Provides tuition awards to children of firefighters, police officers, volunteer firefighters, and EMTs with permanent and total disabilities, to be applied to any college or university in the state university system or the city university of New York; provides that the award is for tuition, less other aid, and is limited to 4 or 5 academic years.

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S3304-2013 Actions

• Jan 31, 2013: REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION

S3304-2013 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S3304

TITLE  OF  BILL:    An  act to amend the education law, in relation to
providing tuition awards to children of firefighters, police officers,
volunteer  firefighters,  and  emergency  medical   technicians   with
permanent and total disabilities

PURPOSE:  This legislation would provide tuition awards to children of
firefighters with permanent and total disabilities.

SUMMARY  OF PROVISIONS:   The education law is amended by adding a new
section  659-e  which  provides  tuition  awards   for   children   of
firefighters with permanent and total disabilities. Eligibility: Child
whose  parent is a firefighter who is eligible for permanent and total
disability benefits, as defined in  section  eight  of  the  volunteer
firefighters  benefit law, shall be eligible for a tuition award to be
made available by the  president  of  the  higher  education  services
corporation.  Amount  shall  be  equal  to  the  cost of undergraduate
tuition, offset by any other financial assistance or  award  received.
Duration  should  not  exceed more than eight semesters, equivalent to
four years of academic study, or ten semesters  if  the  undergraduate
program requires five years of academic study.

JUSTIFICATION:    Few  occupational  efforts  are as selfless and more
important than being a fireman and/or  a  volunteer  firefighter.  The
individuals  who  serve in these capacities ensure not only our public
safety but also preserve our quality of life.

The work of these individuals is dangerous.  Every  time  they  go  to
work,  they place their very lives in peril. The hazards they face are
real and substantial, and their bravery, training and  commitment  are
the principal factors of their survival and success.

Our  state  must  recognize  the  importance  of  the  service  of our
uniformed public servants. We must recognize their service  and  stand
prepared  to  assist their spouses and children when, in the course of
the performance of their service to the community,  they  are  injured
and become permanently and totally disabled.

This  bill  would  recognize  and  reward  the  service of our state's
firemen and volunteer firefighters  by  providing  tuition  awards  to
children of firefighters with permanent and total disabilities.

LEGISLATIVE  HISTORY:    S.5999A  of 2004 S.1978 of 2005/2006 S.591 of
2007/2008 S.2944 of 2009/2010 S.477of 2011/2012

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: To be determined.

EFFECTIVE DATE:  This act shall take effect on the first of July  next
succeeding the date on which it shall have become law.

S3304-2013 Text

                      S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
  ________________________________________________________________________

                                    3304

                         2013-2014 Regular Sessions

                              I N  SENATE

                              January 31, 2013
                                 ___________

  Introduced  by Sen. NOZZOLIO -- 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  providing  tuition
    awards  to  children of firefighters, police officers, volunteer fire-
    fighters, and emergency medical technicians with permanent  and  total
    disabilities

    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-c
  to read as follows:

    S 669-C. TUITION AWARDS FOR CHILDREN OF FIREFIGHTERS, POLICE OFFICERS,
  VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS, AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS WITH PERMANENT
  AND  TOTAL DISABILITIES. 1. ELIGIBILITY. A CHILD WHOSE PARENT IS A FIRE-
  FIGHTER, POLICE OFFICER, VOLUNTEER  FIREFIGHTER,  OR  EMERGENCY  MEDICAL
  TECHNICIAN  WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR PERMANENT AND TOTAL DISABILITY BENEFITS,
  SHALL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A TUITION AWARD TO BE MADE AVAILABLE BY THE PRESI-
  DENT OF THE HIGHER  EDUCATION  SERVICES  CORPORATION.    TUITION  AWARDS
  PROVIDED  UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL ONLY BE AVAILABLE WITHIN THE STATE OF
  NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OR THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK.
    2. AMOUNT. THE TUITION AWARD SHALL BE EQUAL TO THE COST OF UNDERGRADU-
  ATE TUITION, OFFSET BY ANY OTHER FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE OR AWARD RECEIVED.
  IF A TUITION ASSISTANCE  PROGRAM  (TAP)  AWARD  IS  ALSO  RECEIVED,  THE
  COMBINED ACADEMIC YEAR AWARD SHALL NOT EXCEED TUITION.
    3.  DURATION.  (A)  NO RECIPIENT OF A TUITION AWARD UNDER THIS SECTION
  SHALL RECEIVE A TUITION AWARD FOR MORE THAN EIGHT SEMESTERS OF FULL TIME
  UNDERGRADUATE STUDY, OR THE EQUIVALENT OF FOUR ACADEMIC YEARS, OR, IF AN
  UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM NORMALLY REQUIRES FIVE ACADEMIC YEARS OF FULL TIME
  STUDY, FOR MORE THAN TEN SEMESTERS OF FULL TIME STUDY, OR THE EQUIVALENT
  OF FIVE ACADEMIC YEARS. "FULL TIME STUDY" SHALL MEAN ENROLLMENT FOR MORE
  THAN TWELVE SEMESTER HOURS  PER  SEMESTER,  OR  THE  EQUIVALENT,  IN  AN
  APPROVED UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM.

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD01459-01-3

 S. 3304                             2

    (B) NO RECIPIENT OF A TUITION AWARD UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL RECEIVE A
  TUITION AWARD FOR MORE THAN SIXTEEN SEMESTERS OF PART TIME UNDERGRADUATE
  STUDY, OR THE EQUIVALENT OF EIGHT ACADEMIC YEARS OF PART TIME STUDY, OR,
  IF  AN  UNDERGRADUATE  PROGRAM  NORMALLY REQUIRES FIVE ACADEMIC YEARS OF
  FULL  TIME  STUDY, FOR MORE THAN TWENTY SEMESTERS OF PART TIME STUDY, OR
  THE EQUIVALENT OF TEN ACADEMIC  YEARS.  "PART  TIME  STUDY"  SHALL  MEAN
  ENROLLMENT  FOR  AT  LEAST THREE BUT LESS THAN TWELVE SEMESTER HOURS PER
  SEMESTER, OR THE EQUIVALENT, IN AN APPROVED UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM.
    S 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July  next  succeeding
  the date on which it shall have become a law.