New York A 3449: Relates to establishing the COVID-19 children scholarship

Status: REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION (as of 2026-01-07)

State: New York · Session: 2025-2026 · Bill: A 3449

Sponsors: Angelo Santabarbara, Joe DeStefano, William Colton

Bill Text

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A03449 Summary:

BILL NOA03449 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS S06061

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SPONSORSantabarbara

&nbsp

COSPNSRColton, DeStefano

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MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Add §§608-b & 668-h, amd §604, Ed L

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Relates to establishing the COVID-19 children scholarship; provides that children whose parent, primary caretaker or sibling died or was disabled as a result of contracting COVID-19 shall be eligible for such scholarship.

Go to top A03449 Actions:

BILL NOA03449 

&nbsp

01/27/2025referred to higher education

01/07/2026referred to higher education

Go to topA03449 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA03449 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA03449 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 3449

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 January 27, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the
 Committee on Higher Education

 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the
 COVID-19 children scholarship

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 608-b
 2 to read as follows:
 3 § 608-b. COVID-19 children scholarships. 1. Notwithstanding subdivi-
 4 sion five of section six hundred sixty-one of this title, children whose
 5 parent, primary caretaker or sibling died or was disabled as a result of
 6 contracting COVID-19, shall be eligible to receive a scholarship in an
 7 annual amount determined pursuant to subdivision two of section six
 8 hundred sixty-eight-h of this title.
 9 2. Awards under this section shall be payable for each of not more
 10 than four academic years of undergraduate study or five academic years
 11 if a program normally requires five years, as defined by the commission-
 12 er pursuant to this article.
 13 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 668-h to
 14 read as follows:
 15 § 668-h. COVID-19 children scholarships. 1. Eligible groups. Notwith-
 16 standing subdivision five of section six hundred sixty-one of this part,
 17 children whose parent, primary caretaker or sibling died or was disabled
 18 as a result of contracting COVID-19, shall be eligible to receive a
 19 scholarship.
 20 2. Amount. (a) The president shall grant annual scholarships in the
 21 following amounts:
 22 (1) If the recipient attends an institution of the city university of
 23 New York or an institution of the state university of New York other
 24 than the statutory colleges at Cornell, the college of environmental
 25 science and forestry at Syracuse and the college of ceramics at Alfred,

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD06656-01-5

 A. 3449 2

 1 the annual award shall be an amount equal to: the tuition charged at
 2 such institution provided that, notwithstanding any provision of law to
 3 the contrary, the tuition charged to award recipients shall not exceed
 4 that charged to state resident students attending such institution; the
 5 mandatory fees charged at such institution; and the non-tuition cost of
 6 attendance at such institution or college, provided that the scholarship
 7 shall not exceed an amount that is equal to the total cost of attendance
 8 determined for federal Title IV student financial aid purposes, less all
 9 other scholarships and grants provided by New York state, other states,
 10 the federal government, or other governments, and the amount of educa-
 11 tional benefits paid under any program that would duplicate the purposes
 12 of this program, provided that any scholarships or grants provided to a
 13 recipient by the institution which are intended to fund any portion of
 14 the difference between the annual state award and the actual costs of
 15 attendance at any such institution shall not be considered to duplicate
 16 the purposes of this program; or
 17 (2) If the recipient attends any other two- or four-year institution
 18 within New York state, the annual award shall be based upon an amount
 19 equal to: the tuition charged to state resident students attending a
 20 four-year college of the state university of New York; the averag

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