Amd §§355 & 6206, Ed L; amd §§7.07 & 19.07, Ment Hyg L
Requires SUNY and CUNY schools with at least twenty-five percent of its undergraduate students living on campus to establish substance use recovery housing programs which shall include on-site counseling, mentoring, and peer support.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5106
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 19, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. HARCKHAM, FERNANDEZ -- read twice and ordered print-
ed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Educa-
tion
AN ACT to amend the education law and the mental hygiene law, in
relation to requiring certain SUNY and CUNY schools to establish
substance use recovery housing programs
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. The state university trustees shall adopt rules requiring that
4 each institution of the state university of New York in which at least
5 twenty-five percent of the undergraduate students live in on-campus
6 housing establish a substance use recovery housing program to provide a
7 supportive substance-free on-campus housing environment that recognizes
8 the unique risks and challenges that recovering students face, and that
9 provides support programs to recovering students who reside in the
10 recovery housing to assist their efforts to remain substance-free. Such
11 program shall include, at a minimum, on-site counseling, mentoring, and
12 peer support. An institution may designate a floor, wing, or other
13 designated area within an on-campus housing building for such substance
14 use recovery housing program, and shall not be required to designate an
15 entire dormitory building for the program. The institution shall apply
16 for any federal, state, corporate, or other grant funding that may be
17 available to implement such substance use recovery housing program.
18 Each institution shall submit a plan for such substance use recovery
19 housing program to the office of higher education to be reviewed and
20 approved by the office of higher education, the office of addiction
21 services and supports, and the office of mental health. Such plan shall
22 be submitted within one year of the effective date of this subdivision.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09764-01-5
S. 5106 2
1 Each institution shall implement such substance use recovery housing
2 program within four years after such plan is approved.
3 § 2. Section 6206 of the education law is amended by adding a new
4 subdivision 24 to read as follows:
5 24. The board of trustees shall adopt rules requiring that each insti-
6 tution of the city university of New York in which at least twenty-five
7 percent of the undergraduate students live in on-campus housing estab-
8 lish a substance use recovery housing program to provide a supportive
9 substance-free on-campus housing environment that recognizes the unique
10 risks and challenges that recovering students face, and that provides
11 support programs to recovering students who reside in the recovery hous-
12 ing to assist their efforts to remain substance-free. Such program
13 shall include, at a minimum, on-site counseling, mentoring, and peer
14 support. An institution may designate a floor, wing, or other designated
15 area within an on-campus housing building for such substance use recov-
16 ery housing program, and shall not be required to designate an entire
17 dormitory building for the program. The institution shall apply for any
18 federal, state, corporate, or other grant funding that may be available
19 to implement such substance use recovery housing program. Each institu-
20 tion shall submit a plan for such substance use recovery housing program
21 to the office of higher education to be reviewed and approved by the
22 office of higher education, the office of addiction services and
23 supports, and the office of mental health. Such plan shall be submitted
24 within one year of the effective date of this subdivision. Each insti-
25 tution shall implement such substance use recovery housing program with-
26 in four years after such plan is approved.
27 § 3. Section 7.07 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new
28 subdivision (i) to read as follows:
29 (i) The office shall, in conjunction with the office of higher educa-
30 tion and the office of addiction services and supports, review plans for
31 the establishment of a substance use recovery housing program submitted
32 by each institution of the state university of New York and the city
33 university of New York and establish procedures for the approval and
34 denial of such plans.
35 § 4. Section 19.07 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding a
36 new subdivision (o) to read as follows:
37 (o) The office shall, in conjunction with the office of higher educa-
38 tion and the office of mental health, review plans for the establishment
39 of a substance use recovery housing program submitted by each institu-
40 tion of the state university of New York and the city university of New
41 York and establish procedures for the approval and denial of such plans.
42 § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
