S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
5946
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
March 4, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. SEPULVEDA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Securi-
ty and Military Affairs
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to tuition benefit incen-
tives for members of the New York state organized militia
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 "Technical Sergeant Joseph G. Lemm tuition benefit act".
§ 2. Subdivisions 5 and 7 of section 669-b of the education law, as
added by chapter 268 of the laws of 1996, are amended to read as
follows:
5. Any active member who currently possesses a [baccalaureate]
MASTER'S degree or higher is ineligible for participation in the
recruitment incentive program provided by this section.
7. Upon the recipient's attainment of a [baccalaureate] POST-SECONDARY
degree OR DIPLOMA or cessation of status as an active member, whichever
occurs first, the benefit provided by this section shall be discontin-
ued. The tuition benefit provided by this section may be suspended at
the direction of the division of military and naval affairs for a recip-
ient's failure to maintain good military standing as an active member,
for the failure to maintain good academic progress and program pursuit,
or for the failure to maintain sufficient academic standing to retain
eligibility for any other financial assistance the recipient may be
receiving.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
the amendments to subdivisions 5 and 7 of section 669-b of the education
law made by section two of this act shall not affect the repeal of such
section and shall be deemed repealed therewith.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10475-01-5