Directs the education department to study, review and report on the geographic cost variation of counties in the Hudson Valley labor force region to determine the appropriateness of the region cost index values for purposes of the public school foundation aid formula.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8957
IN SENATE
January 21, 2026
___________
Introduced by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to direct the education department to study, review and report on
the geographic cost variation of counties in the Hudson Valley labor
force region to determine the appropriateness of the region cost index
values for purposes of the public school foundation aid formula
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The education department shall, in consultation with the
2 department of labor, study and review the geographic cost variations of
3 the counties located in the Hudson Valley labor force region to deter-
4 mine the appropriateness of the regional cost index values used within
5 the public school foundation aid formula, as well as county placement in
6 the Hudson Valley region. Specifically, the education department shall
7 consider the movement of the counties of Putnam and Rockland currently
8 within the Hudson Valley region into the Long Island/New York city
9 region. Such department shall consult with the department of labor to
10 review labor costs for the Hudson Valley region and the Long Island/New
11 York city region.
12 The education department shall also review the regional costs associ-
13 ated with construction and study the impact on applying an up to date
14 cost index on public school building aid reimbursement.
15 § 2. The education department shall, on or before April 1, 2027,
16 report the findings, conclusions and recommendations of such study to
17 the governor, temporary president of the senate and speaker of the
18 assembly.
19 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14283-01-5
