A 4897: Requires the higher education services corporation to make a determination of financial eligibility of a student for financial aid, awards and loans within 60 days from the day of the receipt of the financial aid application; where the higher education services corporation fails to make a timely determination the applicant shall be deemed eligible for such aid for the semester for which the application was made; allows for a 30-day extension if notice is given to the educational institution within the initial 60-day period.
What A 4897 does, verified January 9, 2026
The bill aims to improve the process of financial aid determinations in New York state. It requires the state corporation to make a determination of financial aid eligibility within sixty days from the receipt of a completed financial aid application. If the corporation fails to meet this deadline, the student is deemed eligible to receive financial aid for the semester. The corporation may obtain an additional thirty-day extension upon written notification, but this must be done within sixty days of receiving the application. The bill takes effect one year after its enactment.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: referred to higher education (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about A 4897
- What is the current status of A 4897?
- As of January 9, 2026, A 4897 is recorded as "Introduced": it has been introduced and is waiting for its first committee hearing or floor vote. The last recorded action, on January 7, 2026, was "referred to higher education".
- Did A 4897 pass?
- Not yet. A 4897 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote A 4897, and where is it now?
- A 4897 was authored by Asm. James Pretlow. Its committee of record is Assembly Higher Education. It is filed under EDN, alongside 312 other New York EDN bills this session.
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to higher education |
| Feb. 10, 2025 | referred to higher education |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, February 10, 2025 · 299 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4897 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY February 10, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. PRETLOW -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Higher Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to general and academic performance awards, student loans and tuition assistance program awards The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 665 of the education law is amended by adding a new 2 subdivision 8 to read as follows: 3 8. Timeliness of financial aid determinations. Notwithstanding any 4 other provision of law, the corporation shall make its determination of 5 financial aid eligibility within sixty days from the day of the receipt 6 of the completed financial aid application from the student. In the 7 event that such financial aid determination is not made by the corpo- 8 ration within sixty days after receipt of the completed financial aid 9 application from the student, such student shall be deemed eligible to 10 receive financial aid for the semester for which the completed financial 11 aid application is made; provided, however, that the corporation may 12 obtain an additional thirty day extension to make its eligibility deter- 13 mination upon written notification to the institution within sixty days 14 that additional time is necessary to examine and review the completed 15 financial aid application of such student. 16 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July in the second 17 year next succeeding the year in which it shall have become a law. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD07676-01-5
Text of A 4897 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions