels for nursing programs are insufficient to meet the
 growing demand for qualified nursing professionals. The costs associated
 with   nursing  education-particularly  clinical  instruction,  advanced
 equipment, and smaller faculty-to-student ratios-are significantly high-
 er than for other programs. On average, nursing programs incur an  addi-
 tional  $1,000  per  semester  per  student  in costs, which has made it
 difficult for community colleges to  expand  their  programs.  Sustained
 expansion  of  nursing  programs requires operational funding to support
 faculty and staff hiring, maintain facilities, and meet growing  student
 needs.
   The  purpose  of  this  act is to allocate additional funds to nursing
 programs at community colleges across New York state to expand capacity,
 improve program quality, and ensure a robust pipeline of skilled  nurses
 to meet the state's healthcare needs.
   §  3.  The  education  law is amended by adding a new article 127-A to
 read as follows:
                               ARTICLE 127-A
                   NURSING EDUCATION SUPPORT ACT OF 2025
 SECTION 6360. DEFINITIONS.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11385-01-5
              

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         6361. NURSING EDUCATION SUPPORT PROGRAM.
         6362. REPORTING.
   §  6360.  DEFINITIONS.  AS  USED  IN THIS ARTICLE, THE FOLLOWING TERMS
 SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
   1. "COMMUNITY COLLEGE" SHALL MEAN  ANY  INSTITUTION  WITHIN  THE  CITY
 UNIVERSITY  OF  NEW  YORK  (CUNY) OR STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK (SUNY)
 SYSTEMS OFFERING ASSOCIATE DEGREES IN NURSING.
   2. "NURSING PROGRAM" MEANS AN ACCREDITED PROGRAM THAT TRAINS  INDIVID-
 UALS  TO  BECOME  LICENSED  PRACTICAL NURSES (LPNS) OR REGISTERED NURSES
 (RNS).
   § 6361. NURSING EDUCATION SUPPORT PROGRAM. 1. THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL
 ESTABLISH,  WITHIN  AMOUNTS  APPROPRIATED  THEREFOR, A NURSING EDUCATION
 SUPPORT PROGRAM.
   2. SUCH PROGRAM SHALL EXPEND FUNDS TO ASSIST  COMMUNITY  COLLEGES  AND
 STUDENTS AS DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSIONER FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES:
   (A)  EXPANDING  STUDENT  ENROLLMENT  CAPACITY  IN  NURSING PROGRAMS AT
 COMMUNITY COLLEGES.
   (B) HIRING ADDITIONAL FACULTY  AND  STAFF  AT  COMMUNITY  COLLEGES  TO
 SUPPORT INCREASED ENROLLMENT.
   (C) MODERNIZING COMMUNITY COLLEGE EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES FOR NURSING
 EDUCATION.
   (D)  PROVIDING  SCHOLARSHIPS  OR  GRANTS FOR STUDENTS PURSUING NURSING
 DEGREES, PARTICULARLY THOSE FROM UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES AS  DETER-
 MINED BY THE COMMISSIONER.
   (E)  COVERING THE ADDITIONAL PER SEMESTER PER STUDENT COSTS ASSOCIATED
 WITH RUNNING NURSING PROGRAMS TO PROMOTE THE GROWTH OF SUCH PROGRAMS.
   (F) ESTABLISHING PARTNERSHIPS WITH HEALTHCARE FACILITIES FOR  CLINICAL
 TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES.
   § 6362. REPORTING. 1. COMMUNITY COLLEGES RECEIVING FUNDING PURSUANT TO
 THIS ARTICLE SHALL SUBMIT AN ANNUAL REPORT TO THE DEPARTMENT DETAILING:
   (A) THE NUMBER OF NURSING STUDENTS ENROLLED AND GRADUATED.
   (B) USE OF ALLOCATED FUNDS AND OUTCOMES ACHIEVED.
   (C) PLANS FOR FUTURE EXPANSION OR IMPROVEMENTS TO THE NURSING PROGRAM.
   (D) HOW FUNDS HAVE BEEN UTILIZED TO ENSURE SUSTAINED PROGRAM GROWTH.
   2.  THE  DEPARTMENT  SHALL ANNUALLY PREPARE AND SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE
 GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, AND THE SPEAKER OF  THE
 ASSEMBLY. SUCH REPORT SHALL PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE WAYS IN WHICH
 THE NURSING EDUCATION SUPPORT PROGRAM ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO THIS ARTI-
 CLE  CAN  BE  IMPROVED  TO FURTHER ENSURE SUSTAINED EXPANSION OF NURSING
 PROGRAMS AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES TO MEET  THE  STATE'S  HEALTHCARE  NEEDS.
 EACH  ANNUAL  REPORT SHALL BE MADE PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE ON THE WEBSITE OF
 THE DEPARTMENT.
   § 4. The sum of twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000), or so  much
 thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the department of
 education  out  of any moneys in the state treasury in the general fund,
 not otherwise appropriated, and  made  immediately  available,  for  the
 purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act. Such moneys shall be
 payable  on  the audit and warrant of the comptroller on vouchers certi-
 fied or  approved  by  the  commissioner  of  education  in  the  manner
 prescribed by law.
   § 5. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivi-
 sion,  section  or  part  of  this act shall be adjudged by any court of
 competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment  shall  not  affect,
 impair,  or  invalidate  the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in
 its operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph,  subdivision,  section
 or part thereof directly involved in the controversy in which such judg-
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 ment shall have been rendered. It is hereby declared to be the intent of
 the  legislature  that  this  act  would  have been enacted even if such
 invalid provisions had not been included herein.
   § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.