Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official source posted by the New York State Senate, fetched 2026-08-11. Nothing is edited or removed. Where this bill amends existing law, language marked for deletion in the official source appears here in brackets. The official bill page.
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
747
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
(PREFILED)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- read twice and ordered printed,
and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to veterans tuition
awards program eligibility, and to amend a chapter of the laws of 2024
amending the education law relating to expanding eligibility under the
veterans tuition awards program, as proposed in legislative bills
numbers S. 8596-A and A. 9205-A, in relation to the effectiveness
thereof
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Subparagraph (ii) of paragraph d of subdivision 1 of
section 669-a of the education law, as amended by a chapter of the laws
of 2024 amending the education law relating to expanding eligibility
under the veterans tuition awards program, as proposed in legislative
bills numbers S. 8596-A and A. 9205-A, is amended to read as follows:
(ii) served in the armed forces of the United States (1) ON ACTIVE
DUTY FOR AT LEAST FOUR YEARS, OR (2) IN HOSTILITIES THAT OCCURRED AFTER
FEBRUARY TWENTY-EIGHTH, NINETEEN HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE, AS EVIDENCED BY
THEIR RECEIPT OF AN ARMED FORCES EXPEDITIONARY MEDAL, NAVY EXPEDITIONARY
MEDAL, OR MARINE CORPS EXPEDITIONARY MEDAL, and
§ 2. Paragraph a of subdivision 2 of section 669-a of the education
law, as amended by a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the education
law relating to expanding eligibility under the veterans tuition awards
program, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 8596-A and A.
9205-A, is amended to read as follows:
a. Tuition awards are available for all VIETNAM, PERSIAN GULF, AFGHAN-
ISTAN AND other eligible veterans, as defined in subdivision one of this
section, who are enrolled, pursuant to paragraph a of subdivision four
of section six hundred sixty-one of this part, in approved undergraduate
or graduate programs at degree granting institutions or enrolled in
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02704-01-5
S. 747 2
approved vocational training programs and who apply for a tuition
assistance program award, for up to the equivalent of eight full-time
semesters, pursuant to section six hundred sixty-seven of this subpart.
§ 3. Subdivision 4 of section 669-a of the education law, as amended
by a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the education law relating to
expanding eligibility under the veterans tuition awards program, as
proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 8596-A and A. 9205-A, is
amended to read as follows:
4. Every recipient shall receive an award equal to the amount of
undergraduate [or graduate] tuition for residents of New York state
charged by the state university of New York or actual tuition charged,
whichever is less, for each semester, or the equivalent, of full time
study, or a pro-rated amount for part-time study; provided, however,
that such award shall not be reduced by any benefits available under the
federal Montgomery GI Bill act of 1984 or the federal Pell grant program
pursuant to section one thousand seventy-a of title twenty of the United
States code.
§ 4. Section 4 of a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the education
law relating to expanding eligibility under the veterans tuition awards
program, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 8596-A and A.
9205-A, is amended to read as follows:
§ 4. This act shall take effect [immediately] JULY 1, 2025.
§ 5. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
sections one, two and three of this act shall take effect on the same
date and in the same manner as a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending
the education law relating to expanding eligibility under the veterans
tuition awards program, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S.
8596-A and A. 9205-A, takes effect.Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.