BILL NUMBER:  S3605               REVISED 07/07/09

 TITLE OF BILL :
An act to amend the education law, in relation to tuition assistance
program awards

 PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL :
This bill adjusts the Tuition Assistance Program award schedule for
students who received not more than two semesters of aid prior to the
1989-90 academic year and who return to full-time academic study.

 SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS :
This bill provides that a student who received no more than two
semesters of TAP prior to the 1989-90 academic year and who returns to
full-time academic study shall be deemed to have received his or her
first award in the academic year in which he or she returns to
full-time study.

 JUSTIFICATION :
It is becoming less common for a student to graduate from high school,
enroll in college, and complete a bachelor's degree in four years. Job
and family demands often cause students to interrupt their college
education and reenter the academic world after their children are
grown. During the student's hiatus, the Legislature may have increased
the award schedule to adjust TAP awards to reflect changes in college
tuition. In such a case, a student may find, through no fault of
              

her/his own, that she/he is locked into an award schedule which is
grossly out of date. This legislation attempts to correct this by
making a student who originally received no more than two semesters of
TAP prior to the 1989-90 academic year eligible for the award schedule
in effect for the term in which he or she returns to full-time study.
This legislation would have no effect on the duration of award
provided in current statute.

 PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :
2007-08: A.2538 Passed Assembly
2006:    A.9268 Passed Assembly

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :
A fiscal note dated June 30, 2009 from Gerald Cross, Assistant to the
Senior Deputy Commissioner of Education P-16, Office of Education,
P-16 and Brian G. Matthews, HESC, VP Financial Aid estimates the cost
of this bill to range from $1,724,000 to $5,990,000 based on the
estimations as follows:

TAP award for Dependent Students at Degree Granting Institution:
Maximum Award

1993-94 and before (HESC TAP Award, Sched. A) $3,575
2000-01 and after (HESC TAP Award, Sched. E) $5,000

Award difference: $1,425 per student per year

TAP Award for Independent Students at Degree Granting institutions

1991-92 and before (HESC TAP Award Sched. K) $2,450
1993-94 and after (HESC Tap Award, Sched. M) $3,025

Award difference: $575 per student, per year

These figures are based on the estimate that between 2000 and 3000
students would be affected and would get at least a term award. Based
on this estimate, the fiscal implication for awarding these increased
TAP awards to dependent students would be $4,275,000 and to
independent students $1,724,000 totaling $5,990,000 in additional TAP
awards per year. However, since most awards would be granted to
independent students since these are the students who would most
likely return to school, the amount may be smaller.

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