Relates to the SUNY Maritime admissions program increasing the number of positions reserved for nomination by the governor and members of the legislature and scholarship under the SUNY Maritime admissions program.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A4956
SPONSOR: Chang TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to the admissions program
for the state university of New York maritime college
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
Amends the maritime college cadet appointments program to allow members
of assembly one additional student appointment and increases the maximum
number of vacancy positions set aside for applicants.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Amends the Education Law to authorize each member of assembly to appoint
one additional student, for a total of two each, to the cadet appoint-
ments program at maritime college and increases the maximum number of
vacancy positions reserved for appointees from 284 to 437.
JUSTIFICATION:
Increasing the number of appointments per member of assembly by one
student will allow a greater number of students to attend maritime
college to support enrollment without imposing the financial burden.of
student loans on appointees.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-2024, A.10153, not considered
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
INCREASED COSTS TO THE STATE TO SUPPORT ADDITIONAL STUDENTS ATTENDING
MARITIME COLLEGE UNDER THE CADET APPOINTMENTS PROGRAM.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4956
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 10, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. CHANG -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to the admissions program
for the state university of New York maritime college
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivisions 2 and 3 of section 352-a of the education law,
2 subdivision 2 as amended by section 1 of part II of chapter 56 of the
3 laws of 2023 and subdivision 3 as added by section 1 of part F of chap-
4 ter 83 of the laws of 2002, are amended to read as follows:
5 2. (a) Maritime college shall have a total of [two hundred eighty-
6 four] four hundred thirty-seven vacancy positions set aside for appli-
7 cants who are nominated by the governor, a state senator or a member of
8 the assembly. Such vacancy nominations shall increase or decrease based
9 upon the number of senate districts authorized pursuant to article three
10 of the New York state constitution. An applicant who receives such a
11 nomination, is accepted for admission into the college and participates
12 in the regimental program shall receive a scholarship equal to the
13 amount of the state tuition charge after the deduction of any available
14 grant aid for the four consecutive years following [his or her] their
15 admission into the program provided, however, that the student remains
16 in the regimental/cadet degree program and remains at all times in good
17 academic standing as determined by the maritime college administration.
18 In no event shall a student lose [his or her] their scholarship based
19 upon legislative reapportionment or changes in legislative composition
20 or membership. Nothing herein shall be construed to limit or reduce the
21 number of vacancies available to the general population.
22 (b) To be eligible to receive such nomination and scholarship, the
23 applicant must be a resident of the state. For purposes of this section,
24 a state resident shall be defined as a person who has resided in the
25 state of New York for a period of at least one year prior to the time of
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07698-01-5
A. 4956 2
1 nomination, is a graduate or within one year of graduation from an
2 approved high school or has attained a New York state high school equiv-
3 alency diploma or its equivalent as determined by the commissioner.
4 3. The vacancy nominations shall be distributed as follows: five for
5 the governor, five for the majority leader of the senate, five for the
6 speaker of the assembly, two for each state senator other than the
7 majority leader of the senate and [one] two for each member of the
8 assembly other than the speaker of the assembly. The governor and each
9 member of the legislature shall provide one principal and three alterna-
10 tive nominations for consideration for admission. Final admission deci-
11 sions shall remain with the college and within administrative procedures
12 and criteria.
13 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
