S 216: Extends scholarship eligibility for certain scholarships to students who have a certificate of graduation from a recognized high school within New York state from the two thousand thirteen--fourteen school year or after, or the recognized equivalent of such certificate, or received a passing score on a federally approved ability to benefit test that has been identified by the board of regents as satisfying the eligibility requirements and has been independently administered and evaluated as defined by the commissioner of education.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 216 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. HELMING -- 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 the New York state science, technology, engineering and mathematics incentive program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 669-e of the education law, as 2 amended by chapter 329 of the laws of 2018, is amended to read as 3 follows: 4 1. Undergraduate students who are matriculated in an approved under- 5 graduate program leading to a career in science, technology, engineering 6 or mathematics at a New York state public institution of higher educa- 7 tion for the purpose of subdivision two of this section, or a New York 8 state private degree granting institution of higher education for the 9 purpose of subdivision two-a of this section, shall be eligible for an 10 award under this section, provided the applicant: (a) [graduates from a 11 high school located in New York state during or after the two thousand 12 thirteen--fourteen school year] is a resident of New York state; and (b) 13 has a certificate of graduation from a recognized high school within New 14 York state from the two thousand thirteen--fourteen school year or 15 after, or the recognized equivalent of such certificate, or received a 16 passing score on a federally approved ability to benefit test that has 17 been identified by the board of regents as satisfying the eligibility 18 requirements of this section and has been independently administered and 19 evaluated as defined by the commissioner; and [(b)] (c) graduates within 20 the top ten percent of [his or her] their high school class or the 21 recognized equivalent, as defined by the commissioner; and [(c)] (d) 22 enrolls in full-time study each term beginning in the fall term after 23 [his or her] high school graduation in an approved undergraduate program 24 in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, as defined by the EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00569-01-5 
 S. 216 2 1 corporation, at a New York state institution of higher education; and 2 [(d)] (e) signs a contract with the corporation agreeing that [his or 3 her] such award will be converted to a student loan in the event the 4 student fails to comply with the terms of this program as set forth in 5 subdivision four of this section; and [(e)] (f) complies with the appli- 6 cable provisions of this article and all requirements promulgated by the 7 corporation for the administration of the program. 8 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.