BILL NUMBER: S3458 Revised: 02/27/25
SPONSOR: STAVISKY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to phasing out certain
mandatory university fees for graduate students
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To codify the phasing out of certain mandatory university fees for grad-
uate students prohibiting the State University of New York (SUNY) from
charging any current or future mandatory fees, except for the graduate
student association student activity fee, to a graduate student serving
as a graduate teaching assistant, graduate assistant, graduate research
assistant, graduate research associate or graduate teaching associate;
and prohibits the City University of New York (CUNY) from charging any
current or future mandatory fees, except for the graduate student asso-
ciation student activity fee, to a graduate student serving as a gradu-
ate assistant, adjunct instructor, adjunct lecturer, adjunct college
laboratory technician, or a non-teaching adjunct staff member.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1. Amends paragraph h of subdivision 2 of section 355 of the
education law by adding a new subparagraph 11 to prohibit the State
University of New. York from charging any current or future mandatory
fees, except for the graduate student association student activity fee,
to a graduate student serving in certain capacities.
Section 2. Amends section 6206 by adding subdivision 24 to prohibit CUNY
from charging any current or future mandatory fees, except for the grad-
uate student association student activity fee, to a graduate student
serving in certain capacities.
Section 3. Sets forth the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
This bill codifies financial relief provided to graduate students serv-
ing in certain graduate teaching or graduate assisting capacities at
SUNY and CUNY by prohibiting the systems from charging mandatory fees.
Graduate student workers are responsible for all aspects of teaching
courses, including designing syllabi, holding office hours, mentoring
students, grading, and conducting research. Graduate student employees
are an essential labor force for SUNY and CUNY - and instrumental to the
longterm economic success of New York State. However, mandatory fees
amounting to 10-2075- of their annual income force many graduate student
employees into poverty.
While stipend amounts vary considerably between campuses and academic
departments, the average graduate employee stipend across the four SUNY
University Centers is about $20,000 per academic year for TAs and Gas
with full appointment & for those graduate employees earning the average
stipend, the amount they must pay back to their university each year in
fees can represent much of their annual income. We must permanently end
this pay-to-work practice that forces graduate student workers to live
in poverty.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S3458: 6206 education law