Establishes the volunteer firefighters and emergency medical service volunteer tuition assistance grant program; provides that counties shall have the option to establish such program by the enactment of a local law; provides for state reimbursement to counties for fifty percent of tuition assistance costs.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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577
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE(Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
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Introduced by Sen. KENNEDY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a volun-
teer firefighters and emergency medical service volunteer tuition
assistance grant program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 609-a
2 to read as follows:
3 § 609-a. Volunteer firefighters and emergency medical service volun-
4 teer tuition assistance grant program. 1. For purposes of this section,
5 the following terms shall have the following meanings:
6 a. "volunteer firefighter" shall mean an active volunteer member of a
7 fire company of a county, a fire company of a city, town or village
8 located within such county, or a fire district fire department located
9 within such county, whether or not any such company is incorporated
10 under any general or special law.
11 b. "volunteer emergency medical service personnel" shall mean an
12 active volunteer member of any emergency medical service as established
13 within a county, town, village or city or local tax district, whether or
14 not any such service is incorporated under any general or special law.
15 c. "at least a part-time basis" shall mean enrollment for at least six
16 hours per semester or four hours per quarter.
17 d. "tuition" shall mean the total semester, quarter or classroom hour
18 cost of instruction to the student at a state-operated institution or
19 community college, as defined pursuant to section three hundred fifty of
20 this chapter, excluding mandatory fees, book charges and room and board.
21 2. Any county within the state is hereby authorized, by the enactment
22 of a local law, to establish and implement a volunteer
23 firefighters/emergency medical service volunteer tuition assistance
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02141-01-9
S. 577 2
1 grant program to provide tuition assistance to volunteer
2 firefighters/emergency medical service volunteers enrolled on at least a
3 part-time basis at state-operated institutions or community colleges as
4 those terms are defined in section three hundred fifty of this title.
5 Any program established pursuant to this section shall provide tuition
6 assistance grants to such volunteer firefighters/emergency medical
7 service volunteers in an amount up to fifty percent of the tuition
8 required to be paid to such state-operated institution or community
9 college by such firefighter/emergency medical service volunteer.
10 3. Any county which establishes a volunteer firefighters/emergency
11 medical service volunteer tuition assistance grant program pursuant to
12 the provisions of this section shall be entitled to reimbursement from
13 the state for one-half of the actual cost of tuition assistance paid by
14 such county to volunteer firefighters or emergency medical service
15 personnel.
16 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to academ-
17 ic semesters, quarters and classroom hours beginning on or after January
18 1, 2021.
