A 6251: Enacts the New York state nursing shortage correction act; establishes the New York state nursing recruitment incentive and retention program; defines terms; provides for tuition benefits and the reimbursement of student loans if a person is a registered and licensed nurse; provides that SUNY and CUNY shall pay for a person's education if such person signs a contract stating that such person shall work in New York state as a registered nurse; makes related provisions; establishes the New York state nursing recruitment incentive and retention account.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6251 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 27, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. PALMESANO, BLANKENBUSH, BRABENEC, DeSTEFANO, GIGLIO, LEMONDES, MANKTELOW, MILLER, MORINELLO, RA, REILLY, TAGUE -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. BARCLAY, DiPIETRO, WALSH -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education AN ACT to amend the education law and the state finance law, in relation to enacting the New York state nursing shortage correction act The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "New York 2 state nursing shortage correction act". 3 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 669-i to 4 read as follows: 5 § 669-i. New York state nursing recruitment incentive and retention 6 program. 1. The department is authorized, within amounts appropriated or 7 otherwise lawfully available from any other source, to establish a nurs- 8 ing recruitment incentive and retention program. 9 2. Definitions. As used in this section the term: 10 (a) "Prospective nurse" shall mean a person who desires to enter nurs- 11 ing school to become a nurse. 12 (b) "Degree producing curriculum" shall mean a series of courses 13 programmed to culminate in a specific post-secondary degree or diploma 14 when successfully completed. 15 (c) "Tuition" shall mean the total semester, quarter, or classroom 16 hour cost of instruction to the student as periodically published in the 17 catalogue of the institution, specifically excluding mandatory fees, 18 book charges, and room and board. 19 (d) "Tuition benefit" shall mean the payment of whatever cost is 20 attributable to the cost of tuition after the deduction of any other 21 available educational grant aid. 22 (e) "Part-time study" shall mean enrollment in an approved post-secon- 23 dary degree program for at least six but less than twelve semester EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD06937-01-5 
 A. 6251 2 1 hours, or the equivalent per semester, or at least four but less than 2 eight semester hours per quarter in an institution. 3 (f) "Institution" shall mean the state university of New York, the 4 city university of New York or a community college located within this 5 state which provides a course of study leading to the granting of a 6 post-secondary degree or diploma. 7 (g) "Legal resident" shall mean a person whose principal domicile is 8 located within New York state in excess of one hundred eighty-six days 9 per year. 10 3. (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of any other general, special, 11 or local law, rule, or regulation, any prospective nurse shall be enti- 12 tled to the tuition benefit provided by this section upon such person's 13 enrollment in a degree producing curriculum in any institution. 14 (b) The tuition benefit provided by this section shall be restricted 15 to legal residents of the state. The benefit may be used for either 16 part-time or full-time study. No restriction as to sessions, student 17 status, or space availability which does not apply to all students shall 18 be placed by institutions upon recipients under this program. 19 (c) Upon the recipient's attainment of a baccalaureate or cessation of 20 status as an active student, whichever occurs first, the benefit 21 provided by this section shall be discontinued. The tuition benefit 22 provided by this section may be suspended at the direction of the 23 department for a recipient's failure to maintain good academic progress 24 and program pursuit or for the failure to maintain sufficient academic 25 standing to retain eligibility for any other financial assistance the 26 recipient may be receiving. 27 (d) Unless otherwise provided for in this section, the tuition benefit 28 shall be on the terms and conditions set by the department, provided 29 that such person shall sign a contract to agree to work in a job that 30 requires such person to be licensed as a registered nurse more than an 31 average of twenty hours per week anywhere within this state; for two 32 years if such person was in an associate in nursing program; or for four 33 years if such person were in a bachelor's or higher degree nursing 34 program. Such job shall begin within one year after leaving college or a 35 nursing degree program. 36 (e) The tuition benefit provided by this section shall be effective 37 beginning with the school semester or quarter following its enactment 38 into law. 39 4. (a) A registered nurse who did not receive the full benefit pursu- 40 ant to subdivision three of this section or is under obligation to repay 41 the loans, and is employed more than an average of twenty hours a week 42 in a licensed and registered nursing job in this state may request the 43 state university of New York or the city university of New York to take 44 over all or part of such registered nurse's student loan payments if 45 such person averages more than thirty-five hours per week in a job that 46 requires such person to be licensed as a registered nurse. 47 (b) If such person averages between twenty and thirty-five hours per 48 week in a job that requires such person to be licensed as a registered 49 nurse, one-half of the student loan payments shall be taken over by such 50 institutions. 51 (c) Only hours worked within New York state may be eligible towards 52 the hours of work per week. 53 5. The state university of New York and the city university of New 54 York shall continue to operate pursuant to subdivision three of this 55 section until such person receives the same amount as would have been 56 received under subdivision one of this section or until such person 
 A. 6251 3 1 ceases to be employed more than twenty hours per week in a job in this 2 state that requires such person to be licensed as a registered nurse, or 3 such person's student loans are paid off, whichever occurs first. 4 6. (a) If such benefit pursuant to subdivision four of this section 5 ceases because such registered nurse ceases to be employed more than an 6 average of twenty hours per week in a job in this state that requires 7 such person to be licensed as a registered nurse, such person may reap- 8 ply when such person begins to work more than an average of twenty hours 9 per week. 10 (b) At the time when the benefit ceases, the full amount of money 11 advanced such person shall be converted into a student loan as defined 12 in the contract such person signed pursuant to paragraph (d) of subdivi- 13 sion three of this section. 14 (c) The commissioner of health may waive or delay the enforcement of 15 this subdivision in cases of extreme hardship. 16 7. The respective institutions shall provide the department of taxa- 17 tion and finance on a quarterly basis with pertinent information, 18 including, but not limited to, the names, addresses, social security 19 numbers, names and addresses of employers. Such information shall be in 20 a computer readable format as set forth by the department of taxation 21 and finance. 22 § 3. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 91-h to 23 read as follows: 24 § 91-h. New York state nursing recruitment incentive and retention 25 account. 1. There is hereby established in the joint custody of the 26 state comptroller and the commissioner of taxation and finance an 27 account in the miscellaneous special revenue fund to be known as the New 28 York state nursing recruitment incentive and retention account. 29 2. Such account shall consist of all revenues received from contrib- 30 utions, donations and other moneys credited or transferred thereto from 31 any other fund or source pursuant to law. 32 3. Moneys of the account, following appropriation by the legislature 33 may be expended for the New York state nursing recruitment incentive and 34 retention program. Moneys shall be paid out of the account on the audit 35 and warrant of the state comptroller on vouchers certified or approved 36 by the adjutant general of New York state. 37 § 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. Effective immediately, 38 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces- 39 sary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are 40 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.