S 8165: Requires at least a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per one thousand students on all SUNY and CUNY campuses and for state colleges and universities to update such ratio every five years.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8165 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE May 16, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. STAVISKY -- 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 requiring at least a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per one thousand students on all SUNY and CUNY campuses The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 355 of the education law is amended by adding a new 2 subdivision 22 to read as follows: 3 22. Through on-campus capacity, each state college or university 4 center of the state university of New York and each state college and 5 university center of the city university of New York shall have at least 6 a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per one 7 thousand full-time equivalent students. Two years after the effective 8 date of this subdivision, and once every five years thereafter, each 9 state college and university shall establish a board of advisors and 10 experts and have such board update such ratio based on actual ratios in 11 this state and any new information related to appropriate benchmarks for 12 clinician-to-student ratios; provided, however, such updated ratio shall 13 be at least a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff 14 member per one thousand students. This subdivision shall not be funded 15 by student fees created on or after the effective date of this subdivi- 16 sion. State colleges or universities may seek federal funding or private 17 grants, if available, to support the provisions of this subdivision. 18 § 2. Section 6206 of the education law is amended by adding a new 19 subdivision 24 to read as follows: 20 24. Through on-campus capacity, each state college or university 21 center of the state university of New York and each state college and 22 university center of the city university of New York shall have at least 23 a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff member per one 24 thousand full-time equivalent students. Two years after the effective EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02074-01-5 
 S. 8165 2 1 date of this subdivision, and once every five years thereafter, each 2 state college and university shall establish a board of advisors and 3 experts and have such board update such ratio based on actual ratios in 4 this state and any new information related to appropriate benchmarks for 5 clinician-to-student ratios; provided, however, such updated ratio shall 6 be at least a ratio of one clinical, non-student mental health staff 7 member per one thousand students. This subdivision shall not be funded 8 by student fees created on or after the effective date of this subdivi- 9 sion. State colleges or universities may seek federal funding or private 10 grants, if available, to support the provisions of this subdivision. 11 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding 12 the date on which it shall have become a law.