Relates to tuition scholarship award programs for certain resident and non-resident medical students attending approved medical programs on a full-time basis.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A716
SPONSOR: Buttenschon TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to tuition scholarship
award programs for certain resident and non-resident medical students
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of this bill is to allow students enrolled in a state-sup-
ported medical school to be allowed to participate in the Excelsior
Scholarship program and for non-resident students residing within a
certain distance of the border of New York State to have tuition rates
reduced to 2/3 what they would otherwise be charged as an out-of-state
student.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1. Extends to eligible medical school students, residing in the
state of New York, to enroll in the Excelsior Scholarship program. Addi-
tionally, this section allows for any non-resident medical school
student residing within 150 miles of any border of New York State to be
charged no more than 2/3 of the tuition rate traditionally charged to
non-resident students attending a state-supported medical school.
Section 2. Establishes the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
New York State is facing a significant shortage of general care physi-
cians. Two problems most often cited as to why this shortage exists are
that the annual salaries paid to general/family care physicians are
lower when compared to specialized disciplines, especially after being
coupled with the high costs of higher education and medical school, and
New York is seemingly unable to retain the students that it trains.
This bill would allow students to keep their overall education to a
minimum, invite students from areas close to but outside of New York to
attend at a lesser overall tuition rate, and, based on criteria already
set forth in the Excelsior Scholarship program enable the state of New
York to retain many of the graduates of its medical schools.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-2024: A.1387 -Referred to Higher Education/S.1837Referred to Higher
Education
2021-2022: A.1169 -Referred to Higher Education
2019-2020: A.10198- Referred to Higher Education/S.5953- Referred to
Higher Education
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to any eligible
applicant beginning with the 2023-2024 academic year.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
716
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY(Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BUTTENSCHON -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to tuition scholarship
award programs for certain resident and non-resident medical students
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding two new sections
2 669-i and 669-j to read as follows:
3 § 669-i. Full-tuition scholarship award program for certain resident
4 medical students. 1. A full-tuition scholarship award shall be made to
5 an applicant who is matriculated in an approved medical program and who
6 complies with the applicable provisions of this section and all require-
7 ments promulgated by the corporation for the administration of the
8 program. For purposes of this section, an "approved medical program"
9 shall mean a post-collegiate level program offered by a unit of the
10 state university of New York, a unit of the city university of New York,
11 or other state-supported medical school approved by the commissioner,
12 leading to a degree of doctor of medicine, "M.D.", doctor of osteopathy,
13 "D.O.", or equivalent degree in accordance with the commissioner's regu-
14 lations.
15 2. Within amounts appropriated therefor and based on availability of
16 funds, awards shall be granted beginning with the two thousand twenty-
17 six--two thousand twenty-seven academic year and thereafter to appli-
18 cants that the corporation has determined are eligible to receive such
19 awards.
20 3. An eligible recipient shall not receive an award for more than four
21 years of full-time study in an approved medical program or for more than
22 the actual number of years required to complete such a program if
23 enrolled on a full-time basis.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02494-01-5
A. 716 2
1 4. A recipient shall agree to reside exclusively in New York state,
2 and shall not be employed in any other state, for a continuous number of
3 years equal to the duration of the award received within six months of
4 receipt of such recipient's final award payment, and sign a contract
5 with the corporation to have such recipient's full award converted to a
6 student loan according to a schedule to be determined by the corporation
7 if such student fails to fulfill such requirement.
8 5. Recipients shall receive an annual payment for the successful
9 completion of an academic year, equal to the annual tuition charged to
10 state resident students attending an approved medical program on a full-
11 time basis.
12 6. The corporation is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations
13 necessary for the implementation of the provisions of this section.
14 § 669-j. Tuition scholarship award program for certain non-resident
15 medical students. 1. A tuition scholarship award shall be made to an
16 applicant who: (a) is matriculated in an approved medical program, (b)
17 is a non-resident who lives within a one hundred fifty mile radius of
18 any border of New York state, and (c) complies with the applicable
19 provisions of this section and all requirements promulgated by the
20 corporation for the administration of the program. For purposes of this
21 section, an "approved medical program" shall mean a post-collegiate
22 level program offered by a unit of the state university of New York, a
23 unit of the city university of New York, or other state-supported
24 medical school approved by the commissioner, leading to a degree of
25 doctor of medicine, "M.D.", doctor of osteopathy, "D.O.", or equivalent
26 degree in accordance with the commissioner's regulations.
27 2. Within amounts appropriated therefor and based on availability of
28 funds, awards shall be granted beginning with the two thousand twenty-
29 six--two thousand twenty-seven academic year and thereafter to appli-
30 cants that the corporation has determined are eligible to receive such
31 awards.
32 3. An eligible recipient shall not receive an award for more than four
33 years of full-time study in an approved medical program or for more than
34 the actual number of years required to complete such a program if
35 enrolled on a full-time basis.
36 4. Recipients shall receive an annual payment for the successful
37 completion of an academic year, equal to two-thirds of the annual
38 tuition charged to non-resident students attending an approved medical
39 program on a full-time basis.
40 5. The corporation is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations
41 necessary for the implementation of the provisions of this section.
42 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to any
43 eligible applicant beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year.
