What's happening
This bill requires SUNY and CUNY to study and report on the availability of campus services and resources for student veterans.
Why it matters
Shines a light on gaps and strengths in veteran support. By requiring a thorough study, the bill could reveal where SUNY and CUNY campuses are succeeding—or falling short—in providing veterans with academic, financial, career, and counseling services.
Establishes a data-driven foundation for future improvements. The mandated report will include numbers of student veterans versus available counselors/advisors, providing concrete data to guide resource allocation or policy changes.
Centers the experiences and transition needs of student veterans. By consulting stakeholders and seeking recommendations, the bill acknowledges that veterans often face unique challenges when transitioning to campus life, and aims to tailor support accordingly.
Creates accountability for SUNY and CUNY leadership. Requiring a formal report to state leaders ensures that findings and recommendations won’t stay internal, potentially prompting legislative or administrative action to enhance veteran services.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Study Campus Services for Veterans
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to veterans, homeland security and military affairs
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to higher education
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 61–0
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.470
- Referred to veterans, homeland security and military affairs
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.
Study Veteran Campus Services
In Assembly Committee · Higher Education · Sponsor Pamela J. Hunter
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2469
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 25, 2019
Introduced by Sen. SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs
AN ACT requiring the state university of New York and the city university of New York to examine and conduct a study on the availability of campus services, programs and resources for veterans
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The board of trustees of the state university of New York shall examine and conduct a study on the availability of campus services, programs and resources for a veteran attending any college of the state university of New York as a student, which shall consider, but not be limited to the following:
(a) Existing services, programs, and resources offered by campus veterans services offices, which may include, but not be limited to academic, financial, and career advising services, as well as personal counseling services for such students;
(b) The number of veterans attending each college as students compared to the number of available full-time counselors and/or advisors employed at each college campus for such students; and
(c) Any recommendations, based on consultation with relevant stakeholders, on how to increase the availability of existing services, programs, and resources that may better facilitate the transition period for a veteran attending any college of the state university of New York as a student.
§ 2. The board of trustees of the city university of New York shall examine and conduct a study on the availability of campus services, programs and resources for a veteran attending any college of the city university of New York as a student, which shall consider, but not be limited to the following:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04732-01-9
S. 2469 2
(a) Existing services, programs, and resources offered by campus veterans services offices, which may include, but not be limited to academic, financial, and career advising services, as well as personal counseling services for such students;
(b) The number of veterans attending college as students compared to the number of available full-time counselors and/or advisors on staff at each college campus for such students; and
(c) Any recommendations, based on consultation with relevant stakeholders, on how to increase the availability of existing services, programs, and resources that may better facilitate the transition period for a veteran attending any college of the city university of New York as a student.
§ 3. The board of trustees of the state university of New York and the board of trustees of the city university of New York shall each submit a final report of its findings and recommendations to the governor, temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, and the chairs of the higher education committees in the assembly and senate within one year of the effective date of this act.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act requiring the state university of New York and the city universi- ty of New York to examine and conduct a study on the availability of campus services, programs and resources for veterans
Purpose
The purpose of this bill is to study what services and programs are currently provided, and where resources may be directed in the future to enhance these services offered to students as veterans.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 would require the State University of New York (SUNY) to exam- ine and study the availability of existing campus services, programs and resources for a veteran attending any SUNY college as a student, as well as provide any recommendations on how to increase the availability of existing services and programs in a report to governor and legislature within one year of the bill becoming law.
Section 2 would require the City University of New York (CUNY) to exam- ine and study the availability of existing campus services, programs and resources for a veteran attending any CUNY college as a student, as well as provide any recommendations on how to increase the availability of existing services and programs in a report to governor and legislature within one year of the bill becoming law.
Section 3 would require a final report by both CUNY and SUNY to be send to the Governor and the Legislature within one year of the effective date.
Section 4 would provide for the effective date.
Existing law
New law
Justification
Veterans can face particular challenges entering and graduating from college. To address these challenges, CUNY, SUNY and other schools throughout the state are working to assist veterans on campus, but exam- ples from other states show there is more New York can do to help veter- ans across the state achieve college success. States are also taking extra steps to ensure sufficient on-campus resources for veterans, such as navigators, resource centers and mentors. New Jersey's Troops to College legislation assists the state's colleges and universities to coordinate services provided to veterans, and Texas leveraged its exist- ing Veterans Commission to create a network of veteran education counse- lors to assist colleges to improve on-campus services for veterans. This bill would allow SUNY, CUNY, and the legislature to study what services and programs are currently provided, and where resources may be directed in the future to enhance these services offered to students as veterans based upon recommendations made in consultation with relevant stakehold- ers.
Legislative history
01/22/16 Referred to Education
Fiscal implications
None
Local 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.