Phases out certain mandatory university fees for certain graduate students and adjunct staff

S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          10334

                                  I N  A S S E M B L Y

                                    February 20, 2026
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of A. SOLAGES, BURROUGHS, SEAWRIGHT, ROMERO, LASHER,
          DAIS, MEEKS, SCHIAVONI, CLARK, SHRESTHA, SMITH, CONRAD, SAYEGH,  GRIF-
          FIN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education

        AN  ACT  to  amend the education law, in relation to phasing out certain
          mandatory university fees for graduate students

          THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
        BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

     1    Section  1.  Paragraph h of subdivision 2 of section 355 of the educa-
     2  tion law is amended by adding a new subparagraph 12 to read as follows:
     3    (12) (I) BEGINNING IN THE TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SIX--TWO THOUSAND  TWEN-
     4  TY-SEVEN  ACADEMIC  YEAR,  ALL  CURRENT  AND FUTURE MANDATORY UNIVERSITY
     5  FEES, WITH THE EXCLUSION OF THE  GRADUATE  STUDENT  ASSOCIATION  STUDENT
     6  ACTIVITY  FEE, SHALL BE CHARGED TO A STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK GRADU-
     7  ATE STUDENT SERVING A FULL-TIME OR HALF-TIME APPOINTMENT AS  A  GRADUATE
     8  TEACHING  ASSISTANT,  GRADUATE  ASSISTANT,  GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT,
     9  GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, OR GRADUATE TEACHING ASSOCIATE AT THE  RATE
    10  OF TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF ALL MANDATORY UNIVERSITY FEES, WITH THE EXCLU-
    11  SION OF THE GRADUATE STUDENT ASSOCIATION STUDENT ACTIVITY FEE.
    12    (II)  BEGINNING IN THE TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SEVEN--TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-
    13  EIGHT ACADEMIC YEAR AND THEREAFTER, NO MANDATORY UNIVERSITY  FEES  SHALL
    14  BE  CHARGED,  WITH  THE  EXCLUSION  OF  THE GRADUATE STUDENT ASSOCIATION
    15  STUDENT ACTIVITY FEE.
    16    § 2. Section 6206 of the education law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
    17  subdivision 24 to read as follows:
    18    24.  A. BEGINNING IN THE TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SIX--TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-
    19  SEVEN ACADEMIC YEAR, ALL CURRENT AND FUTURE MANDATORY  UNIVERSITY  FEES,
    20  WITH  THE EXCLUSION OF THE GRADUATE STUDENT ASSOCIATION STUDENT ACTIVITY
    21  FEE, SHALL BE CHARGED TO A CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK GRADUATE  STUDENT
    22  SERVING  AS  A GRADUATE ASSISTANT, ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR, ADJUNCT LECTURER,
    23  ADJUNCT COLLEGE LABORATORY TECHNICIAN OR A  NON-TEACHING  ADJUNCT  STAFF
    24  MEMBER  AT  THE  RATE OF TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF ALL MANDATORY UNIVERSITY
    25  FEES, WITH THE EXCLUSION OF THE  GRADUATE  STUDENT  ASSOCIATION  STUDENT
    26  ACTIVITY FEE.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07787-04-6
        A. 10334                            2

     1    B.  BEGINNING  IN  THE TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SEVEN--TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-
     2  EIGHT ACADEMIC YEAR AND THEREAFTER, NO MANDATORY UNIVERSITY  FEES  SHALL
     3  BE  CHARGED,  WITH  THE  EXCLUSION  OF  THE GRADUATE STUDENT ASSOCIATION
     4  STUDENT ACTIVITY FEE.
     5    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.