S 6194: Relates to providing access to laptops for high school and higher education students and textbooks for higher education students; provides access to laptops and textbooks without charge.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6194 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE March 6, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to providing access to laptops for high school and higher education students and textbooks for higher education students The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 753 of the education law is amended by adding a new 2 subdivision 6 to read as follows: 3 6. Beginning in the two thousand twenty-six--two thousand twenty-seven 4 school year, within amounts appropriated therefor, each school district 5 in the state shall implement a program to provide each student in the 6 district in grades nine through twelve a laptop without charge. 7 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new article 15-D to read 8 as follows: 9 ARTICLE 15-D 10 ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION TEXTBOOKS AND LAPTOPS 11 Section 730. Access to higher education textbooks and laptops. 12 § 730. Access to higher education textbooks and laptops. 1. (a) Begin- 13 ning in the two thousand twenty-six--two thousand twenty-seven school 14 year, within amounts appropriated therefor, every institution of the 15 state university of New York and every institution of the city universi- 16 ty of New York shall implement a program to provide any student who 17 attends such institution a laptop without charge. 18 (b) Beginning in the two thousand twenty-six--two thousand twenty-sev- 19 en school year, within amounts appropriate therefor, every private 20 college or university within the state shall implement a program to 21 provide any qualifying student who attends such institution a laptop 22 without charge. For the purposes of this paragraph, "qualifying 23 student" shall mean a student who provides such private college or 24 university documentation of financial need based upon information EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD10029-01-5 
 S. 6194 2 1 provided on such student's free application for federal student aid 2 (FAFSA). 3 2. (a) Beginning in the two thousand twenty-six--two thousand twenty- 4 seven school year, within amounts appropriated therefor, every institu- 5 tion of the state university of New York, every institution of the city 6 university of New York and every private college or university within 7 the state shall implement a program to provide free college textbooks to 8 every student attending such institution. 9 (b) Such program shall provide each student with a voucher to purchase 10 necessary textbooks with the condition all textbooks shall be returned 11 at the end of each semester in a serviceable condition. 12 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.