What's happening
This bill requires New York State to provide consistent and adequate funding for SUNY and CUNY to cover mandatory costs, unless a fiscal emergency is declared.
Why it matters
Guarantees stable, year-over-year state funding for SUNY and CUNY. By mandating that operating and fringe benefit appropriations cannot fall below the previous year’s levels (absent a declared fiscal emergency), the bill aims to shield public university budgets from political or economic volatility, enabling better long-term planning for students and institutions.
Requires the state to cover all mandatory and inflation-related costs. The legislation obligates the state to specifically fund increases in collective bargaining agreements (like salary raises), fringe benefits, utility bills, building rentals, and other unavoidable expenses. This reduces the risk that these rising costs will be shifted to students through tuition hikes or service cuts.
Intends to fully fund state-mandated tuition credits. The bill ensures that whenever tuition credits or assistance programs (such as those related to tuition increases) are required by law, the state must provide sufficient funding so that universities are not forced to absorb these costs, which could otherwise impact their financial health or lead to reductions in services.
Limits reductions to fiscal emergencies with legislative notification. The only scenario in which funding can be cut is if the governor formally declares a fiscal emergency and notifies legislative leaders, ensuring any reductions are transparent and proportionate between SUNY and CUNY, and not made arbitrarily or without public accountability.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Protect SUNY and CUNY Funding
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
34 Co-sponsors
- Inez E. Dickens
- Kenneth Zebrowski
- Donna Lupardo
- Charles Barron
- Vivian Cook
- Aileen Gunther
- Ellen C. Jaffee
- Jaime R. Williams
- Barbara Lifton
- Steven Englebright
- Charles Lavine
- Anthony D'Urso
- Peter Abbate
- Harvey Epstein
- Rebecca Seawright
- Linda Rosenthal
- Michael Blake
- Richard Gottfried
- Albert A. Stirpe
- Marcos Crespo
- William Colton
- Billy Jones
- Kimberly Jean-Pierre
- Jo Anne Simon
- Jose Rivera
- Monica P. Wallace
- Yuh-Line Niou
- Carmen E. Arroyo
- Kevin Cahill
- Philip Ramos
- Victor M. Pichardo
- David Weprin
- Felix Ortiz
- Judy Griffin
History
- Reported referred to ways and means
- Print number 1183a
- Amend and recommit to higher education
- Referred to higher education
- Referred to higher education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Guarantee SUNY and CUNY Funding
In Senate Committee · Higher Education · Sponsor Toby Ann Stavisky
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1183--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 14, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. GLICK, DICKENS, ZEBROWSKI, LUPARDO, BARRON, COOK, GUNTHER, JAFFEE, WILLIAMS, LIFTON, ENGLEBRIGHT, LAVINE, D'URSO, ABBATE, EPSTEIN, SEAWRIGHT, L. ROSENTHAL, BLAKE, GOTTFRIED, STIRPE, CRESPO, COLTON, JONES, JEAN-PIERRE, SIMON, RIVERA, WALLACE, NIOU, ARROYO, CAHILL, RAMOS, PICHARDO, WEPRIN, ORTIZ -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education -- recommitted to the Committee on Higher Education in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec.
2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to state appropriations to the state university of New York and the city university of New York
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Clause (vi) of subparagraph 4 of paragraph h of subdivision 2 of section 355 of the education law, as amended by section 1 of part JJJ of chapter 59 of the laws of 2017, is amended to read as follows:
(vi) Beginning in state fiscal year two thousand twenty-one--two thousand twenty-two and thereafter, the state shall appropriate and make available general fund operating support and fringe benefits, for the state university and the state university health science centers in an amount not less than the amounts separately appropriated and made available in the prior state fiscal year; provided, further, the state shall appropriate and make available general fund operating support to cover all mandatory costs of the state university and the state university health science centers, which shall include, but not be limited to, collective bargaining costs including salary increments, fringe benefits, and other non-personal service costs such as utility costs, building rentals and other inflationary expenses incurred by the state university and the state university health science centers, and any increase in the tuition credit pursuant to section six hundred eighty-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05691-02-0
A. 1183--A 2
nine-a of this title as tuition increases are enacted by the board of trustees of the state university; provided, however, that if the governor declares a fiscal emergency, and communicates such emergency to the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly, state support for operating expenses at the state university and city university may be reduced in a manner proportionate to one another, and the aforementioned provisions shall not apply; provided further, the state shall appropriate and make available general fund support to fully fund the tuition credit pursuant to subdivision two of section six hundred sixty-nine-h of this title.
(vii) For the state university fiscal years commencing two thousand eleven--two thousand twelve and ending two thousand fifteen--two thousand sixteen, each university center may set aside a portion of its tuition revenues derived from tuition increases to provide increased financial aid for New York state resident undergraduate students whose net taxable income is eighty thousand dollars or more subject to the approval of a NY-SUNY 2020 proposal by the governor and the chancellor of the state university of New York. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as to authorize that students whose net taxable income is eighty thousand dollars or more are eligible for tuition assistance program awards pursuant to section six hundred sixty-seven of this [chapter] title.
§ 2. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 7 of section 6206 of the education law is amended by adding a new subparagraph (vi) to read as follows:
(vi) Beginning in state fiscal year two thousand twenty-one--two thousand twenty-two and thereafter, the state shall appropriate and make available general fund operating support and fringe benefits, for the city university in an amount not less than the amounts separately appropriated and made available in the prior state fiscal year; provided, further, the state shall appropriate and make available general fund operating support to cover all mandatory costs of the city university, which shall include, but not be limited to, collective bargaining costs including salary increments, fringe benefits, and other non-personal service costs such as utility costs, building rentals and other inflationary expenses incurred by the city university, and any increase in the tuition credit pursuant to section six hundred eighty-nine-a of this chapter as tuition increases are enacted by the board of trustees of the state university; provided, however, that if the governor declares a fiscal emergency, and communicates such emergency to the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly, state support for operating expenses at the state university and city university may be reduced in a manner proportionate to one another, and the aforementioned provisions shall not apply; provided further, the state shall appropriate and make available general fund support to fully fund the tuition credit pursuant to subdivision two of section six hundred sixty-nine-h of this chapter.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately provided that:
(a) the amendments to subparagraph 4 of paragraph h of subdivision 2 of section 355 of the education law made by section one of this act shall not affect the expiration and reversion of such subparagraph pursuant to chapter 260 of the laws of 2011, as amended, and shall expire therewith; and
(b) the amendments to paragraph (a) of subdivision 7 of section 6206 of the education law made by section two of this act shall not affect the expiration and reversion of such paragraph pursuant to chapter 260 of the laws of 2011, as amended, and shall expire therewith.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.