Requires at least a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per one thousand students on all SUNY and CUNY campuses and for state colleges and universities to update such ratio every five years.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
832
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY(Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. FORREST, RAGA, GALLAGHER, SHRESTHA, GONZALEZ-RO-
JAS, ALVAREZ, COLTON, JACKSON, MAHER -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring at least a
ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per one
thousand students on all SUNY and CUNY campuses
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 355 of the education law is amended by adding a new
2 subdivision 22 to read as follows:
3 22. Through on-campus capacity, each state college or university
4 center of the state university of New York and each state college and
5 university center of the city university of New York shall have at least
6 a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per one
7 thousand full-time equivalent students. Two years after the effective
8 date of this subdivision, and once every five years thereafter, each
9 state college and university shall establish a board of advisors and
10 experts and have such board update such ratio based on actual ratios in
11 this state and any new information related to appropriate benchmarks for
12 clinician-to-student ratios; provided, however, such updated ratio shall
13 be at least a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff
14 member per one thousand students. This subdivision shall not be funded
15 by student fees created on or after the effective date of this subdivi-
16 sion. State colleges or universities may seek federal funding or private
17 grants, if available, to support the provisions of this subdivision.
18 § 2. Section 6206 of the education law is amended by adding a new
19 subdivision 24 to read as follows:
20 24. Through on-campus capacity, each state college or university
21 center of the state university of New York and each state college and
22 university center of the city university of New York shall have at least
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02074-01-5
A. 832 2
1 a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per one
2 thousand full-time equivalent students. Two years after the effective
3 date of this subdivision, and once every five years thereafter, each
4 state college and university shall establish a board of advisors and
5 experts and have such board update such ratio based on actual ratios in
6 this state and any new information related to appropriate benchmarks for
7 clinician-to-student ratios; provided, however, such updated ratio shall
8 be at least a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff
9 member per one thousand students. This subdivision shall not be funded
10 by student fees created on or after the effective date of this subdivi-
11 sion. State colleges or universities may seek federal funding or private
12 grants, if available, to support the provisions of this subdivision.
13 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
14 the date on which it shall have become a law.
