Amd §§6301, 350 & 6202, add §§6312, 355-f, 6235 & 689-b, Ed L
Authorizes SUNY and CUNY to provide emergency aid grants to certain students; provides that the state shall reimburse half of all such grants provided; requires the higher education services corporation to provide an annual report on such programs.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10288
IN ASSEMBLY
February 20, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ALVAREZ -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Higher Education
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
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 6301 of the education law is amended by adding two
2 new subdivisions 7 and 8 to read as follows:
3 7. "Emergency aid grant". A grant provided to an undergraduate student
4 attending a community college, as defined in subdivision two of this
5 section and subdivision two of section three hundred fifty of this chap-
6 ter, and determined by such college to be eligible for such grant, who,
7 due to unexpected or unforeseen events, requires financial assistance
8 for expenses which may include but are not limited to food, clothing,
9 housing, course materials, technology, transportation, medical expenses,
10 or child care. An emergency aid grant shall not be used to pay outstand-
11 ing tuition or fees or for the repayment of student loans.
12 8. "Emergency aid grant program". The program established pursuant to
13 section sixty-three hundred twelve of this article wherein a community
14 college provides emergency aid grants to students and for which the
15 state provides annual matching funds to such college.
16 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 6312 to read
17 as follows:
18 § 6312. Emergency aid grant matching program. 1. Each community
19 college established and operated pursuant to the provisions of this
20 article shall establish an emergency aid grant program for students
21 deemed eligible for such emergency aid. The state shall provide each
22 community college an appropriation equal to one-half of all grants
23 disbursed or to be disbursed in such program, provided that such appro-
24 priation shall not exceed twelve hundred fifty dollars per student who
25 received or will receive an emergency aid grant and shall not exceed
26 more than sixty-two thousand five hundred dollars per community college.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14398-02-6
A. 10288 2
1 2. The board of trustees may establish requirements, as such board
2 deems necessary, for community colleges to access the matching funds
3 provided by the state pursuant to subdivision one of this section,
4 provided that:
5 a. Emergency aid grants shall not be used to cover any outstanding
6 tuition or fees owed to the state university of New York;
7 b. Emergency aid grants shall not be treated as income for the
8 purposes of calculating financial aid offers or awards or when determin-
9 ing any expected student and/or family contribution; and
10 c. Community colleges shall demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the
11 board, that, as a component of a campus emergency aid grant program,
12 such college has other sufficient resources and services available to
13 support students experiencing financial distress.
14 3. Within thirty days of the conclusion of every academic year, each
15 community college shall submit the necessary data prescribed in section
16 six hundred seventy-nine-k of this chapter to the New York state higher
17 education services corporation for the purposes of the report required
18 by such section.
19 § 3. Section 350 of the education law is amended by adding two new
20 subdivisions 14 and 15 to read as follows:
21 14. "Emergency aid grant" means a grant provided to an undergraduate
22 student attending a state-operated institution, as defined in subdivi-
23 sion four of this section, and determined by such institution to be
24 eligible for such grant, who, due to unexpected or unforeseen events,
25 requires financial assistance for expenses which may include but are not
26 limited to food, clothing, housing, course materials, technology, trans-
27 portation, medical expenses, or child care. An emergency aid grant shall
28 not be used to pay outstanding tuition or fees or for the repayment of
29 student loans.
30 15. "Emergency aid grant program" means the program established pursu-
31 ant to section three hundred fifty-five-f of this article wherein a
32 state-operated institution provides emergency aid grants to students and
33 for which the state provides annual matching funds to such institution.
34 § 4. The education law is amended by adding a new section 355-f to
35 read as follows:
36 § 355-f. Emergency aid grant matching program. 1. Each state-operated
37 institution shall establish an emergency aid grant program for students
38 deemed eligible by such institution for such emergency aid. The state
39 shall provide each institution with an appropriation equal to one-half
40 of all grants disbursed or to be disbursed in such program, provided
41 that such appropriation shall not exceed twelve hundred fifty dollars
42 per student who received or will receive an emergency aid grant and
43 shall not exceed more than sixty-two thousand five hundred dollars per
44 state-operated institution.
45 2. The state university trustees may establish requirements, as such
46 trustees deem necessary, for state-operated institutions to access the
47 matching funds provided by the state pursuant to subdivision one of this
48 section, provided that:
49 a. Emergency aid grants shall not be used to cover any outstanding
50 tuition or fees owed to the state university of New York;
51 b. Emergency aid grants shall not be treated as income for the
52 purposes of calculating financial aid offers or awards or when determin-
53 ing any expected student and/or family contribution; and
54 c. State-operated institutions shall demonstrate, to the satisfaction
55 of the trustees, that, as a component of a campus emergency aid grant
A. 10288 3
1 program, such institution has other sufficient resources and services
2 available to support students experiencing financial distress.
