A 10288: Authorizes SUNY and CUNY to provide emergency aid grants to certain students; provides that the state shall reimburse half of all such grants provided; requires the higher education services corporation to provide an annual report on such programs.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 10288  IN ASSEMBLY February 20, 2026 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ALVAREZ -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Higher Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing an emer- gency aid grant program to allow the state university of New York or the city university of New York to provide emergency aid grants to certain students The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 6301 of the education law is amended by adding two 2 new subdivisions 7 and 8 to read as follows: 3 7. "Emergency aid grant". A grant provided to an undergraduate student 4 attending a community college, as defined in subdivision two of this 5 section and subdivision two of section three hundred fifty of this chap- 6 ter, and determined by such college to be eligible for such grant, who, 7 due to unexpected or unforeseen events, requires financial assistance 8 for expenses which may include but are not limited to food, clothing, 9 housing, course materials, technology, transportation, medical expenses, 10 or child care. An emergency aid grant shall not be used to pay outstand- 11 ing tuition or fees or for the repayment of student loans. 12 8. "Emergency aid grant program". The program established pursuant to 13 section sixty-three hundred twelve of this article wherein a community 14 college provides emergency aid grants to students and for which the 15 state provides annual matching funds to such college. 16 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 6312 to read 17 as follows: 18 § 6312. Emergency aid grant matching program. 1. Each community 19 college established and operated pursuant to the provisions of this 20 article shall establish an emergency aid grant program for students 21 deemed eligible for such emergency aid. The state shall provide each 22 community college an appropriation equal to one-half of all grants 23 disbursed or to be disbursed in such program, provided that such appro- 24 priation shall not exceed twelve hundred fifty dollars per student who 25 received or will receive an emergency aid grant and shall not exceed 26 more than sixty-two thousand five hundred dollars per community college. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD14398-02-6 
 A. 10288 2 1 2. The board of trustees may establish requirements, as such board 2 deems necessary, for community colleges to access the matching funds 3 provided by the state pursuant to subdivision one of this section, 4 provided that: 5 a. Emergency aid grants shall not be used to cover any outstanding 6 tuition or fees owed to the state university of New York; 7 b. Emergency aid grants shall not be treated as income for the 8 purposes of calculating financial aid offers or awards or when determin- 9 ing any expected student and/or family contribution; and 10 c. Community colleges shall demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the 11 board, that, as a component of a campus emergency aid grant program, 12 such college has other sufficient resources and services available to 13 support students experiencing financial distress. 14 3. Within thirty days of the conclusion of every academic year, each 15 community college shall submit the necessary data prescribed in section 16 six hundred seventy-nine-k of this chapter to the New York state higher 17 education services corporation for the purposes of the report required 18 by such section. 19 § 3. Section 350 of the education law is amended by adding two new 20 subdivisions 14 and 15 to read as follows: 21 14. "Emergency aid grant" means a grant provided to an undergraduate 22 student attending a state-operated institution, as defined in subdivi- 23 sion four of this section, and determined by such institution to be 24 eligible for such grant, who, due to unexpected or unforeseen events, 25 requires financial assistance for expenses which may include but are not 26 limited to food, clothing, housing, course materials, technology, trans- 27 portation, medical expenses, or child care. An emergency aid grant shall 28 not be used to pay outstanding tuition or fees or for the repayment of 29 student loans. 30 15. "Emergency aid grant program" means the program established pursu- 31 ant to section three hundred fifty-five-f of this article wherein a 32 state-operated institution provides emergency aid grants to students and 33 for which the state provides annual matching funds to such institution. 34 § 4. The education law is amended by adding a new section 355-f to 35 read as follows: 36 § 355-f. Emergency aid grant matching program. 1. Each state-operated 37 institution shall establish an emergency aid grant program for students 38 deemed eligible by such institution for such emergency aid. The state 39 shall provide each institution with an appropriation equal to one-half 40 of all grants disbursed or to be disbursed in such program, provided 41 that such appropriation shall not exceed twelve hundred fifty dollars 42 per student who received or will receive an emergency aid grant and 43 shall not exceed more than sixty-two thousand five hundred dollars per 44 state-operated institution. 45 2. The state university trustees may establish requirements, as such 46 trustees deem necessary, for state-operated institutions to access the 47 matching funds provided by the state pursuant to subdivision one of this 48 section, provided that: 49 a. Emergency aid grants shall not be used to cover any outstanding 50 tuition or fees owed to the state university of New York; 51 b. Emergency aid grants shall not be treated as income for the 52 purposes of calculating financial aid offers or awards or when determin- 53 ing any expected student and/or family contribution; and 54 c. State-operated institutions shall demonstrate, to the satisfaction 55 of the trustees, that, as a component of a campus emergency aid grant 
