BILL NUMBER: S9044
SPONSOR: GOUNARDES
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing an emer-
gency aid grant program to allow the state university of New York or the
city university of New York to provide emergency aid grants to certain
students
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To provide a state match for emergency aid grants provided by SUNY and
CUNY campuses
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one of this bill amends Section 6301 of the Education Law to
provide definitions for "emergency aid grant" and "emergency aid grant
program."
Section two of this bill adds a new Section S6312 to Article 126 the
Education Law to create a state matching program for emergency aid
grants for students at SUNY community colleges. Components of the
program include:
- Eligible students are those who require financial assistance to cover
expenses such as but not limited to groceries, clothing, housing, trans-
portation, child care, course materials, or transportation due to unex-
pected or unforeseen events
- The state would match 50% of grants up to a maximum of $1,250 per
student and $62,500 per campus
- The SUNY board may establish additional eligibility requirements for
campuses
- Emergency aid grants cannot be used to cover outstanding tuition or
fees owed to SUNY and cannot be counted as income for the purposes of
financial aid
- Community colleges must demonstrate that they have other additional
services and supports for students experiencing financial distress
Section three of this bill amends Section 350 of the Education Law to
provide definitions for "emergency aid grant" and "emergency aid grant
program."
Section four of this bill adds a new Section 355-F to the Education Law
to create the same state matching program for emergency aid grants
described above for SUNY four-year colleges, which are the "state-oper-
ated institutions" referenced in Education Law § 350(4) and § 352(2).
Section five of this bill amends Section 6202 of the Education Law to
create definitions for "emergency aid grant" and "emergency aid grant
program."
Section six of this bill adds a new Section 6235 to Article 125 the
Education Law to create the state matching program for emergency aid
grants for CUNY community and senior colleges.
Section seven of this bill adds a new Section 689-b to the Education Law
to require the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) to produce
an annual report on the number of SUNY and CUNY students who received
emergency aid awards, the average dollar amount of such awards, the
percentage of such students who are still enrolled in SUNY or CUNY after
receipt of such award, degree completion rates for such students, and
other post-graduation outcomes as available to HESC. HESC would receive
all data necessary for this report from SUNY and CUNY campuses and would
be required to publish the report online within thirty days of receiving
such data.
Section eight sets the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Many college students find themselves faced with emergency situations
that require them to choose between affording groceries, rent, health-
care, childcare, or their education. This program would support students
facing these difficult choices by helping to cover these critical
expenses, allowing students to stay on track with their degree.
Georgia State University's program, one of the first emergency aid grant
programs in the nation in 2016, was so successful that the Georgia
General Assembly passed legislation to establish the statewide Georgia
College Completion Grant. Meanwhile, a pilot program at six SUNY campus-
es in 2018 provided up to $2,000 per student for necessary expenses
after an emergency. A report on this pilot program found that, of the
students who received these grants, approximately 1,800 students, or 94
percent of all program participants were either still enrolled or
completed their degree in the semester after their emergency. Addi-
tionally, 80 percent of recipients said that the program made them more
aware of other resources available to support students through such a
situation and 90 percent felt more confident advocating for themselves
and felt a "greater sense of belonging" on campus. The report further
found that campuses gained greater knowledge of the various challenges
facing students trying to juggle their degree with making ends meet and
offered more supports for these students as the pilot program
progressed.
CUNY was also able to establish a small emergency aid program with funds
from the U.S. Department of Education during the pandemic to support
students facing emergency situations, but that funding has since lapsed,
leaving it to individual campuses to establish and maintain their own
programs to support their students in crisis. After the conclusion of
the 2018 SUNY pilot program, the responsibility also fell on individual
campuses to continue this critical initiative.
While some campuses at both SUNY and CUNY have done this successfully,
the funding is often inconsistent and insufficient to support the level
of student need. This bill would ensure that existing campus programs
are able to support their students in covering the full extent of an
emergency situation and to support additional students in need. It would
also help provide a strong financial incentive for the creation of new
emergency aid grant programs at campuses statewide.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
None
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
This bill would cover 81 SUNY and CUNY college campuses that offer
undergraduate degrees. At a maximum match of $62,500 per campus, the
fiscal impact of this bill would be a little more than $5 million assum-
ing maximum participation at every campus.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on August 1st, 2027, and shall apply to the
academic year next succeeding the effective date.

Statutes affected:
S9044: 6301 education law, 350 education law, 6202 education law