Enacts the "Technical Sergeant Joseph G. Lemm tuition benefit act" to allow members of the New York state organized militia to receive tuition benefits for certain post-secondary degree programs.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
11079
IN ASSEMBLY
April 24, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. RAMOS -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to tuition benefit incen-
tives for members of the New York state organized militia
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "Technical Sergeant Joseph G. Lemm tuition benefit act".
3 § 2. Subdivisions 5 and 7 of section 669-b of the education law, as
4 added by chapter 268 of the laws of 1996, are amended to read as
5 follows:
6 5. Any active member who currently possesses a [baccalaureate]
7 master's degree or higher is ineligible for participation in the
8 recruitment incentive program provided by this section.
9 7. Upon the recipient's attainment of a [baccalaureate] post-secondary
10 degree or diploma or cessation of status as an active member, whichever
11 occurs first, the benefit provided by this section shall be discontin-
12 ued. The tuition benefit provided by this section may be suspended at
13 the direction of the division of military and naval affairs for a recip-
14 ient's failure to maintain good military standing as an active member,
15 for the failure to maintain good academic progress and program pursuit,
16 or for the failure to maintain sufficient academic standing to retain
17 eligibility for any other financial assistance the recipient may be
18 receiving.
19 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
20 the amendments to subdivisions 5 and 7 of section 669-b of the education
21 law made by section two of this act shall not affect the repeal of such
22 section and shall be deemed repealed therewith.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10475-01-5
