What's happening
This bill establishes the New York State Civics Corps Program, providing paid government fellowships for recent high school graduates to gain civic experience.
Why it matters
Creates a direct pathway for recent high school graduates to engage in meaningful, paid government work. , helping to bridge the gap between education and real-world civic participation at a formative age.
Targets high-achieving students who might otherwise head straight to college. , encouraging them to spend a year working in public service, which could diversify the pipeline of future public sector leaders and foster greater civic understanding.
Explicitly prevents fellows from replacing existing public employees. , ensuring the program is additive rather than a means of reducing government workforce costs or undermining unions.
Offers broad government exposure (state, local, legislative, executive, judicial placements). , giving participants a rare, comprehensive look at the variety of roles within government and the policy-making process, potentially informing their future career or educational choices.
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Who cares
Recent high school graduates
Eligible graduates with a minimum 85 average could receive $20,000 for a full-time, one-year government fellowship but would have to defer full-time college or vocational study.
State Education Department
The department would establish and implement the civics corps program, subject to an appropriation.
State and local government offices
Host offices, including the Senate, Assembly and courts, would assign fellows research, policy development and administrative work.
Regular government employees
The bill would prohibit fellowship participants from displacing regular employees.
Headline styles
Start Civics Fellowship for Teens
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5074
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
April 8, 2019
Introduced by Sen. MAYER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the New York state civics corps program act
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new article 24-A to read as follows:
ARTICLE 24-A
NEW YORK STATE CIVICS CORPS PROGRAM ACT Section 1220. Short title.
1221. Program.
1222. Duration.
1223. Location and compensation.
1224. Duties and responsibilities.
1225. Displacement of regular employees prohibited.
1226. Applicants.
§ 1220. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "New York state civics corps program act".
§ 1221. Program. Subject to an appropriation, the department shall establish and implement the New York state civics corps program designed to provide fellowship opportunities for high school graduates to acquire knowledge and skills and participate in the processes of state and local governments. The purpose of such program is to introduce applicants to the opportunities and complexities of state and local governments including the development and adoption of laws, regulations and policies and the engagement of government offices with their various constituencies.
§ 1222. Duration. The New York state civics corps program fellowship placements shall begin on the first of July and end on the thirtieth of June of each year.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10721-01-9
S. 5074 2
§ 1223. Location and compensation. Applicants selected for fellowships pursuant to this article shall be assigned to work for one year at state and/or local government including but not limited to department of state, the New York state senate, the New York state assembly, New York state courts, and local governments. Each fellowship shall be a fulltime position with compensation set at an amount of twenty thousand dollars for the year.
§ 1224. Duties and responsibilities. The duties and responsibilities of individuals selected to participate in the fellowship program shall include research, policy development, and administrative tasks as determined by the department, office, legislative branch, court, or local government of placement.
§ 1225. Displacement of regular employees prohibited. Participants in the fellowship program shall not displace regular employees.
§ 1226. Applicants. All applicants to the New York state civics corps program must:
1. be a citizen of the United States or a foreign national eligible to work in the United States;
2. have completed high school in the school year immediately preceding the beginning of the program;
3. have a minimum high school grade point average of eighty-five; and
4. be willing to defer full-time college or vocational study until the conclusion of the fellowship program; however, nothing in this subdivision shall deter applicants from pursuing part-time college or vocational study while participating in the fellowship program.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
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 establishing the New York state civics corps program act
Purpose or general idea of bill
The purpose of the bill is to establish a state sponsored civic corps program consisting of year long fellowships, which includes a stipend, between high school and college designed to increase civic engagement and knowledge by introducing participants to the opportunities and complexities of state and local governments.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends the education law by adding a new article 24-A, which would establish the "New York state civics corps programs act," which requires the New York State Education Department to create and implement a fellowship program providing opportunities for high school graduates to work in state and municipal government offices. The program details are established, including the application standards, duration, location, compensation for the fellowship, eligible offices to which the fellows can be assigned, and sets forth a prohibition that the fellow- ship program cannot displace regular employees.
Section 2 establishes the effective date and allows for the revision of rules and regulations necessary for implementation.
Justification
In recent years, there has been a national outcry about the lack of civic preparedness among high school graduates. There is much important curriculum work being done to improve students' skills and knowledge, but one of the most effective ways to build civic preparedness and competency is for young people to practice their civic skills, taking action on issues of concern and actively participating in government. Engagement outside the classroom builds civic capacity, knowledge, and participation.
Recent activism and policy work of young people has underscored that they have the appetite and capacity to identify issues of public concern and navigate government to advance these policy goals. Financial constraints have prohibited too many graduating students from partic- ipating in some of these activities, particularly from taking time off between high school graduation and college to pursue this work without compensation. The exclusion of so many young people from this opportu- nity presents not only a lost opportunity for the young person, but also for our communities that miss out on a more civically engaged citizenry.
This bill expands opportunities for high school graduates to put their civic knowledge and skills into practice in state or local government in a year long fellowship program while receiving a stipend. Young gradu- ates will be provided opportunities to practice their "civic skills" which will help them develop the knowledge and, according to the Carne- gie Institute, the "abilities necessary to participate as active and responsible citizens in democracy."
Prior legislative history
New bill
Fiscal implications
TBD
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized and directed to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.