New York State Assembly

 
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A09476 Summary:

A09476 Actions:

A09476 Committee Votes:

Committee:RULES   Chair:Glick      
DATE:01/12/2026AYE/NAY:27/0  Action: Favorable         
Heastie
Excused
Barclay
Aye
Pretlow
Aye
Hawley
Excused
Cook
Excused
Blankenbush
Aye
Glick
Aye
Ra
Aye
Dinowitz
Aye
Brabenec
Aye
Colton
Aye
Palmesano
Aye
Magnarelli
Aye
Reilly
Aye
Paulin
Aye
Smith
Aye
Peoples-Stokes
Aye
Jensen
Aye
Benedetto
Aye
Lavine
Aye
Lupardo
Aye
Braunstein
Aye
Davila
Excused
Hyndman
Aye
Rozic
Aye
Bronson
Aye
Hevesi
Aye
Hunter
Aye
Taylor
Aye
Cruz
Aye
Vanel
Aye

Committee:HIGHER EDUCATION   Chair:Hyndman      
DATE:01/12/2026AYE/NAY:26/0  Action: Favorable refer to committee Rules        
Hyndman
Aye
Smullen
Aye
Lupardo
Aye
Smith
Aye
Stirpe
Aye
Fitzpatrick
Aye
Simon
Aye
Reilly
Aye
McDonald
Aye
Miller
Aye
Bichotte Hermel
Aye
Gray
Aye
McMahon
Aye
Pirozzolo
Aye
Buttenschon
Aye
Sempolinski
Aye
Clark
Aye
Forrest
Aye
Chandler-Waterm
Aye
Seawright
Aye
Eachus
Aye
Sayegh
Aye
Reyes
Aye
Griffin
Aye
Kelles
Aye
O'Pharrow
Aye

A09476 Floor Votes:

A09476 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
 submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)



 
BILL NUMBER: A9476
 
SPONSOR: Dinowitz

 
TITLE OF BILL:
 
An act to amend the education law, in relation to expanding the veterans
tuition awards program to allow the transfer of unused benefits to an
eligible immediate family member; to amend a chapter of the laws of 2025
amending the education law relating to expanding the veterans tuition
awards program to allow the transfer of unused benefits to a spouse,
survivor or child, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 4358-A
and A. 3240-A, in relation to the effectiveness thereof; and to repeal
certain provisions of the education law relating thereto

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
 
The purpose of this bill is to amend Chapter 688 of the Laws of 2025 in
order to effectuate the intent of the law.
 
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
 
Section one of the bill would make technical and clarifying changes to
the terms and definitions established in the original chapter.  Eligi-
bility for tuition award transfers under the original chapter would be
extended to financial dependents, rather than "survivors" as defined in
the original chapter.
 
Section two would repeal paragraph i of subdivision 1 of section 699-a
of the Education Law as added by the original chapter. This paragraph
established the term "survivor" and its associated definition.
 
Section three would make clarifying changes and remove certain limita-
tions on eligibility for award transfers to children of veterans. The
section would also authorize the President of the Higher Education
Services Corporation to establish an application deadline and a method
of selecting which one hundred tuition award transfers are to be granted
if there are more than one hundred eligible tuition award transfers
requested in any given year.
 
Section four would extend the effective date of the original chapter by
one year.
 
Section five would establish the effective date.
 
 
JUSTIFICATION:
 
Chapter 688 of the Laws of 2025 expands the Veterans Tuition Awards
Program by allowing for tuition award transfers to be granted to immedi-
ate family members of eligible veterans, thereby providing greater
support for veterans and their families and ensuring that the awards are
fully utilized.
 
This bill would provide clarifying changes to certain provisions estab-
lished in the original chapter. The bill would also expand eligibility
for tuition award transfers to financial dependents and limit other
eligibility requirements.
 
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
 
New bill.
 
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
 
To be determined.
 
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This bill would take effect immediately; provided however, that sections
one, two and three shall take effect on the same date and in the same
manner as a chapter of the laws of 2025 amending the education law
relating to expanding the veterans tuition awards program to allow the
transfer of unused benefits to a spouse, survivor or child, as proposed
in legislative bills numbers S. 4358-A and A. 3240-A, takes effect.