 A. 10288 3 1 program, such institution has other sufficient resources and services 2 available to support students experiencing financial distress. 3 3. Within thirty days of the conclusion of every academic year, each 4 state-operated institution shall submit the necessary data prescribed in 5 section six hundred eighty-nine-b of this title to the New York state 6 higher education services corporation for the purposes of the report 7 required by such section. 8 § 5. Section 6202 of the education law is amended by adding two new 9 subdivisions 10 and 11 to read as follows: 10 10. The term "emergency aid grant" shall mean a grant provided to an 11 undergraduate student attending a community college, as defined in 12 subdivision four of this section, or a senior college, as defined in 13 subdivision five of this section, and determined by such college to be 14 eligible for such grant, who, due to unexpected or unforeseen events, 15 requires financial assistance for expenses which may include but are not 16 limited to food, clothing, housing, course materials, technology, trans- 17 portation, medical expenses, or child care. An emergency aid grant shall 18 not be used to pay outstanding tuition or fees or for the repayment of 19 student loans. 20 11. The term "emergency aid grant program" shall mean the program 21 established pursuant to section sixty-two hundred thirty-five of this 22 article wherein a community college or senior college provides emergency 23 aid grants to students and for which the state provides annual matching 24 funds to such college. 25 § 6. The education law is amended by adding a new section 6235 to read 26 as follows: 27 § 6235. Emergency aid grant matching program. 1. Each community 28 college and senior college shall establish an emergency aid grant 29 program for students deemed eligible by such college for such emergency 30 aid. The state shall provide each college with an appropriation equal to 31 one-half of all grants disbursed or to be disbursed in such program, 32 provided that such appropriation shall not exceed twelve hundred fifty 33 dollars per student who received or will receive an emergency aid grant 34 and shall not exceed more than sixty-two thousand five hundred dollars 35 per community college or senior college. 36 2. The board of trustees, as defined in subdivision one of section 37 sixty-two hundred two of this article, may establish requirements, as 38 such board deems necessary, for community colleges and senior colleges 39 to access the matching funds provided by the state pursuant to subdivi- 40 sion one of this section, provided that: 41 a. Emergency aid grants shall not be used to cover any outstanding 42 tuition or fees owed to the city university of New York; 43 b. Emergency aid grants shall not be treated as income for the 44 purposes of calculating financial aid offers or awards or when determin- 45 ing any expected student and/or family contribution; and 46 c. A community college or senior college shall demonstrate, to the 47 satisfaction of the board, that, as a component of a campus emergency 48 aid grant program, such college has other sufficient resources and 49 services available to support students experiencing financial distress. 50 d. Within thirty days of the conclusion of every academic year, each 51 community college and senior college shall submit the necessary data 52 prescribed in section six hundred eighty-nine-b of this chapter to the 53 New York state higher education services corporation for the purposes of 54 the report required by such section. 55 § 7. The education law is amended by adding a new section 689-b to 56 read as follows: 
 A. 10288 4 1 § 689-b. Annual report on the emergency aid grant matching program. 1. 2 The corporation shall collect from each community college as defined in 3 subdivision two of section sixty-three hundred one of this chapter, 4 state-operated institution as defined in subdivision four of section 5 three hundred fifty of this title, community college as defined in 6 subdivision four of section sixty-two hundred two of this chapter, and 7 senior college as defined in subdivision five of section sixty-two 8 hundred two of this chapter, the following data on each such college or 9 institution's emergency aid grant programs on an annual basis: 10 (a) the number of students at each campus who received funds through 11 the emergency aid grant programs established in section three hundred 12 fifty-five-f of this title and sections sixty-three hundred twelve and 13 sixty-two hundred thirty-five of this chapter, and the total amount of 14 grants awarded; 15 (b) the average dollar amount provided to each student pursuant to 16 such program; 17 (c) the percentage of students who received an emergency aid grant who 18 are still enrolled in the city university of New York or the state 19 university of New York, and the percentage who are not enrolled in such 20 universities; 21 (d) the percentage of students who received an emergency aid grant who 22 have successfully completed a degree program at the state university of 23 New York or the city university of New York; 24 (e) post-graduation outcomes of students receiving emergency aid 25 grants including further education, employment, and wages, to the extent 26 such information is available to the corporation; provided that such 27 data is presented in an anonymized and aggregated format; 28 (f) other information deemed necessary by the corporation to evaluate 29 the effectiveness of the emergency aid grant program. 30 2. No later than thirty days after the corporation receives such 31 information from community colleges, state-operated institutions, and 32 senior colleges, the corporation shall compile such information into an 33 annual report to be published on the corporation's website and transmit- 34 ted to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, the temporary presi- 35 dent of the senate, and the chairs of the senate higher education 36 committee and the assembly higher education committee. 37 3. The corporation is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations 38 to effectuate the provisions of this section. 39 § 8. This act shall take effect August 1, 2027 and shall apply to the 40 academic year next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a 41 law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment, and/or repeal of 42 any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on 43 its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before 44 such effective date.