A04607 Summary:

BILL NOA04607
 
SAME ASSAME AS S03992
 
SPONSOREnglebright (MS)
 
COSPNSRRivera, Schimminger, Ortiz, Gunther
 
MLTSPNSRCurran, Cymbrowitz, Galef, Hooper, Magee, Perry, Wright
 
Add §319, Ed L
 
Enacts the higher education community service act to promote volunteer service by higher education students; creates a council for higher education community service to regulate and recognize persons and programs associated therewith; requires a report to the governor, temporary president of the senate and speaker of the assembly.
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A04607 Actions:

BILL NOA04607
 
02/03/2017referred to higher education
01/03/2018referred to higher education
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A04607 Committee Votes:

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A04607 Floor Votes:

There are no votes for this bill in this legislative session.
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A04607 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          4607
 
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                    February 3, 2017
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced by M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT, RIVERA, SCHIMMINGER, ORTIZ, GUNTHER,
          MOYA  --  Multi-Sponsored  by  --  M. of A. CURRAN, CYMBROWITZ, GALEF,
          HOOPER, MAGEE, PERRY, WRIGHT -- read once and referred to the  Commit-
          tee on Higher Education
 
        AN  ACT  to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the "higher
          education community service act"

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1.    Legislative  findings. The legislature hereby finds and
     2  declares that the American tradition of volunteer community  service  is
     3  essential  to  the  common good and is vital to the success  of not-for-
     4  profit agencies, institutions and  organizations  dealing  with  a  vast
     5  array of critical social problems. It recognizes growing support for the
     6  idea that postsecondary students should receive recognition for substan-
     7  tial  commitment  to  volunteer  service,  and  should  be given greater
     8  encouragement to participate in volunteer community service  activities.
     9  Volunteers and volunteer programs should be praised for their efforts in
    10  helping  and  serving  others,  which  result  in changes in the way the
    11  community views young people and in the  way  young  people  view  their
    12  responsibilities to the community.
    13    The  legislature  further declares its desire to promote further inte-
    14  gration of community service at  institutions  of  higher  education  by
    15  encouraging  student-initiated  and student-designated community service
    16  projects.
    17    § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 319 to  read
    18  as follows:
    19    §  319.  Higher education community service act. 1. Short title.  This
    20  section shall be known and may be cited as the "higher education  commu-
    21  nity service act".
    22    2.  Establishment of higher education community service act.  There is
    23  hereby established a higher education  community  service  act  for  the

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03648-01-7

        A. 4607                             2
 
     1  purpose  of  promoting  and recognizing volunteer service involvement by
     2  students in higher education.  Activities  conducted  under  the  higher
     3  education community service act shall include:
     4    a.  a campus based screening process to identify and nominate success-
     5  ful and promising community service projects and initiatives for  recog-
     6  nition;
     7    b.  identification  of  existing  quality  community service programs,
     8  projects and initiatives involving postsecondary students that produce a
     9  sense of social responsibility and commitment to the community;
    10    c. incentives for institutions of higher education, students and other
    11  members of the college community to participate in long  term  community
    12  service programs;
    13    d.  encouragement of institutions to formulate a systematic process to
    14  disseminate information concerning prospective volunteer projects to the
    15  participants of general volunteer programs on or off campus;
    16    e. establishment of a foundation to receive private funds to  be  used
    17  to  promote  a  wide  variety of service related projects. Private funds
    18  shall include, but not be limited to donations, grants and  fundraisers;
    19  and
    20    f.  establishment of a three-year program of implementation, including
    21  pilot programs and ongoing review and evaluation.
    22    3.  Establishment  of  volunteer  connections.  The  commissioner,  in
    23  consultation with the chancellor of the state university, the chancellor
    24  of  the  city university of New York and the president of the commission
    25  on independent colleges and universities  shall  develop  a  program  to
    26  establish effective volunteer connections between institutions of higher
    27  education and their respective communities.
    28    4.  Council  for  higher education community service. a. A council for
    29  higher education community  service  shall  be  established  within  the
    30  department  for  the  purpose  of conducting activities pursuant to this
    31  section. The council shall be composed of eleven members,  one  of  whom
    32  shall  be  the  commissioner,  ex  officio,  and  ten  of  whom shall be
    33  appointed by the governor: two on the recommendation  of  the  temporary
    34  president of the senate, two on the recommendation of the speaker of the
    35  assembly,  one  on  the  recommendation  of  the  minority leader of the
    36  senate, and one on the recommendation of  the  minority  leader  of  the
    37  assembly.  Such  members  shall  include  representatives  of  the state
    38  university, city university of New York, the  independent  colleges  and
    39  universities  of  New  York  and the New York campus compact. Two of the
    40  council members shall be students, selected by the governor.  The  coun-
    41  cil shall select from among its appointed members a chair and vice chair
    42  who  shall serve in office for terms of one year and who shall be eligi-
    43  ble for reelection for successive terms.
    44    b. The council shall oversee the creation of a statewide postsecondary
    45  community service center to disseminate information regarding   existing
    46  volunteer  activities,  make  volunteer connections between students and
    47  the communities, integrate public and community service into the curric-
    48  ulum, provide guidance and coordination, monitor and evaluate  volunteer
    49  programs  and  activities  and  promote  the  continuation of public and
    50  community service.
    51    c. The council shall meet at least four times each  year.  Members  of
    52  the  council  shall receive no compensation for their services but shall
    53  be reimbursed by the higher education community service  foundation  for
    54  reasonable  expenses  actually  and  necessarily incurred by them in the
    55  performance of their duties pursuant to this section.

        A. 4607                             3
 
     1    d. The council shall report by September first each year to the gover-
     2  nor, the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assem-
     3  bly on the progress of implementation of this section, with  recommenda-
     4  tions for future activities.
     5    5.  Petitioning  by  council. The council shall, within ninety days of
     6  its appointment, petition the regents to incorporate as a private,  not-
     7  for-profit  education corporation under this chapter, the New York foun-
     8  dation for higher education community service, to receive  funds  to  be
     9  used  as  requested  by the council to support and administer activities
    10  authorized in this section, and other projects that encourage and assist
    11  community service activities.
    12    § 3. This act shall  take  effect  on  the  first  of  September  next
    13  succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
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