What's happening
This bill allows Excelsior Scholarship recipients to fulfill residency requirements while enlisting in military service and removes the ban on out-of-state employment.
Why it matters
Helps military enlistees keep their Excelsior Scholarship benefits. by allowing time spent in the military to count toward New York residency requirements, making it easier for recipients to serve without penalty.
Expands job opportunities for scholarship recipients. by eliminating the restriction that previously banned them from working in other states, supporting those who may need to take out-of-state jobs for career or financial reasons.
Improves fairness and flexibility. for scholarship holders facing life changes like military service, graduate school, or personal hardship, reducing the risk of having their awards converted into loans due to circumstances beyond their control.
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Who cares
Excelsior Scholarship recipients
The bill would allow recipients to work outside New York while retaining the requirement to reside exclusively in the state for as many years as they received the award.
Scholarship recipients enlisting in military service
The bill would add military enlistment as a reason to defer the residency and loan-conversion requirements under the corporation’s rules.
The corporation administering Excelsior Scholarships
The bill would change the conditions it administers for converting awards into student loans by removing the out-of-state employment ban and adding a military-service deferral.
Headline styles
Ease Excelsior Scholarship Rules
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to higher education
- Referred to higher education
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1198
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 11, 2019
Introduced by Sen. RITCHIE -- 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 eligibility for the New York state excelsior scholarship
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph (e) of subdivision 4 of section 669-h of the education law, as added by section 1 of part HHH of chapter 59 of the laws of 2017, is amended to read as follows:
(e) A recipient shall agree to reside exclusively in New York state, [and shall not be employed in any other state,] for a continuous number of years equal to the duration of the award received within six months of receipt of his or her final award payment, and sign a contract with the corporation to have his or her full award converted to a student loan according to a schedule to be determined by the corporation if such student fails to fulfill this requirement. The terms and conditions of this paragraph may, as established by the rules and regulations of the corporation, be deferred: (i) to complete undergraduate study; [or] (ii) to attend graduate school on at least a half-time basis; or (iii) to enlist in military service. Any obligation to comply with such provisions as outlined in this paragraph may be cancelled upon the death of the recipient. Notwithstanding any provisions of this paragraph to the contrary, the corporation is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to provide for the waiver or suspension of any financial obligation which would involve extreme hardship.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04973-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to eligibility for the New York state excelsior scholarship
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to eligibility for the New York state excelsior scholarship
Purpose
To remove a specific requirement and provide an additional deferment clause.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 paragraph (e) removes the employment residency requirement, post-graduation, and creates an additional deferment clause for military service.
Justification
This legislation seeks to remove the Excelsior Scholarship's post-gradu- ation New York State employment requirement. Currently, Excelsior Schol- arship recipients must work in New York State for the same number of years they benefited from the scholarship. Bordering five states, many residents live in New York but work in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massa- chusetts, Vermont or Pennsylvania. For residents and communities near these state boundaries, the scholarship's instate work requirement is hugely problematic. Additionally, while there is currently a provision allowing deferment of post-graduation, in-state residency and work requirements for students attending out-of-state graduate school, no such deferment exists for military service. This legislation amends the Excelsior Scholarship to correct this oversight.
Legislative history
2018: S.7162 /A.7755
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.