Amd §669-a, Ed L; amd §4, Chap of 2024 (as proposed in S.8596-A & A.9205-A)
Relates to veterans tuition awards program eligibility; makes tuition awards available for certain veterans including, but not limited to Vietnam, Persian Gulf and Afghanistan.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
747
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE(Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- read twice and ordered printed,
and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to veterans tuition
awards program eligibility, and to amend a chapter of the laws of 2024
amending the education law relating to expanding eligibility under the
veterans tuition awards program, as proposed in legislative bills
numbers S. 8596-A and A. 9205-A, in relation to the effectiveness
thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subparagraph (ii) of paragraph d of subdivision 1 of
2 section 669-a of the education law, as amended by a chapter of the laws
3 of 2024 amending the education law relating to expanding eligibility
4 under the veterans tuition awards program, as proposed in legislative
5 bills numbers S. 8596-A and A. 9205-A, is amended to read as follows:
6 (ii) served in the armed forces of the United States (1) on active
7 duty for at least four years, or (2) in hostilities that occurred after
8 February twenty-eighth, nineteen hundred sixty-one, as evidenced by
9 their receipt of an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Navy Expeditionary
10 Medal, or Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, and
11 § 2. Paragraph a of subdivision 2 of section 669-a of the education
12 law, as amended by a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the education
13 law relating to expanding eligibility under the veterans tuition awards
14 program, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 8596-A and A.
15 9205-A, is amended to read as follows:
16 a. Tuition awards are available for all Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Afghan-
17 istan and other eligible veterans, as defined in subdivision one of this
18 section, who are enrolled, pursuant to paragraph a of subdivision four
19 of section six hundred sixty-one of this part, in approved undergraduate
20 or graduate programs at degree granting institutions or enrolled in
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02704-01-5
S. 747 2
1 approved vocational training programs and who apply for a tuition
2 assistance program award, for up to the equivalent of eight full-time
3 semesters, pursuant to section six hundred sixty-seven of this subpart.
4 § 3. Subdivision 4 of section 669-a of the education law, as amended
5 by a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the education law relating to
6 expanding eligibility under the veterans tuition awards program, as
7 proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 8596-A and A. 9205-A, is
8 amended to read as follows:
9 4. Every recipient shall receive an award equal to the amount of
10 undergraduate [or graduate] tuition for residents of New York state
11 charged by the state university of New York or actual tuition charged,
12 whichever is less, for each semester, or the equivalent, of full time
13 study, or a pro-rated amount for part-time study; provided, however,
14 that such award shall not be reduced by any benefits available under the
15 federal Montgomery GI Bill act of 1984 or the federal Pell grant program
16 pursuant to section one thousand seventy-a of title twenty of the United
17 States code.
18 § 4. Section 4 of a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the education
19 law relating to expanding eligibility under the veterans tuition awards
20 program, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 8596-A and A.
21 9205-A, is amended to read as follows:
22 § 4. This act shall take effect [immediately] July 1, 2025.
23 § 5. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
24 sections one, two and three of this act shall take effect on the same
25 date and in the same manner as a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending
26 the education law relating to expanding eligibility under the veterans
27 tuition awards program, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S.
28 8596-A and A. 9205-A, takes effect.
