What's happening
The bill requires SUNY and CUNY to offer a program fee option for graduate students on leave, and exempts certain graduate student employees from most mandatory university fees.
Why it matters
Expanding access for graduate students on leave. By allowing graduate and professional students on leave to pay a limited "access fee," the bill helps them maintain use of crucial campus resources (like libraries, computers, and student centers) needed for research or degree requirements, removing the need to pay for full enrollment or lose these supports.
Financial relief for working graduate students. Exempting graduate student employees (such as TAs, research assistants, and adjuncts) from most mandatory university fees can significantly reduce their out-of-pocket costs, which is important given their often modest stipends or pay.
Promoting fairness and retention. The fee exemption and access option address long-standing complaints that graduate students—who contribute to university teaching and research—face financial burdens that can lead to higher dropout rates or discourage talented candidates from pursuing advanced degrees.
Targeted support, not blanket removal. The bill carefully excludes the "graduate student association student activity fee" from the exemption, preserving funding for graduate student governance and activities while still removing most other mandatory fees, balancing institutional needs with student relief.
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Who cares
SUNY graduate and professional students on leave
Those who have completed at least 30 credits could pay an access fee capped at the cost of one program credit to use certain campus facilities for research or other academic requirements without enrolling in regular credit courses.
SUNY graduate assistants and associates
Graduate students holding the listed full-time or half-time teaching, research or assistant appointments would be exempt from mandatory university fees except the graduate student association student activity fee.
CUNY graduate student employees
Graduate students serving as graduate assistants or in the listed adjunct positions would be exempt from mandatory university fees except the graduate student association student activity fee.
SUNY trustees
The bill would require them to establish the access fee option for eligible graduate and professional students.
Headline styles
Lower Fees for Grad Students
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
49 Co-sponsors
- Judy Griffin
- Mathylde Frontus
- Karines Reyes
- Walter T. Mosley
- Jeffrey Dinowitz
- Jaime R. Williams
- Inez E. Dickens
- Jo Anne Simon
- Robert C. Carroll
- Nader Sayegh
- Michael Blake
- Catalina Cruz
- Dan Quart
- Rebecca Seawright
- Aravella Simotas
- Kimberly Jean-Pierre
- Linda Rosenthal
- David Buchwald
- Harvey Epstein
- Albert A. Stirpe
- Mike LiPetri
- Andrew R. Garbarino
- Al Taylor
- Steven Englebright
- Marcos Crespo
- Karen McMahon
- Richard Gottfried
- Doug Smith
- Phil Steck
- Stacey Pheffer Amato
- Alicia Hyndman
- Felix Ortiz
- Nathalia Fernandez
- Patrick Burke
- Thomas Abinanti
- Ellen C. Jaffee
- Steve Stern
- Michael Benedetto
- Amy Paulin
- Jonathan Jacobson
- Brian Barnwell
- Michael Montesano
- Joe DeStefano
- Michael J. Norris
- Patricia Fahy
- Yuh-Line Niou
- Charles Lavine
- Peter Lawrence
- Jose Rivera
History
- Print number 7241c
- Amend and recommit to higher education
- Referred to higher education
- Print number 7241b
- Amend and recommit to higher education
- Print number 7241a
- Amend and recommit 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.
Graduate Facility Access Option
In Senate Committee · Rules · Sponsor Toby Ann Stavisky
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7241--C
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
April 18, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. PICHARDO, GRIFFIN, FRONTUS, REYES -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- again reported from said committee with amendments, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- 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 providing a program fee option for graduate students
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph h of subdivision 2 of section 355 of the education law is amended by adding a new subparagraph 11 to read as follows:
(11) The trustees shall also establish an access fee option that would allow a student who is a candidate for a graduate or professional degree and has completed at least thirty credits, and is on leave from fulltime study, to maintain access to certain facilities within the state university such as libraries, computers and/or student centers in order to continue a research project or to pursue other academic requirements established by the state university, without being enrolled in regular credit courses. Such fee shall not exceed the cost of one credit of the student's program of graduate or doctorate course work as established by the trustees of the state university. All current and future mandatory university fees, with the exclusion of the graduate student association student activity fee, shall not be charged to a graduate student serving a full-time or half-time appointment as a graduate teaching assistant, graduate assistant, graduate research assistant, graduate research associate, or graduate teaching associate. All current and future mandatory university fees, with the exclusion of the graduate student association
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10054-07-9
A. 7241--C 2
student activity fee, shall not be charged to a SUNY graduate student serving a full-time or half-time appointment as a graduate teaching assistant, graduate assistant, graduate research assistant, graduate research associate, or graduate teaching associate, or to a CUNY graduate student serving as a graduate assistant, adjunct instructor, adjunct lecturer, adjunct college laboratory technician or a non-teaching adjunct staff member.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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.