Senate Bill S3298

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3298
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 24, 2025
                                ___________
 
 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-FIVE--TWO  THOUSAND  TWENTY-SIX SCHOOL YEAR; (B) GRADUATES WITHIN THE
 TOP THIRTY-THREE PERCENT OF THEIR HIGH  SCHOOL  CLASS;  (C)  ENROLLS  IN
 FULL-TIME  STUDY  EACH  TERM BEGINNING IN THE FALL TERM AFTER THEIR 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 THEIR
 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-SIX-
 -TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SEVEN ACADEMIC YEAR AND THEREAFTER TO APPLICANTS 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  YORK  STATE
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01812-01-5
              

 S. 3298                             2
 
 CHARGED  BY  THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK OR ACTUAL TUITION CHARGED,
 WHICHEVER IS LESS; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, (A) A STUDENT WHO RECEIVES  EDUCA-
 TIONAL  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  SCHOLARSHIPS  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 ATTEND-
 ANCE; 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 RECIPIENT'S
 SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF A TERM HAS BEEN CERTIFIED BY THE INSTITUTION.
   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 THEIR 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.