STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8211--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
June 7, 2019
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ARROYO -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Education -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted
as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to establish a commission for the educational advancement of
multilingual learners in New York; and providing for the repeal of
such provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Commission established. (a) A commission, to be known as
2 the commission for the educational advancement of multilingual learners,
3 hereafter referred to as the commission, is hereby created to study and
4 prepare a report on the best practices and legislative recommendations
5 to close the achievement gap and high school graduation rates between
6 multilingual learners and their English proficient peers from prekinder-
7 garten through twelfth grade. The report will advise the legislature,
8 governor, board of regents, and New York state education officials on
9 the best practices, provide policy and legislative recommendations to
10 close the achievement gap; and the feasibility and cost to implement
11 such practices in schools.
12 (b) The commission shall be composed of eleven members, appointed as
13 follows: (i) two members shall be appointed by the governor; (ii) two
14 members shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly; (iii) two
15 members shall be appointed by the temporary president of the senate;
16 (iv) one member shall be appointed by the minority leader of the assem-
17 bly; (v) one member shall be appointed by the minority leader of the
18 senate; (vi) two members shall be appointed by the chancellor of the
19 board of regents; and (vii) one member shall be the commissioner of the
20 New York state education department or appointed thereof who shall serve
21 as chairperson of the commission. Vacancies in the membership of the
22 commission shall be filled within 30 days in the manner provided for
23 original appointments.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10122-07-9
A. 8211--A 2
1 (c) The commission shall be made up of at least: (i) one education
2 professional who specializes in English to Speakers of Other Languages
3 and Bilingual Programs; (ii) one teacher who has experience working with
4 multilingual students; (iii) one education professional who has experi-
5 ence working with early childhood multilingual learners; (iv) one educa-
6 tion professional who has experience with multilingual newcomers and
7 high school graduation; and (v) one education professional who has
8 expertise in education equity of New York state students.
9 (d) The members of the commission shall receive no compensation for
10 their services, but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses
11 incurred in the performance of their duties hereunder.
12 § 2. Appointments to commission. The governor, the speaker of the
13 assembly, the temporary president of the senate, the minority leader of
14 the assembly, the minority leader of the senate, the chancellor of the
15 board of regents, and the commissioner of education shall submit their
16 appointments no later than 120 days after this act becomes a law.
17 § 3. Commission staff and agency liaison. The commissioner of educa-
18 tion shall designate such employees of the department of education as
19 are reasonably necessary to provide support services to the commission.
20 The commissioner of education shall appoint one or more representatives
21 of the department of education to serve as liaison between such depart-
22 ment and the commission.
23 § 4. Accomplishment of purpose. The commission shall be authorized and
24 empowered to undertake any studies, surveys or analyses it may deem
25 relevant. The commission shall meet and hold at least five public hear-
26 ings, pursuant to subdivision (a) of section one of this act, one in
27 each of the following regions of the state: Long Island, the city of New
28 York, the city of Buffalo, the city of Syracuse and the city of Yonkers.
29 § 5. Report on best practices and legislative recommendations. The
30 commission shall make a report of its findings, including any recommen-
31 dations for legislative action as it may deem necessary and appropriate,
32 to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of
33 the assembly, the chairperson of the senate committee on education, the
34 chairperson of the senate committee on New York City education, the
35 chairperson of the assembly committee on education, the board of
36 regents, and the commissioner of education no later than one year after
37 all appointments to the commission have been made.
38 § 6. This act shall take effect April 1, 2020 and shall expire and be
39 deemed repealed two years after such date, provided, however, that if
40 upon such date an appropriation to the education department for the
41 purposes of implementing section one of this act shall not have been
42 made, this act shall take effect on the forty-fifth day after such
43 appropriation is made and shall expire and be deemed repealed two years
44 after such date, provided further that the director of the budget shall
45 notify the legislative bill drafting commission upon the occurrence of
46 such appropriation in order that the commission may maintain an accurate
47 and timely effective data base of the official text of the laws of the
48 state of New York in furtherance of effectuating the provisions of
49 section 44 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the public offi-
50 cers law.