A09476 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          9476
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                     January 7, 2026
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced by M. of A. DINOWITZ -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Higher Education
 
        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to expanding the veterans
          tuition  awards program to allow the transfer of unused benefits to an
          eligible immediate family member; to amend a chapter of  the  laws  of
          2025  amending  the  education  law relating to expanding the veterans
          tuition awards program to allow the transfer of unused benefits  to  a
          spouse, survivor or child, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S.
          4358-A and A. 3240-A, in relation to the effectiveness thereof; and to
          repeal certain provisions of the education law relating thereto
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. Paragraphs g and h of subdivision 1 of section 699-a of the
     2  education law, as added by a chapter of the laws of  2025  amending  the
     3  education  law relating to expanding the veterans tuition awards program
     4  to allow the transfer of unused benefits to a spouse, survivor or child,
     5  as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 4358-A and  A.  3240-A,  are
     6  amended to read as follows:
     7    g.  "Eligible  immediate  family  member"  means  a  person who is the
     8  spouse, child or [survivor] financial dependent of a qualified  veteran,
     9  and who resides in this state.
    10    h.  "Qualified  veteran"  means  a  veteran  who [would be eligible to
    11  receive a  tuition  award  if  such  veteran  satisfied]  satisfies  the
    12  [enrollment and application] requirements  set  forth in paragraph a, b,
    13  c, or d of subdivision [two] one of this section.
    14    §  2.  Paragraph  i of subdivision 1 of section 699-a of the education
    15  law, as added by a chapter of the laws of 2025  amending  the  education
    16  law  relating  to expanding the veterans tuition awards program to allow
    17  the transfer of unused benefits to  a  spouse,  survivor  or  child,  as
    18  proposed  in  legislative  bills  numbers  S.  4358-A  and A. 3240-A, is
    19  REPEALED.
    20    § 3. Subdivision 5 of section 669-a of the education law, as added  by
    21  a  chapter  of  the  laws of 2025 amending the education law relating to
    22  expanding the veterans tuition awards program to allow the  transfer  of
    23  unused  benefits to a spouse, survivor or child, as proposed in legisla-
    24  tive bills numbers S. 4358-A and A. 3240-A, is amended and a new  subdi-
    25  vision 6 is added to read as follows:
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07221-04-6
        A. 9476                             2
 
     1    5.  a. A qualified veteran who [would be eligible to receive a tuition
     2  award if such veteran satisfied the enrollment and application  require-
     3  ments  set forth in paragraph a of subdivision two of this section, but]
     4  has not utilized such tuition award, may elect to transfer in  a  single
     5  instance  all  or [a portion of the] any remaining tuition award to [an]
     6  one eligible immediate family member [or members].
     7    b. A qualified veteran who elects to transfer their award shall desig-
     8  nate the eligible immediate family member  [or  members]  to  whom  such
     9  award  is  being  transferred[, including the number of semesters.  Such
    10  designation shall be made on a form prescribed by the  president,  shall
    11  be  appended  to  the  application  specified in subdivision two of this
    12  section, and the president shall make the form and relevant  information
    13  of  this  section  available on the corporation's website] in the manner
    14  prescribed by the corporation.
    15    c. A child to whom a tuition award is transferred under this  subdivi-
    16  sion  shall  be  under  twenty-six  years  of age. [Such child shall not
    17  commence the use of a tuition award transferred under  this  subdivision
    18  unless  the  qualified  veteran  has  served  in the armed forces of the
    19  United States for at least ten years, except where such qualified veter-
    20  an did not complete such service requirement due to:
    21    (i) the qualified veteran's death;
    22    (ii) discharge or release  for a medical  condition  that  pre-existed
    23  service;
    24    (iii) discharge or release for hardship;
    25    (iv)  discharge  or  release for a physical or mental condition, not a
    26  disability, that did not result from their willful  misconduct  but  did
    27  interfere with their performance of duty;
    28    (v) discharge for a disability;
    29    (vi) discharge for a reduction in force; or
    30    (vii) involuntary force shaping.]
    31    d.  The  tuition  award  transfers  designated  by a qualified veteran
    32  pursuant to this subdivision shall not exceed  the  award  available  to
    33  such veteran under this section.
    34    e.  The total number of tuition award transfers under this subdivision
    35  shall not exceed one hundred per year.
    36    6. The president is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations  to
    37  implement the provisions of this section. The president may establish a.
    38  an  application  deadline and b. a method of selecting which one hundred
    39  tuition award transfers are to be granted if in any given year there are
    40  more than one hundred eligible tuition award transfers requested.
    41    § 4. Section 4 of a chapter of the laws of 2025 amending the education
    42  law relating to expanding the veterans tuition awards program  to  allow
    43  the  transfer  of  unused  benefits  to  a spouse, survivor or child, as
    44  proposed in legislative bills  numbers  S.  4358-A  and  A.  3240-A,  is
    45  amended to read as follows:
    46    §  4. This act shall take effect July 1, [2026] 2027.  Effective imme-
    47  diately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation
    48  necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective  date  are
    49  authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
    50    §  5.  This  act shall take effect immediately; provided however, that
    51  sections one, two and three shall take effect on the same  date  and  in
    52  the  same manner as a chapter of the laws of 2025 amending the education
    53  law relating to expanding the veterans tuition awards program  to  allow
    54  the  transfer  of  unused  benefits  to  a spouse, survivor or child, as
    55  proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 4358-A  and  A.  3240-A,  takes
    56  effect.