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
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          9034

                                    I N  S E N A T E

                                    January 27, 2026
                                       ___________

        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  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-SEVEN--TWO THOUSAND
     4  TWENTY-EIGHT 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-EIGHT--TWO THOUSAND  TWENTY-
    13  NINE ACADEMIC YEAR AND THEREAFTER, NO MANDATORY UNIVERSITY FEES SHALL BE
    14  CHARGED,  WITH THE EXCLUSION OF THE GRADUATE STUDENT ASSOCIATION STUDENT
    15  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-SEVEN--TWO THOUSAND TWEN-
    19  TY-EIGHT ACADEMIC YEAR, ALL  CURRENT  AND  FUTURE  MANDATORY  UNIVERSITY
    20  FEES,  WITH  THE  EXCLUSION  OF THE GRADUATE STUDENT ASSOCIATION STUDENT
    21  ACTIVITY FEE, SHALL BE CHARGED TO A CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK GRADUATE
    22  STUDENT SERVING AS A GRADUATE  ASSISTANT,  ADJUNCT  INSTRUCTOR,  ADJUNCT
    23  LECTURER,  ADJUNCT  COLLEGE  LABORATORY  TECHNICIAN  OR  A  NON-TEACHING
    24  ADJUNCT STAFF MEMBER AT THE RATE OF TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF ALL MANDATORY
    25  UNIVERSITY FEES, WITH THE EXCLUSION OF THE GRADUATE STUDENT  ASSOCIATION
    26  STUDENT ACTIVITY FEE.
    27    B.  BEGINNING  IN  THE TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-EIGHT--TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-
    28  NINE ACADEMIC YEAR AND THEREAFTER, NO MANDATORY UNIVERSITY FEES SHALL BE
    29  CHARGED, WITH THE EXCLUSION OF THE GRADUATE STUDENT ASSOCIATION  STUDENT
    30  ACTIVITY FEE.
    31    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07787-02-6