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S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
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8165
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
May 16, 2025
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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.