S6599-2011 Actions

• Jun 5, 2012: REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE
• Mar 1, 2012: REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION

S6599-2011 Votes

S6599-2011 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S6599

TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to eligibility for
state aid for certain independent institutions of higher learning

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill provides that a former two-year institution may elect to
continue to receive associate level degree awards if it foregoes
receiving any awards for degrees conferred at the bachelor's level.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Amends the Education Law, Section 6401 to provide that an institution
which was formerly a two year institution and was granted authority to
confer bachelor degrees (if that authority was granted after the first
day of April 2009, but before the first day of May 2009) may continue
to receive awards for earned associate degrees. However if the
institution elects to receive awards for associate degrees it will not
be eligible for earned bachelor's degrees.

JUSTIFICATION:
Under current law, only two-year institutions may receive associate
awards for degrees conferred at that level. Once such an institution
has been authorized to confer the bachelor's degree, it may no longer
receive associate awards, no matter how small the number of bachelor's
degrees it confers. Maria College in Albany is currently faced with
this situation, having been recently granted authority to confer
four-year degrees yet only offering a bachelor's degree in one program
area. This bill would allow the former two-year institution to elect
to continue to receive associate awards, provided it does not accept
any awards under Section 6401 for the bachelor's degrees it confers.
This would be consistent with the statutory history and legislative
rationale for Section 6401, which has prohibited institutions which
are authorized to award bachelor degrees from also receiving associate
degree awards, to avoid more than one award for any given student
being received up to the baccalaureate level.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.

S6599-2011 Text

 S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 
 S. 6599                                                  A. 9426
 SENATE - ASSEMBLY
 March 1, 2012
 
 IN SENATE -- Introduced by Sen. BRESLIN -- read twice and ordered print
 ed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Educa
 tion
 IN  ASSEMBLY -- Introduced by M. of A. McENENY -- read once and referred
 to the Committee on Higher Education
 

AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to eligibility for  state
 aid for certain independent institutions of higher learning
 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 6401  of  the  education  law,  as
 amended  by  chapter  507  of  the  laws  of 2008, is amended to read as
 follows:

 3. Degree awards. The amount of  such  annual  apportionment  to  each
 institution  meeting the requirements of subdivision two of this section
 shall be computed by multiplying by not to exceed  six  hundred  dollars
 the  number  of  earned associate degrees, by not to exceed one thousand
 five hundred dollars the number of earned bachelor's degrees, by not  to
 exceed nine hundred fifty dollars the number of earned master's degrees,
 and by not to exceed four thousand five hundred fifty dollars the number
 of  earned  doctorate  degrees, conferred by such institution during the
 twelve-month period next preceding the  annual  period  for  which  such
 apportionment  is  made,  provided that there shall be excluded from any
 such computation the number of degrees earned by students  with  respect
 to whom state aid other than that established by this section or section
 sixty-four  hundred  one-a  of  this  article is granted directly to the
 institution, and provided further that, except as otherwise provided  in
 this  subdivision,  the amount apportioned for an associate degree shall
 be awarded only to two year institutions  qualifying  under  subdivision
 two  of  this  section.  The regents shall promulgate rules defining and
 classifying professional degrees  for  the  purposes  of  this  section.
 Institutions  qualifying  for  state  aid  pursuant to the provisions of
 paragraph (b) of subdivision two of this section shall, for purposes  of
 this subdivision, be deemed to be the institutions which confer degrees.
 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD14735-01-2
 
       S. 6599                             2                            A. 9426
 For  purposes  of  this  subdivision,  a  two-year institution which has
 received authority to confer  bachelor  degrees  shall  continue  to  be
 considered  a  two-year  institution  until such time as it has actually
 begun  to  confer the bachelor's degree. Thereafter, notwithstanding any
 other provision of law to the contrary, an institution which was former
 ly a two-year institution for the purposes of this section and which was
 granted authority by the regents to confer bachelor  degrees,  (a)  such
 authority  having  been  granted  after  the first day of June, nineteen
 hundred ninety-three, but before the first day of July, nineteen hundred
 ninety-three, [or] (b) such authority  having  been  granted  after  the
 first  day  of May, two thousand five, but before the first day of June,
 two thousand five OR (C) SUCH AUTHORITY HAVING BEEN  GRANTED  AFTER  THE
 FIRST  DAY OF APRIL, TWO THOUSAND NINE, BUT BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF MAY,
 TWO THOUSAND NINE, may elect to continue to receive  awards  for  earned
 associate  degrees.  Should  such  institution so elect, it shall not be
 eligible during the time of such election to receive awards  for  earned
 bachelor's degrees.
 

S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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