3 3. Within thirty days of the conclusion of every academic year, each
4 state-operated institution shall submit the necessary data prescribed in
5 section six hundred eighty-nine-b of this title to the New York state
6 higher education services corporation for the purposes of the report
7 required by such section.
8 § 5. Section 6202 of the education law is amended by adding two new
9 subdivisions 10 and 11 to read as follows:
10 10. The term "emergency aid grant" shall mean a grant provided to an
11 undergraduate student attending a community college, as defined in
12 subdivision four of this section, or a senior college, as defined in
13 subdivision five of this section, and determined by such college to be
14 eligible for such grant, who, due to unexpected or unforeseen events,
15 requires financial assistance for expenses which may include but are not
16 limited to food, clothing, housing, course materials, technology, trans-
17 portation, medical expenses, or child care. An emergency aid grant shall
18 not be used to pay outstanding tuition or fees or for the repayment of
19 student loans.
20 11. The term "emergency aid grant program" shall mean the program
21 established pursuant to section sixty-two hundred thirty-five of this
22 article wherein a community college or senior college provides emergency
23 aid grants to students and for which the state provides annual matching
24 funds to such college.
25 § 6. The education law is amended by adding a new section 6235 to read
26 as follows:
27 § 6235. Emergency aid grant matching program. 1. Each community
28 college and senior college shall establish an emergency aid grant
29 program for students deemed eligible by such college for such emergency
30 aid. The state shall provide each college with an appropriation equal to
31 one-half of all grants disbursed or to be disbursed in such program,
32 provided that such appropriation shall not exceed twelve hundred fifty
33 dollars per student who received or will receive an emergency aid grant
34 and shall not exceed more than sixty-two thousand five hundred dollars
35 per community college or senior college.
36 2. The board of trustees, as defined in subdivision one of section
37 sixty-two hundred two of this article, may establish requirements, as
38 such board deems necessary, for community colleges and senior colleges
39 to access the matching funds provided by the state pursuant to subdivi-
40 sion one of this section, provided that:
41 a. Emergency aid grants shall not be used to cover any outstanding
42 tuition or fees owed to the city university of New York;
43 b. Emergency aid grants shall not be treated as income for the
44 purposes of calculating financial aid offers or awards or when determin-
45 ing any expected student and/or family contribution; and
46 c. A community college or senior college shall demonstrate, to the
47 satisfaction of the board, that, as a component of a campus emergency
48 aid grant program, such college has other sufficient resources and
49 services available to support students experiencing financial distress.
50 d. Within thirty days of the conclusion of every academic year, each
51 community college and senior college shall submit the necessary data
52 prescribed in section six hundred eighty-nine-b of this chapter to the
53 New York state higher education services corporation for the purposes of
54 the report required by such section.
55 § 7. The education law is amended by adding a new section 689-b to
56 read as follows:
A. 10288 4
1 § 689-b. Annual report on the emergency aid grant matching program. 1.
2 The corporation shall collect from each community college as defined in
3 subdivision two of section sixty-three hundred one of this chapter,
4 state-operated institution as defined in subdivision four of section
5 three hundred fifty of this title, community college as defined in
6 subdivision four of section sixty-two hundred two of this chapter, and
7 senior college as defined in subdivision five of section sixty-two
8 hundred two of this chapter, the following data on each such college or
9 institution's emergency aid grant programs on an annual basis:
10 (a) the number of students at each campus who received funds through
11 the emergency aid grant programs established in section three hundred
12 fifty-five-f of this title and sections sixty-three hundred twelve and
13 sixty-two hundred thirty-five of this chapter, and the total amount of
14 grants awarded;
15 (b) the average dollar amount provided to each student pursuant to
16 such program;
17 (c) the percentage of students who received an emergency aid grant who
18 are still enrolled in the city university of New York or the state
19 university of New York, and the percentage who are not enrolled in such
20 universities;
21 (d) the percentage of students who received an emergency aid grant who
22 have successfully completed a degree program at the state university of
23 New York or the city university of New York;
24 (e) post-graduation outcomes of students receiving emergency aid
25 grants including further education, employment, and wages, to the extent
26 such information is available to the corporation; provided that such
27 data is presented in an anonymized and aggregated format;
28 (f) other information deemed necessary by the corporation to evaluate
29 the effectiveness of the emergency aid grant program.
30 2. No later than thirty days after the corporation receives such
31 information from community colleges, state-operated institutions, and
32 senior colleges, the corporation shall compile such information into an
33 annual report to be published on the corporation's website and transmit-
34 ted to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, the temporary presi-
35 dent of the senate, and the chairs of the senate higher education
36 committee and the assembly higher education committee.
37 3. The corporation is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations
38 to effectuate the provisions of this section.
39 § 8. This act shall take effect August 1, 2027 and shall apply to the
40 academic year next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a
41 law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment, and/or repeal of
42 any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on
43 its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before
44 such effective date.
